{"id":4928,"date":"2026-01-08T19:27:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/?p=4928"},"modified":"2026-01-08T20:00:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T12:00:36","slug":"how-to-clean-wash-hepa-filter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-clean-wash-hepa-filter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Clean Air Purifier Filters and Are HEPA Filters Washable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you clean a HEPA filter? If so, how<\/strong> should you wash or clean an air purifier filter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These questions keep cropping up, as they’re just about the only remaining problem for HEPA filters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HEPA filters are almost perfect: they are backed by tons of scientific tests<\/a>; they\u2019re pretty cheap<\/a>; they use about as much energy as a lightbulb; and they even have documented health benefits. But replacing them as opposed to cleaning them isn’t ideal. It would be great if we could clean, wash, and reuse HEPA filters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some ‘Experts’ Say You Can Clean HEPA Filters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On the question-answer site Quora, I’ve seen industry insiders say you can clean HEPA filters by banging the HEPA filter to get the dust out:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Expert<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Some people even say you can clean HEPA filters by vacuuming them:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Suggestions<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2026or even by washing HEPA filters with water. Yet other experts say you can NEVER clean HEPA filters.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"HEPA<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

But one thing I haven\u2019t seen is anyone actually testing the question and presenting the data. To get to the bottom of whether we should clean HEPA filters, and the best way to clean them, Smart Air engineer CK tested washing, cleaning, and vacuuming HEPA filters in the Smart Air lab.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Smart<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

When you search for “how to clean HEPA filter,” you will see two methods to clean HEPA filters: vacuuming and washing.  Smart Air put both of these to the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Idea 1: Can you wash a HEPA filter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our nerd team at\u00a0Smart<\/a> Air<\/a>\u00a0washed 3 dirty HEPA filters a shower head (with water only) and then left them to dry for a day.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"How<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We used an anemometer to test the air speed coming out of the HEPA filter before and after washing.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Good news! Washing increased the amount of air passing through the HEPA filter.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Washing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We also used a laser particle counter to test the number of 0.3-micron particles the HEPA captured.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

And that test gave us the bad news. The particle capture of the HEPA filter\u00a0went down<\/strong>\u00a0a lot after washing.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The increased airflow was not nearly enough to outweigh the decrease in particle capture.<\/p>\n\n\n

Bottom Line<\/div>
Bottom Line: Can you wash a HEPA filter?<\/div>
\nWashing HEPA filters with water significantly decreases performance.<\/div>
Smart Air<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n