Cleaning your mini-split filters is one of the easiest and most important things you can do to keep your unit running efficiently and your air smelling fresh.
Here are some of the best and most helpful YouTube tutorials for cleaning mini-split filters, ranging from quick monthly maintenance to professional-level deep cleans:
Top YouTube Tutorials for Cleaning Mini-Split Filters
- For a Professional Deep Dive: How to Clean and Maintain Your Mini Split | Ask This Old House Richard Trethewey walks through not just cleaning the filters, but also doing a deep clean on the indoor coils and maintaining the outdoor unit. Highly recommended if you want to understand the whole system.
- For a Quick, Standard Wall-Mounted Unit: How to Clean a Mini-Split Air Conditioner Intake Filter A straightforward, no-nonsense guide that shows you exactly how to pop the front cover open, slide the filters out, wash them, and reinstall them. * For Ceiling Cassette Units: How To Clean Your MrCool Mini Split Ceiling Cassette Filters If your mini-split is mounted flush in your ceiling rather than on the wall, the removal process is a bit different. This video by the DIY HVAC Guy shows you how to drop the tray and pull the filters out safely.
- For a Quick Vacuum Method: DIY Cleaning Mini-Split Filters If your filters aren’t greasy and just have a standard layer of dust, this video shows how to clean them in under 5 minutes using just the brush attachment on your vacuum.
The General Process (What to Expect)
If you want the quick summary of what you’ll see in these videos, the process almost always follows these steps:
- Power Off: Always turn the unit off with the remote before starting.
- Open the Hatch: Lift the front panel of the wall unit. Usually, there are two tabs on the sides that click out, allowing the plastic cover to swing up and lock into place.
- Slide the Filters Out: The filters sit right on top. Gently push them up slightly to unclip them from the bottom, then pull them down and out.
- Clean: * Light Dust: Vacuum the dusty side using a soft brush attachment.
- Heavy Dirt/Grime: Rinse them in the sink with warm water and a little mild dish soap. Always spray water through the clean side to push the dust back out the way it came.
- Dry Completely: If you washed them, gently shake off the excess water and let them air dry completely. Never put wet filters back into the unit, as this can cause mold.
- Reinstall: Slide them back up the tracks, click the bottom tabs into place, and close the front cover.