I've just used warm water and simple green to actually clean the filter. It usually takes several passes to get it clean. And I'm usually in too big a hurry to wait for the filter to dry...so I use the woman's hair drier to blow it dry. Then spray with "UNI" brand filter oil and work it around the filter uniformly.
I'm sure everyone has their own different method that works for them.
I am going No Toil this year. It is quicker and less easier then using varsol and then water and soap and then having to deal with the Varsol. With the No Toil you put a little in the sink add hot water, wash the filter, rinse it and let it dry then just pull the plug in the sink.
My mother wont let me try it but according to the No Toil bottle you can chuck dirty oiled filters in the washer machine with the No Toil cleaner and a little detergent! I fear the washer may be a little to rough on the Twin Airs and I may end up with a bunch of torn filters at the end of the wash.
I use TWINAIR's filter oil, here's how I clean mine.
Clean the filter in your choice of solvent to remove the old oil and dirt it trapped. I use gasoline. I prefer using a small bucket with enough solvent to submerge the filter. Knead the filter a few times, sqeeze out the excess, dump the dirty stuff. (it's great for killing weeds growing in the driveway cracks) Repeat 3-4 times or until the solvent remains clear, and you can't feel any dirt in the bottom of the bucket.
Wash the filter in warm soapy water. I use dishwashing liquid. (dawn, joy ect...) Use the same bucket and method as with the solvent, just use warm soapy water. Repeat 3-4 times, sqeezing the filter and dumping the dirty water each time.
Rinse in warm water. Same method. Dump the dirt water each time. Repeat until the soap bubbles are gone. Their shouldn't be any dirt particles in the bottom of the bucket.
If the dirt is really imbedded in the filter I use the garden hose or the kitchen sink sprayer to remove it. Spraying from the inside of the filter, the water pressure pushes the dirt out the way it came in. I hold the nossle right up against the filter. Gentle pinching and kneading will get it all out.
Once the filter is clean, I spin dry (no water) it in the washing machine. Set the filter so the centrifigle force pulls from the inside out. (have the side that faces your carb, face the center of the washing machine)
If the filter won't sit still, I prop it with a clean shop towel. It should be dry in a few hours after that.
Before oiling, I turn the filter inside out to see if I missed any dirt. "Plucking it" with your finger almost always removes it.
Don some latex gloves (found at home depot in the paint section). Place the filter in a clean bucket, pour the filter oil all over it. I use an 8X8 inch plastic bucket with a lid. Saturate it with your favorite oil, sqeeze out the excess and install. I don't grease the rim. You will have alot of oil left in the bucket. It's clean, so pour it back into the filter oil can to use next time. I use Twin Air filter oil.
This method only takes about 15 minutes, minus drying time of course. I clean my filter about once a week. I've used this method for a year and a half with no adverse effects to the Twin Air filter.
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