Most Washington Drivers Have No Idea What This Button Does

There's a button on your car or truck dashboard that might have you baffled. A lot of Washington drivers even struggle to figure out its use.

Summer is here and your car's air conditioning can be baffling. Buttons can be gibberish but a Do It Yourself website breaks down exactly what each of those air conditioning buttons does and even I was surprised that I didn't know as much as I thought I did.

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The button in question is the recirculation button and how it functions.

In our demonstration photo below, you can see the recirculation button on but exactly what is its function?

The DIY site explains it as such:

Most vehicles have a RECIRCULATION button with the AC controls, but many of us are unsure how and when to use it.

The recirculation button takes the air from inside your car or truck and recirculates it in the cabin instead of pulling in fresh air from outside. On hot days (like today), if you do not recirculate the cooler air inside the cabin, then your Air Conditioning system is pulling hot air from outside and trying to cool it. Using the recirculation feature will get your car cooler faster and decrease the wear and tear on your AC system to keep it cool.

Any time you are stuck in traffic, (summer or winter), make sure to use the recirculate. If you are pulling air from outside, then you are pulling in all the pollutants and carbon monoxide from the traffic around you. Studies show that recirculating your AC can cut down on the pollutants entering your vehicle by 20% when stuck in traffic.