Arm & Hammer Furnace Filters

Benefits

• Furnace filters that utilize Arm & Hammer baking soda are particularly adept at removing odors from the air. This is because baking soda, which is known chemically as sodium bicarbonate, is a basic or alkaline compound, whereas odor-causing substances tend to be organic acids. As a result of this difference in pH, organic acid molecules and sodium bicarbonate molecules react when they come in contact with one another. The resulting molecules -- water and salt -- are odorless.

Filter Type

• PrecisionAire produces three models of Arm & Hammer furnace filters, all of which are pleated. Pleated furnace filters have surfaces that contain multiple rows of folds. Unlike non-pleated or flat furnace filters, the pleated filters have more surface area in their myriad folds for catching airborne particles and don't take up any more space than regular filters.

Models

• The three models of PrecisionAire Arm & Hammer furnace filters are the Standard Pleated, the Elite Pleated and the Microparticle Pleated. While all three contain Arm & Hammer baking soda, the Microparticle Pleated filter has the added feature of being electrostatically charged. This charge helps attract dust and other particles towards the filter's surfaces.

MERV Rating

• MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a rating of a filter's ability to remove particulate matter from the air. This particulate matter includes dust, pet dander, smog, smoke, pollen, spores, viruses and bacteria. The higher a furnace filter's MERV rating, the more effective it is at trapping such particles. Of the PrecisionAire Arm & Hammer furnace filters, the Elite Pleated has the highest MERV rating at 12. This means the filter can remove particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter and larger. In comparison, the Microparticle Pleated Arm & Hammer has a MERV rating of 10, which means it can trap particles that are 1 micron and larger; the Standard Pleated Arm & Hammer furnace filter has a MERV rating of 8, which means it can trap particles that are 5 microns and larger.

Maximum Usage

• According to the manufacturer, all PrecisionAire Arm & Hammer furnace filters will last for a maximum of 90 days.