If it's grey, you're fine. If it's brown or black or has actual lawn clippings stuck in it, you've been running your edger half-suffocated for who knows how long. We see filters come in that look like they've been used as a doormat.

Here's what a clogged filter actually does to your edger. The engine runs rich because it can't pull enough air. Rich-running engines don't burn fuel cleanly, so you get carbon buildup on the piston and exhaust port. Worse, the engine gets less oxygen than the carby is designed for, which screws up the fuel-air ratio and the engine starts running hot. Hot two-stroke engines wear out fast.

Cleaning is dead simple. Most edger filters are foam, sometimes paper. For foam:

• Pop the cover, pull the filter.
• Wash it in warm soapy water until the water runs clear.
• Squeeze it out (don't wring it, it'll tear).
• Once dry, soak it in a bit of clean two-stroke oil and squeeze the excess out.
• Put it back.

Paper filters you can't wash. Tap them out gently, blow them through with compressed air from the inside out (not the outside in, you'll just push the dirt deeper). If they're too far gone, they're about 8 to 15 dollars to replace.

Do it every 5 hours of use. If you're a tradie running it daily, do it twice a week. Most blokes go a season without touching it. That's why their edger is making half the power it should and they can't work out why.