Derek ColeGM, Simmons One Hour Heating & Air · AI HVAC Answers

Improve Air Quality with the Best Filter: Say Goodbye to Allergens! #shorts

5 Sept 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:50

In this YouTube short, Derek Cole explains why low‑cost, clear filters sold at big‑box stores (e.g., a 69‑cent Home Depot filter) are ineffective for indoor air quality. He uses a vivid analogy—salt poured over the filter passes through—to illustrate that such filters only block large debris like pet hair or food particles, but fail to capture the tiny particles that constitute the majority (about 98%) of airborne pollutants. Cole emphasizes that focusing on small‑particle filtration is essential for reducing allergens and improving overall air quality, and he recommends using higher‑efficiency filters instead of cheap, see‑through options.

Chapters

When our techs go out to the house, they can recommend what's better for you. But I would— yes, you need a better filter than the 69-cent Home Depot see-through filter. I mean, if you can lay it on your table, take salt, pour it over it, and the salt gets through, that's not a good filter. That makes sense. The big filter is stopping, or the cheap filter is stopping things like sandwiches and chickens and any kind of furry pets from coming through, but it's not stopping the small particles that you need to be stopping. And that is 98% of your problem is the small ones, not the big ones. So that's where you need to be focused on.