Homemade filter cleaner???

larson · Jul 29, 2015

From my understanding I know alot of you guys can't stand k&n air filters but my truck came with one and I dont mind it but thats beside the point in not asking if I should change it. My question is have any of you guys that do run these air filters ever clean them with say dawn soap and water or some other home remedies? I just cleaned mine and it seems like it always takes the entire bottle of cleaner to do it right and very little of the oil spray you apply once its dry. I'm just curious. It'd be nice to not have to buy there cleaner. And yes I know I can always swap to a normal filter but I'm not id just like to be able to clean it for free with out damaging it.

Thewespaul · Jul 29, 2015

do you have pressurized air? i usually just wash it and blow it out with my compressor. make sure its a dry filter and not a oiled tho!

Andertusa · Jul 29, 2015

Let me preface this with the following statement. I have never used a K&N filter, nor am I affiliated in any way to K&N, I have never cleaned one of their filters, nor have I handled one in any way, so I have no real knowledge about them beyond their filters being made from a very fine metal mesh.

Some very nice cleaners/degreasers I've used over the years are:

Simple Green

Mean Green

Jungle Jake

Greez Off

Some I have never used, but have heard good things about are:

Purple Power

Super Clean

Now, how well they would work for your application, I have NO IDEA, but maybe it might be worth your time.

Thewespaul · Jul 29, 2015

try and find a part number on the filter or look it up for your year and engine... then look up cleaning instructions from there... cant say ive had a lot of experience with k&n myself

larson · Jul 29, 2015

Andertusa said:
Let me preface this with the following statement. I have never used a K&N filter, nor am I affiliated in any way to K&N, I have never cleaned one of their filters, nor have I handled one in any way, so I have no real knowledge about them beyond their filters being made from a very fine metal mesh.

Some very nice cleaners/degreasers I've used over the years are:

Simple Green

Mean Green

Jungle Jake

Greez Off

Some I have never used, but have heard good things about are:

Purple Power

Super Clean

Now, how well they would work for your application, I have NO IDEA, but maybe it might be worth your time.

Yes sir I have heard of or used at least 75% of what you have listed above. I myself have no idea what the filter is made of but if it s very fine metal it fooled me cause it washes like a cotton of some sort. The only steel or metallic material I can see is the metal screen that holds the fibrous material in its shape. I didn't think about simple green. I have a **** load of the stuff and its pretty easy on stuff you spray it on chemical wise I'm assuming but works very well as a cleaner. I'll try it next time and give feed back. Also if it is really made of super fine metallic mesh then why couldn't one just soak it in diesel then soap and water it. Personally looking at mine I wouldn't do that cause it looks nothing like any kind of metal filtration.( just saying)

larson · Jul 29, 2015

Thewespaul said:
try and find a part number on the filter or look it up for your year and engine... then look up cleaning instructions from there... cant say ive had a lot of experience with k&n myself

The k&n cleaner kit and instructions are nothing new to me. I'd just like to not pay the 12 dollars every time I want to clean it. I'd clean it more often if I could get away with a house hold remedy. I'm going to try dawn soap and hot water and let it soak over night on say a Friday then let it dry Saturday and see how it turns out. It will be awhile cause I just cleaned it tonight with the 12 dollar k&n cleaner.

crash-harris · Jul 29, 2015

The oil is a major part in filtering the incoming air in the K&N oiled filters. Dunno if you could use some other kind of oil or not, but it helps trap particulate matter in the fiber part of the filter once it soaks in.

FORDF250HDXLT · Jul 29, 2015

yeah i always clean mine in a 5 gallon bucket with dawn dish soap.works very well and very fast.i only buy and use k&n's oil.

79jasper · Jul 29, 2015

I would stick with the K&N oil. But for cleaning just purple power, simple green, dawn dish shop, or even 409 works good. I put stuff in a spray bottle, soak it down, then use a hose or sink sprayer to spray it out. Usually do that twice.
K&N isn't just wire mesh, I think the media itself is cotton gauze.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

larson · Jul 29, 2015

crash-harris said:
The oil is a major part in filtering the incoming air in the K&N oiled filters. Dunno if you could use some other kind of oil or not, but it helps trap particulate matter in the fiber part of the filter once it soaks in.

Yes I understand this 100 percent. I have 3 bottles of the spray oil that come in the cleaner kits from AutoZone. I'm at the point now where if I can clean the filter with out dumping cash id rather buy beer with it'd be nice. I oil the **** out of the filter. Its the cleaner that they need to supply more of.
Tell you what. I'll donate this k&n to the Larson r&d department and from now on its something else to clean this sumbitch with until it melts. Otherwise ill feed back that it works. Wish me luck and im open to suggestions for sure why not I didn't buy the filter anyways.

OLDBULL8 · Jul 29, 2015

You can use the same stuff they spray on furnace filters, it's all just a sticky oil.

larson · Jul 29, 2015

OLDBULL8 said:
You can use the same stuff they spray on furnace filters, it's all just a sticky oil.

OLDBULL8, The k&n oil itself I have 3 cans of. Its the cleaning of the filter I'm referring to. The oil goes on after cleaning then drying. With that being said im assuming you already knew that im just clarifying what im asking about in the original post up top.

Andertusa · Jul 30, 2015

Another FANTASTIC degreaser and is CHEAP if you can handle the smell is ammonia, like regular households ammonia like you'd use to clean around your house.

larson · Jul 30, 2015

Andertusa said:
Another FANTASTIC degreaser and is CHEAP if you can handle the smell is ammonia, like regular households ammonia like you'd use to clean around your house.

Man that stuff is rancid but if I ever happen to come across some on k&n r&d time ill fill a bucket and toss it in. Prolly be last on the list to be honest but I'm not against it lol.

Andertusa · Jul 30, 2015

larson said:
Man that stuff is rancid but if I ever happen to come across some on k&n r&d time ill fill a bucket and toss it in. Prolly be last on the list to be honest but I'm not against it lol.

It is an amazingly good degreaser, it also pulls heavy 'soils' out of things, it's one of my all time favorite cleaner, it's 'safe', people have been using it for thousands of years, it's also good against bacteria and the like. A GREAT all purpose cleaner is using between 4 and 8 ounces and adding about a tablespoon of 'dawn-type' dish detergent to it. The ammonia content changing based upon the soil level, the worst the soil, the stronger. Mix it up in a 32 ounce spray bottle and I've cleaned almost everything around the house with it. You'd want to use a Non-acid soap as the acid will neutralize the alkali natural of the ammonia, dawn is an alkali soap.

Homemade filter cleaner???

larson

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FORDF250HDXLT

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