With pollen allergies well underway we did a Dyson Humidify and Cool Purifier review to the test to see if it could help keep hay fever at bay – and it was worth every penny
If you’re anything like me the arrival of the warmer weather is often tainted by the simultaneous return of allergy season. With tree pollen kicking off around March-May and grass pollen rearing its head from June through to August, those of us who have to suffer through it are all too familiar with the swollen, itchy eyes, blotchy face and stuffed up sinuses.
Although when outdoors it’s a given we’ll probably encounter some sort of pollen, home is meant to be a respite from our allergies. However between open windows and doors, or even pollen being dragged in on clothes, shoes and pets, it can all leave your home less of a sanctuary and yet another place you need to load up on antihistamines. That’s why I decided to give the Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool PH04 Formaldehyde, £699 here, a whirl, to see if it could reduce my at-home allergy responses. And, spoiler alert; it outdid itself.
Although the Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool PH04 Formaldehyde, works as both a heater and a cooling fan (a blessing during the brief mini heatwave we had earlier this month), its primary function is to filter and clean the air in your home. Its HEPA 13 filter identifies a whole host of different air pollutants as small as 0.1 microns and captures up to 99.95% of them, banishing them from your room.
That means it can pick up on anything from formaldehyde to particles from burning candles to, of course, pollen and other allergens. I wish I’d taken a screenshot of my air quality the first time I turned it on because as a consummate candle burner, the second I turned it on the app screen glowed red indicating poor air quality.
Amazingly, not even 30 minutes after setting the Dyson away it had improved my air quality to good, and even showed me which type of pollutant was causing the poor reading. The tower itself is easy to set up and the filter couldn’t be more simple to fit – it just clicks onto the base then the cover clicks over the top.
The app was also super easy to set up, pairing instantly with the Dyson and intuitive to use, allowing you to turn it off and on and change all the functions from your phone, as well as explaining what each different type of pollutant is. You even get a remote, so you can turn it on, swap from warm air to cold air and change the oscillation without having to lift a finger, and the fan itself is quiet to run, although the top air speed does make it noisy enough that I needed to turn the TV up to drown it out.
Between the cooling setting, the fact it humidifies the room, and the fact I’ve not had a single pollen flare up indoors since owning it, I’m going to go ahead and say the Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool PH04 Formaldehyde completely outdid my expectations. A quick scan of the reviews shows I’m not the only one, either, with plenty of people raving about how it’s “Worth every penny” and users “can feel the difference”.
Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that it’s worth the splurge, I also know that £700 is a lot of money to spend. If you’re not as bothered about the heating function, Dyson’s Pure Cool TP00 Purifying Fan is a great pick that’s just been slashed from £399.99 to £299.99 here in the brand’s sale.
You can also ditch the heating and cooling element altogether if it’s pure air purification you need, and opt for this Meaco Arete One Dehumidifier and Air Purifier, £179.99 here, instead. It not only eliminates dampness and excess humidity in the air, but has a HEPA filter that helps get rid of pollutants and keeps your room clear and allergy-free. Now, if only we could carry them around outside with us…