You can use a paper bag if you prefer, but the corners of the filter may puncture the bag and leak dust and dirt all over the place. This process is identical for furnace, air purifier, vehicle, and refrigerator filters. All of these filters basically look and operate the same, and they’re all roughly the same size with the exception of the refrigerator filter.
You can store the filter in your garage or backyard and simply wait for trash pickup day to keep it out of your home if you don’t have an outdoor garbage can.
You don’t need to shut the entire system down by flipping the power switch on the furnace, but you can if you’d really like to. This will also keep air from pumping through the furnace. Throw on some nitrile gloves and a dust mask if you have allergies.
The cover on the filter may be vertical or horizontal. You can always refer to the panel on your furnace or the instruction manual if you can’t find the cover. If there isn’t a filter on the furnace, look just behind the vent for the return line in your home. The return line is typically the largest vent and it’s almost always on the main floor of the home. Just unscrew or slide out the vent cover to see if there’s an air filter behind it. [5] X Research source
Some cheaper furnaces won’t have anything holding the air filter in place. You can just pull these filters out by the edge of the cover.
If the frame of the filter is metal or aluminum, be extremely careful when removing it. You may cut your fingers if you grab it by a corner. If any of the junk from the air filter fell to the floor when you removed it, run a rag or cloth under some water. Wring the excess water out and wipe the furnace and floor to pick up the debris. [8] X Research source
The air filter box will usually be pretty dirty after removing the filter. Vacuum this box before installing your new filter. You typically don’t need any tools to remove the plastic box that covers the filter. Some vehicles may require a screwdriver to remove 2-3 screws holding the box in place, though.
If there are vents on the back but you can’t remove the cover, you may need to reach out to a fridge repair service to remove the filter.
Some humidifiers and purifiers have a slot on the top of the machine where the filter slides in or out. On these machines, you can typically press a button to unlock the filter or you can pull it out by hand to remove it.
