Contributed by Paul Seaburn, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru

Is your tap water clean and fresh? Is your pool free of debris?

Are the fish still floating upright in your aquarium? All of those things and more are provided by the sometimes small, sometimes almost see-though devise called filters. They stop small particles from creating big problems in a wide variety of products. They work hard and often silently, but they need to be replaced regularly. Here are ten things that need filters.

10. Aquariums and fish ponds

Fish tanks and ponds need filters to clean out debris and waste, remove ammonia and nitrites and aerate the water so the fish can breath. Those fish aren’t floating upside down to get a better look at that dirty filter – clean it often.

9. Automobiles

Cars have many types of filters that need replacement at various intervals. Oil filters are the most important and should be changed according to owners’ manual recommendations. Older cars with carburetors have circular filters that can be cleaned but most vehicles today are fuel-injected and use a different filter that should be replaced. Both types also have fuel filters to clean the fuel line.

8. Water purifiers

Water purifiers range in size from pitchers to under-sink filters to large tanks outside the house. The smaller ones use filters but all must have their filtration systems cleaned and maintained to insure pure water.

7. Air conditioners & furnaces

Air conditioners dehumidify and extract heat from a home’s air supply, sending the cold air back in and the warm outside. Furnaces warm the air during the colder months. If that weren’t enough, they also clean out dust and pollution so both need a filter that is cleaned or replaced regularly.

6. Cameras

If you use a camera with interchangeable lenses, you’re probably enough of a photographer to appreciate lens filters, which soften light, remove colors, add special effects and perform many photography tricks that aren’t always available with computer photo-editing software.

5. Coffee maker

Brewing coffee at home is economical, fun and often faster than standing in a long line at your favorite coffee shop. The paper filters are cheap and the unbleached recycled one are ecologically friendly, or you can spend more and get a permanent gold filter.

4. Cigarettes

Most cigarettes today are filtered, but plenty of harmful tars and nicotine still get through. Additional filters that act as cigarette holders can reduce both while helping some to stop smoking completely.

3. Pools and spas

We all know what can possibly go on in pool water, so a good pool filter is essential for removing that, plus bugs, leaves, sediments and whatever else might fall in unannounced. Pool and spa filters may contain sand, polyester cartridges, diatomaceous earth or ceramic inserts and should be maintained meticulously for sanitary reasons.

2. Email

If you’re tired of emails from foreign princes looking for money, Russian ladies looking for dates or shady pharmacies looking for pill buyers, you should check and see if your email service provides filters. Besides removing spam and other unwanted messages, email filters can help sort your mailbox and reduce the clutter.

1. Headphones

Noise-canceling headphones filter our unwanted background sounds by using microphones to detect their presence and electronic circuits to generate a signal that cancels them out. These work great in reducing or eliminating automobile or airplane noise that interferes with listening to music players.