CABIN FILTER : GOOD OR BAD IDEA ?

Guys, I have been having that nasty dust smell coming through the aircon vent whenever you switch it on.

So what I did was, I bought a new filter and applied the Comfort fabric softener with my finger lightly over the fins of the filter and let it dry, then installed it. Now when the aircon is on, it smells much better.

I want to know if this was a good idea or bad idea

Would I have compromised the filter by doing this?

Thanks guys