If you’ve ever gone to buy a new air filter, seen the term “MERV rating” and wondered what on earth it means, then don’t panic, you’re not alone.

And although a MERV rating (which stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) sounds complicated, in reality, it’s quite straightforward; it’s a rating that tells you how effective your air filter is in comparison to other air filters on the market. In other words, the higher the MERV, the more effective the filter is at capturing small particles. For residential settings, like your home or office, MERV ratings go from 1 to 13. (MERV ratings actually go up to MERV 16, but 13-16 are usually for factories and medical environments.) But we know that all those letters and numbers can get a little confusing, so we thought we’d break down a few of the most commonly asked MERV questions…

“What difference does a MERV rating make to my air quality?”

The MERV rating indicates how effective the filters are at removing different size particles from the air you breathe. At the top end of the residential scale, a MERV 11 to 13 filter will remove the most particles and contaminants -- from the visible ones like smoke and dust to pollen and other microscopic allergens -- from the air you breathe, while MERV 1 filters are great for airflow but are designed to remove the larger particles like dust and pollen.