how to clean k&n air filter without kit

Customer reviews

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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2017

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

Yeah, works great :) Very easy to do this, the only thing that takes time is... well time :P you just have to wait for the cleaners and oil to do it's magic.
It brought back the filter to it's original days, and works incredibly well :)

Step 1: Apply cleaner
Liberally spray K&N air filter cleaner or K&N power kleen onto both sides of filter and allow to soak for 10 minutes to loosen the dirt. Do not allow cleaner to dry on air filter.

Step 2: Rinse Filter
Rinse off air filter with cool low-pressure water from the clean side out in order to flush the dirt out of the filter. Continue to rinse the filter until all traces of cleaner are gone. It may be necessary to repeat steps 1 and 2.

Step 3: Dry filter
After rinsing, gently shake off excess water and allow filter to dry naturally. Do not oil until the filter is dry.

Step 4: Oil filter
SQUEEZE OIL: Apply K&N air filter oil evenly along the crown of each filter pleat.

AEROSOL OIL: Spray K&N air filter oil evenly along the crown of each filter pleat holding the nozzle about 3" away.

Allow oil to wick for approximately 20 minutes. Touch up any light areas on either side of the filter until there is a uniform red color on all areas.

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2019

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

I'm a rookie with K&N and well I installed my intake system two years and assumed the whole 50k or 100k was ideal. Well I noticed over the past several months my truck has lost performance and so I found out that if my filter isn't red anymore than it needs to be cleaned. Boy did I feel dumb, however I cleaned it last night, keep in mind I had to do two cleaning cycles because of the excessive build up. I oiled it after letting it dry out for 8 hours and just put it on this morning. WOW! My trucks breathing again and I can feel the difference! So thankful that this is a thing!

*note: I do want to mention for the rookies like me, if your filter lost it's color CLEAN IT! After which the oil has a dye in it that comes with these kits and will restore the color when you oil your filter. I included my picture.

Top left corner is my filter before cleaning, just get an idea.

Customer image

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2016

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

A must-have if you own a K&N air filter. I've had my filter on my s2000 for somewhere around 40,000 miles and should have done this cleaning much earlier had I known it was this easy.

The included instructions are simple and easy to follow. There isn't much that can go wrong here. I sprayed the cleaning solution (pump bottle) very liberally and rinsed it off. I performed that cleaning step twice and would probably have enough left to clean it my filter least 1-2 more times though I'll probably just end up replacing the filter after that many miles. Why? Because I have OCD. That's why.

As for the (aerosolized) oil, it can get messy. I'd recommend wearing exam gloves (that's the OCD again). I did two light coats on the outside and one on the inside of the cone. Like the cleaning solution, I also had of this product remaining in the bottle. I probably could have gotten away with just one coat on each side.

This product has great bang for your buck. If cleaning and restoring things back to their original state makes you feel giddy inside, then this product is definitely for you. Kudos to K&N for making such durable filters that are so easy to "recharge" for a fair price. There's no reason to neglect your filter any longer.

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2016

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

I love the squeeze bottle ... the aerosol bottle just sprays everywhere and is harder to control quantity and where it hits. It also seems harder to judge when you have applied to much, or too little.

With the squeeze bottle, you simply apply an even amount along the ridges on both sides of the filter and allow time for the oil to soak down into the fibers of the filter.

This way, you can start with a smaller amount and if it isn't enough to "soak to the middle" you know you need more, and can judge how much more based on how much you applied the first time and how much white space is left. After time, you start to get a good feel for the amount of oil needed to re-oil the filter.
K&N filters are also specifically distributed with a spec sheet showing the amount of oil needed, and this information can also be viewed on the K&N website. For instance, my car's filter requires 1.24oz of oil to re-oil the filter.
With the squeeze bottle it is very easy to determine how much oil has been applied - it's just liquid in a bottle and there is a gauge so you can see how much oil is in the bottle when you start, how much is left as you work, and therefor how close you have come to the K&N recommended amount of oil for a proper re-oiling job. With the spray can, knowing how much oil you have dispersed is difficult if not impossible.

Hope that helps!

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

The filter was noticeably cleaner after the first application, and even better after the second. This is a project that takes about half of a day. Two applications of the cleaner is about 30 minutes (removal of the filter, apply the cleaning solution, let soak for 10 minutes, rinse until water runs clean, and then repeat). Next you will need to let the filter air dry, which took a few hours for me. Applying the oil was easy, however each application of the oil must sit (about 20 minutes) to allow the oil to wick into the filter. I did two applications of oil. Total time = around 4 hours. Have a towel or paper towels handy, residual oil and overspray will need to be wiped off of the filter housing. I would buy this again. Hope this helps.

Top reviews from other countries

1.0 out of 5 stars I received fake (as per looks)

Reviewed in India on January 30, 2019

Style: Cleaning Kit-Squeeze Verified Purchase

Got a fake volkswagen product. Seriously? Atleast provide an authentic packaging with an authentic product.

Customer image

4.0 out of 5 stars A MUST BUY FOR YOUR K&N FILTER

Reviewed in India on December 4, 2020

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

This kit is perfect if you are looking to replenish the life of your K&N filter. If the procedure for cleaning is followed as directed, the air filter will perform as good as it did when newly installed. the only drawbacks I see is the price as it is quite high for just a cleaning kit & secondly the quantity of fluids you get for the price is good enough for only smaller filters for up to 3 times & probably up to only once or twice for larger size filters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to use!

Reviewed in Canada on March 13, 2019

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

Cleaned my open air intake on my VW GTI. It got soaked with salt water on the trip up to blue mountain during one of the warmer days where the highways were wet from the snow thawing.

Used this to get rid of all the salt stains and dirt. Spray it down with the cleaner generously, wait 5-10 minutes. Don't let the cleaner dry so spray a generous amount. Wash the filter from the clean side. Go through each fin with low pressure lukewarm water until its clean.

If your car is turbocharged, I strongly advise you do not oil the filter as it may get all over the MAF sensor and mess up your car.

I washed my filter at night and shook out any excess water before leaving to dry in the house. I blow dryed it the next day on cool setting with low fan speed just to ensure all the spots were dry.

I would've bought the cleaner-only package but this package was cheaper while the cleaner-only package was expensive and not fulfilled by amazon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Performance, ease-of-use, and value

Reviewed in Canada on July 13, 2020

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

I read the straightforward instructions and took a few minutes to watch someone on Youtube recharge their used K&n filter before doing it myself for my car. When I first purchased my filter, it was 2 years ago. After driving only 19km (or 11.9 miles), I decided it was time to give it some proper cleaning. When I removed the filter, it did not appear too dirty at all. But after spending the time to use this recharger kit, I can tell you the difference is noticeable by a lot! My car responds much faster again. It performs the same with the A/C on as when I did not have the A/C on with the u cleaned filter - that's how much difference there is. I highly recommend this product if you already bought the K&N filter - and would not use alternative cleaning methods.

5.0 out of 5 stars These products clean and prime the filter easily and quickly

Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2019

Style: Cleaning Kit-Aerosol Verified Purchase

For the past 10 years I have used K&N high flow air filters on my Harleys. These products clean and prime the filter easily and quickly when doing oil changes. The money you spend on these products is far less than replacing your air filter annually...... and yes, you need a clean air filter, so this way, you don't need to go to the dealer to buy a new filter every time..... the K&N one has a lifetime guarantee......