When it comes to routine car maintenance, many motorists overlook the air filter. It often gets overshadowed by things like oil changes, fluid top-ups, or even seasonal tire swaps for those who experience winters. Of course, there are many ways to make your car run more smoothly. But your engine is always breathing air, whether aggressively while darting through traffic or while idling in the driveway. If you think about it, your car’s engine is like a giant air pump requiring large volumes of clean air. Without this, it can’t burn gas cleanly and efficiently. 

Changing an air filter comes with key benefits, helping ensure combustion remains clean. While some manufacturers make disposable filters meant to be discarded when dirty, there are also reusable options available. Brands like K&N and AEM make renowned air filters meant to be washed, dried, re-oiled, and reinstalled by handy drivers or mechanics. According to K&N Engineering, their drop-in replacement filters can go for 50,000 miles under normal highway driving conditions before requiring cleaning. Keeping that filter clean ensures proper airflow and protects your engine’s internals. But how do you actually clean these filters, to keep your engine breathing the cleanest air?

After you’ve hit the service interval, you’ll need to pop your car’s hood and locate the filter. Whether you have an oiled cotton filter (like a K&N High-Flow Air Filter) or a dry synthetic filter (such as K&N Dryflow or AEM Dryflow), the cleaning process is fairly simple. Remove the filter from the intake pipe or the plastic air box, spray it with the brand-approved cleaner on both sides, focusing on the dirty areas, and let it soak for 10 minutes. Be sure not to let the cleaning solution dry out while doomscrolling, so set a timer on your phone. 

Next, you’re going to need to rinse the filter (with cool or lukewarm water; avoid hot) from the clean side out, spraying outward to push the dirt out of the media until the water runs clear. After rinsing, let it dry naturally, and re-oil if required (remember, dry synthetic filters should never be oiled). K&N recommends never using compressed air to clean its filters, as this could damage the filter fibers, nor should you use a brush to dislodge dirt. The bottom line here is that you don’t want to be guessing about what happens if you don’t change your engine’s air filter. Be proactive, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the filter at the recommended intervals. Your car will thank you later.