Canadian wildfires are getting worse every day, causing air quality in the northern United States is getting worse. Your cabin air filter could be the solution.

Canada has wildfire seasons as much as Northern California, but most of the time, these fires are confined to the western part of the country and don’t spread across various regions. This year, that’s not the case at all. In fact, these wildfires are out of control to the point that much of the northern states in the US are now experiencing poor air quality as much as the provinces of Canada.

Is it mask season once again

After the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, many people swore they would never again put on facemasks when they went out in public. Unfortunately, recent events are changing that for many people. The need for these medical-grade face coverings is becoming necessary once again to filter out the stuff that’s creating poor air quality in the area. Although most people don’t want to don the face masks, they are necessary while the fires continue to rage on, with very little stopping them or controlling where they spread. That said, you might find a reprieve in one area of your life.

Your car could be a safe haven from the bad air quality

The days of taking walks outside might be over for a while for those affected by the Canadian wildfires. Although face coverings might be required while walking from the house to the car and from the car into a store or to your office, you can take your face mask off while riding around in your car. The cabin air filter in your vehicle is made to give you clean air inside your vehicle, which makes it easy to enjoy a clean and comfortable ride to work, to the store, and anywhere else you need to go.

When did you last change your cabin air filter?

If you responsibly take care of your home, you likely change your home’s air filters every month or every three months if you buy the better and more expensive filters. Unfortunately, one filter most of us forget about is the cabin filter in your car. Why is this item forgotten? Mostly, the reasons this filter is never changed is because of where it is and how little it’s discussed. That said, now is the time to change this filter.

Your car’s cabin air filter is typically located behind the glovebox in your car. If you don’t find it in this location, check your owner’s manual to find this item. Once located, it’s as easy to change as your home’s filter. Don’t be surprised if you find a lot of dirt, dust, and debris in your car’s filter, especially if you’ve never replaced this item. Now is the best time to change this filter, especially if you live in an area that’s affected by the smoke coming from the Canadian wildfires.

How well does this filter work?

If you were to breathe air coming directly off the pavement outside while driving, you might begin to choke after a few minutes. Although most drivers forget to replace this filter as needed, they still filter out up to 98% of particulates down to the size of 0.5 microns, which makes them help you have excellent air quality. If you’re sensitive to the air quality in your vehicle, you can purchase HEPA-grade filters that can filter up to 99.97% of the particulates as small as 0.3 microns. If you change this filter in your car, you might find that you have the cleanest air of your day in your vehicle.

How much does a new cabin filter cost?

In most vehicles, this filter will cost as little as $15 to $20, and it’s easy to replace. Most automakers don’t have this filter on the list of scheduled maintenance items because they don’t have any impact on the functionality of the vehicle. Typically, your car’s cabin air filter should be replaced between 15,000 and 30,000 miles of driving. If you drive a Tesla or Mercedes, you might have a HEPA filter that came with the vehicle as part of the factory equipment.

While the wildfires are raging and air quality worsens, those impacted by the fires should replace their vehicle cabin air filters and consider doing so more regularly than normal. If these fires continue to rage on, you might need to replace this item every month until the fires are controlled and burn out.