Ewwww, What’s that Smell – Replace Your Car’s Cabin Filter in Minutes
Driving two boys and a dog in the Handymobile several times a day can lead to some truly funky odors. The other day I found myself wondering what the latest funk could be attributed to. Was it the stinky socks and shoes left behind from water day at school?
Or was it the countless remnants and crumbs that tumbled out of the kids’ mouths? 
Or was it just a bad case of dog breath? 
There really is no telling exactly what causes the funk in my car. But, I can tell you that there could be one more culprit: 
That would be a filthy cabin air filter! This month I learned that it is easy to replace your car’s air filters. And just like you need to replace your home’s filters regularly, you should replace your car filters too! I’m embarrassed to say that I never changed my cabin filter. I just assumed the garage did it when they changed my oil four times a year. Well, I was sorely mistaken. I literally just had my oil changed this month and asked the mechanic if they automatically changed the air filter too. He answered, “Yes, ma’am. But, only if it needs it.” See, I figured I was fine. But, then I was contacted by Blogher and asked if I wanted to write a post about changing my car’s cabin air filter using a FRAM Fresh Breeze® cabin air filter. I was intrigued. And after watching the installation video on the FRAM Fresh Breeze website, I was confident knowing how to find the air filter. Okay, are you ready for this? This is the instructions for replacing your air filter on a 2003 Honda CRV. But, you can look up the instructions for your car here. Changing the cabin air filters was super simply! I can tell you that this took me under 10 minutes to do. And probably would have taken under 5 minutes if I hadn’t photographed every step. Here’s the pictorial how to guide, but you might want to look up the video tutorial for your specific car on FRAM’s website. Tools:
- Two hands
- Maybe a flat head screwdriver
Instructions: Open your glove compartment and empty it of all the squished granola bars, unused fast food napkins and salt packets, and that key that you were looking for 5 years ago! What, no gloves in my glove box? Whoever named it a glove compartment didn’t live in the south? 
Locate the stops (or glove compartment release levers) inside your glove compartment. 
Pry the stops out and then remove them from the glove box. 
Peek inside and look for the cabin filter cover. You might have to get down on all fours and look up into the dashboard. 
Press the release lever and remove the cover. 
Pull the first cabin filter out (your car may only have one filter, my car has two.) 
Slide the tab for the second filter over to the left and remove it next. 
Hold your nose lest you sneeze your pollen-bombed head off: Yuck!!! Seriously, what constitutes “when needed” in the mechanics eyes! No wonder I sneezed every time I turned on the A/C in my car! We were breathing all that pollen, tree debris, dust and who knows what else. Bleck! 
To remove the filter, pry up the old one and insert the new one in making sure the arrows are pointing down. 
Be sure to install the filters with the two tabs close together. 
Re-insert the new filters by reversing the process of removing them. 1. Insert the first filter and slide it to the right. 2. Insert the second filter. 3. Replace the cabin filter housing door. 4. Press it firmly to lock in place. 
Lift the glove box back up and re-insert the stops. Press the stops in firmly to lock in place. 
I can certainly breathe easier knowing that the new filters I installed are clean and will filter 98% of dust, dirt, and allergens. And the Arm & Hammer® Baking soda and charcoal filter will remove odors from the air entering our car. Sayonara cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes.
*UPDATE: I’ve been driving around for a few days now and I can honestly say that the air in my car smells better and I haven’t sneezed once when turning on the air. 
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for FRAM via Blogher. I was sent two complimentary FRAM FreshBreeze Cabin Filters and compensation for my time. All images and copy are my own. I will always alert you when I am writing a sponsored post.
tweet: https://twitter.com/akronugurl/status/352116181538316288 .
i keep the windows open
https://twitter.com/sohamolina/status/352105753324175360
At home, I open the windows constantly and also use an air freshener.
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/352105478718889986
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
We just keep windows open in the car and house all the time.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/352102623085731841
We change the air filters often and open the windows every day
We always change our indoor air filters on the first day of the month. It makes it easy to remember. I’ve never changed my car’s air filter though. I’m getting grossed out just thinking about what’s in there!
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/352092807202217985
I air out my house and my car by opening windows. I also have air filters at home.
Gosh, I had no idea that there even was such a filter. I am going to do that asap. I have been keeping a jar candle in my cup holder to make my car smell nice. Would much rather have a clean filter to clean the air instead of trying to hide it. Thanks for the tip.
We just got a new Trane AC for our home last year and I am loving the ionized filter. I just have to take it out every few months and blow it with the air compressor. It also sucks all of the humidity and allergies out of the air. With a shedding dog and cat, I’m noticing less dust than before.
I probably need to do this because the insides of my car windows need to be cleaned.
My trick that keeps us living is our dogs get baths every 3 weeks. Without it my brain explodes!