Things You'll Need:
- Garden hose
- Vacuum or broom
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Step 1
Pop open your furnace's service panel. Most of the time, you will not need tools to do this. In the rare cases that tools are required to open your furnace's service panel, it generally only takes a screwdriver.
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Step 2
Find your furnace's power switch and turn it off; to be safe, you may want to cut off the power supply at the breaker as well.
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Step 3
Locate the furnace filter. The furnace filter is a square or rectangular piece of mesh with a cardboard, light-weight plastic or light-weight metal frame. It can usually be found near the intake blower.
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Step 4
Remove the furnace filter by sliding or lifting it out by hand.
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Step 5
If your filter has a plastic or metal frame and is reusable, spray it off with a hose to rinse away accumulated dust and debris. Allow it to dry before replacing it in the furnace.
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Step 6
If your furnace filter has a cardboard frame, purchase a replacement; this type of filter is disposable and cannot be cleaned with water. These filters are generally very inexpensive and can be found at any home improvement store and many department stores with home-improvement departments.
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Step 7
Turn your furnace back on and replace the service panel cover. Sweep or vacuum the floor around your furnace.
