How to Replace an LG Refrigerator Air Filter

Many models of LG refrigerators contain air filters, designed to remove odors and keep the air inside your refrigerator nice and fresh. Ideally, these filters should be replaced every six months to ensure optimum performance. If your filter needs replacing but you are not sure how to do it, don’t panic! Our step-by-step guide will help you through the process. Soon your LG refrigerator will be fresh and odor-free once more!

This guide applies to any model of LG refrigerator, including:

LFC25760SB

LFC25760ST

LFC25760SW

LFC25760TT

LFX21960ST

LFX25950SB

LFX25950SW

LFX25950TT

LFX25960ST

LFX25976ST

LFX28968ST

LFX28978ST

LFX31925ST

LRDC22743ST

LRDC22744ST

LRFC25750TT

LRFD25850ST

LRSC26923TT

LRSC26925TT

LRSC26980SB

LSC26905TT

What Does an Air Filter Do?

The air filter in a refrigerator is designed to filter the air inside the appliance, keeping it clean, fresh, and smelling good. While water filters clean the water that is dispensed from the fridge, the air filter cleans the air circulating throughout the fridge and freezer. 

Most air filters contain activated charcoal, which is known for its ability to absorb odors and purify the air. This works thanks to the extremely porous surface of the activated charcoal, which is great for trapping pollutants and other impurities.

As well as trapping bad smells, the air filter has another important role. It also traps airborne particles that could contaminate your food, which helps to keep the interior of the fridge cleaner and prevents food from spoiling. This is particularly important for food that is usually stored uncovered, such as fruits or vegetables. 

Do All Refrigerators Use Air Filters?

No, not all. Air filters are more common in high-end appliances like LG refrigerators, and much more common in newer, larger models such as LG’s French door models. Technology is constantly adapting, and newer refrigerators are getting better and better at managing issues like air freshness and humidity control. 

Refrigerators without filters rely on unfiltered circulated air to keep food cold, which in some cases can result in unpleasant, lingering odors in your fridge. In these cases, people can use DIY solutions like a bowl of baking soda or coffee grounds to absorb unwanted smells. 

How Often Do Air Filters Really Need Replacing? 

The standard advice from LG is to replace the air filter every six months. But is this 100% necessary? As with most things, there is some wiggle room in how often your filter actually needs replacing, depending on a couple of factors. 

Odor Levels

While air filters do filter out contaminants, their main use is to filter odors. If you frequently store strong-smelling, uncovered food in your refrigerator, your air filter may have to be replaced more frequently than every six months, as it will be more likely to get clogged earlier. Conversely, if you only tend to store mild-smelling, covered food or prepackaged food, you may be able to stretch your filter’s use to a whole year. 

Frequency of Use

It stands to reason that if you use your LG refrigerator more frequently and store more food in it, the filter will get blocked more quickly. A refrigerator that belongs to a large family that is frequently opened and closed will need replacing more often than the refrigerator of a single person. 

Use your common sense to judge whether or not to replace every six months on the dot, or whether you can stretch the timeframe a little. And if in doubt, just follow LG’s instructions and replace it every six months.  

When six months have gone by, your LG fridge will display a light on the control panel to indicate that the filter may need replacing. 

How to Replace the LG Refrigerator Air Filter

First up, always make sure you purchase an official LG filter when replacing your refrigerator air filter. While you may be able to purchase knock-off parts online, there is no guarantee of the quality of these filters, and you could risk your fridge smelling unpleasant or even food spoiling more quickly. 

To replace your air filter, follow these instructions:

• Purchase a new filter online from an official LG source. 
• Locate the air filter in your fridge. It will be inside the doors at the top center of the interior. 
• Remove the cover of the air filter by turning it counterclockwise and pulling it away from the fridge.
• Remove the used air filter from the filter cover. To do this, press the side of the filter and slide the whole thing out. 
• Take the replacement filter out of its packaging and place it in the filter cover. You’ll notice one side of the filter says “FRONT” on it; this side should be facing towards you once it’s installed in your LG refrigerator. 
• Now it’s time to place the filter cover back inside the fridge. Align the tabs on the filter cover with the hooks on the refrigerator wall. Make sure you rotate the cover clockwise until you feel the hooks engage—this is how you know the cover is locked into place. 
• The final step is to reset the control panel light. Look for the button on the control panel that says “Fresh Air Filter.” Press and hold this button for three seconds and wait for the beep sound. This indicates that the countdown has been reset. The light will come on in six months when it’s time for the filter to be replaced again.