Currently, air filters are one of the most critical components of air treatment systems as they decontaminate the air delivered to living space. During the operation, however, the level of harmful surface deposits increases, and at certain times, an uncleaned filter can itself become a source of undesirable contaminents influencing negatively the IAQ of a living space. This is the phenomenon that has been a subject of the current research. The article presents a new, alternative view on indoor air contaminents and filtration requirements. It describes alternative means of filtration and assesses issues of inadequate maintenance and/or long term use of applied air filters. An experimental method of evealuating the air quality by means of chemical analysis and state-of-the-art spectrometer is also described.