I already had a box fan in Little Sister’s bedroom (that we run mainly for white noise). So we thought we would give it a test run as a new air purifier. We had already purchased an air purifier last year for our son’s room that we have been happy with, but the filters alone are ridiculously expensive. I am THRILLED that we can now make our very own! 🙂
Here’s what you’ll need:
large rubberbands
*Both the box fan and the air filters can be purchased at most grocery stores or hardware stores for much cheaper than the links above, I simply included them for your convenience. I bought my box fan for $5 on clearance at our local grocery store last year and my husband found the filter for about $7 at Lowes.
1. Unwrap your filter. This filter didn’t have a MERV rating on the package, but I would recommend finding one with a MERV rating of 13 or higher if you are using it for someone with allergies.
2. Secure filter to the back of your fan with rubberbands. You could also use duct tape if you would rather. The electrical plug was in the back of my box fan, so I just snipped a small hole in the filter so that I could plug in the cord.
3. Turn on the fan and enjoy cleaner air!
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Jenae is on a mission to cultivate a joy-filled home for her husband and three children. 
A DIY air cleaner sounds like a pretty fantastic idea. It would definitely be great if you need to save some money. Like you said, even the air filters can be expensive. I will have to try this out and see if we like it. Thanks for the awesome idea.
It’s looks perfect for the price. Air purifier is a good product to clean the air from bad odors and dust as well as smoke particles.
Wow, that’s really cool how you can make your own air purifier. Seeing that reminds me of the air conditioning unit that I would need to start changing out. The reason is because of how the units are letting out bad air.
Looks like great project.. I’m sure there are many people out there, like myself, whose room is full of dust, allergens, and other debris. After looking at the prices of some of the purifiers on the market I think this is very inspiring idea… Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Melissa!
What a fantastic idea !!! I always use box fans to suck out bad air… ( like when dad burns the sausage). I put in outside doorway to get fire alarms from sounding. It makes perfect sense!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
When you use your fan for cooling during the summer look at the back of the fan blades before you put it away for winter! Look at how nasty they’ve gotten! That proves your idea will work!
This is a super cool idea and I hope it gives you the results you are looking for. An air scrubber works a little bit differently. It exposes particles in the air to ultraviolet light which kills off allergens and bacteria. I have no doubt your method will increase your air quality too.
This works great!!! We used 2 fans and wow what a difference. Thanks for the idea.
Thank you for sharing, very inspiring! How long does this set up last? More specifically, how long does each filter last or how often do you replace your filters on the box fan? What size room do you use this setup for?
Thanks a lot for these tips. I never knew that air purifiers could be DIY made. The instructions are very clearly explained as well. I will surely give this one a try.
Interesting idea, seems like it should work. I wonder if one could easily add UV light to it to have it kill bacteria as well?
Great 👍 ideal! Live in the country & have propane for heat.
The price can get outrageous in the winter, so we have a Wood
Stove for help with the heating bills! Woods free, if u go & cut it
Urself!😊 This ideal works great 👍 to help keep the smoke 💨
& the smell down to a minimum! Thanks for the ideal, works
Great 👍! 😁