Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool – Review 2020

When I rescued my dog Bradley last year, my allergies basically went from zero to 100. Getting rid of him was never a question, so on top of my daily allergy and asthma medication and weekly immunotherapy shots, I decided to buy an air purifier. I purchased a Dyson Pure Cool Link purifier fan, and it works like a dream. So, when I saw that Dyson recently launched a new air purifier-humidifier fan, I jumped at the chance to review it.

The Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool will set you back a cool $799.99, but it’s actually three machines in one. In addition to offering year-round air purification, it works as a humidifier to combat dry air during cool months, and a smart fan in warm months. With many other humidifiers, you risk having waterborne bacteria pumped into your air if you’re not careful to use distilled water and clean them often. The Pure Humidify+Cool uses a combination of UV-C light and silver mesh to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria in the water it uses to humidify your home, and it features a deep clean cycle for easy maintenance. If you’re just looking for a smart air purifier, fan, or humidifier, the Pure Humidify+Cool isn’t the most cost-effective option. If you need all three, however, this top-of-the-line offering is worth your consideration. 

Design and Features

The Pure Humidify+Cool has an 11-inch base (diameter) and stands just over 36 inches tall, making it shorter and stockier than the Pure Cool Link. Personally, I prefer the more streamlined look of the Pure Cool Link, but the Pure Humidify+Cool still looks sharp, with a distinctly Dyson design. 

Left to right: Dyson Pure Cool Link, Pure Humidify+Cool

It has a small LCD on the front that shows air quality and humidity in real time. It comes with a remote, but you can also control it with the Dyson Link app (available for Android and iOS), or using voice commands via Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri. 

You can adjust the airflow speed from one to 10, and the humidity level from 30 to 70 percent. It can oscillate 45 or 90 degrees, and there’s a Breeze setting that varies the airflow to mimic a cooling gust. It also features a Backwards Airflow Mode, which diverts the air through the back of the machine so it can purify and humidify your home without cooling you. 

Other features include a sleep timer, which lets you program it to turn off after preset intervals between 30 minutes and eight hours, and Night Mode, which monitors, purifies, humidifies, and cools using the quietest settings so as not to disturb you. That’s important, because when set to full blast, the Pure Humidify+Cool is a bit loud. For sleeping, I like to keep it around level four or five. In the app, you can also create a weekly schedule so it will turn on at specific times at your preferred setting. 

Setup 

Setting up the  Pure Humidify+Cool is a breeze. All you have to do is snap on the filters, fill the water tank on the bottom, turn it on, then press the Auto Purify and Auto Humidify buttons on the remote. The filters and the water tank snap into place easily, and a satisfying sound lets you know they’re secure. From there, you can download the Dyson Link app, available for Android and iOS, and connect your machine. I already had the app, which I use to control my Pure Cool Link purifier. 

The Pure Humidify+Cool’s filters are easy to snap in

Adding the Pure Humidify+Cool to the app was simple. I just pressed the top left button, selected Add Machine, and the app automatically found the Pure Humidify+Cool. The app instructed me to hold my phone close to the machine’s screen, then press the power button to pair them. Once paired, the app walked me through getting the machine connected to my Wi-Fi network. I then selected which room the Pure Humidify+Cool was in, and that was it. The whole process took just a couple of minutes.

When I first tried to put the machine in Auto Humidify mode, the app told me the water tank needed to be refilled, even though I had just filled it. I simply removed the tank and reinserted it, and I was able to turn on Auto Humidify mode (and didn’t encounter this issue again).

Setting up voice control is easy. You select the gear icon at the top of the app, press press Voice Control, and select either Alex or Siri. I set up a shortcut for the app to enable Auto Humidify and Auto Purify modes when I say, “Hey Siri, turn on my Dyson,” and it works perfectly. 

Air Purification

The Pure Humidify+Cool’s High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter promises to capture 99.97 percent of air pollutants as small as 0.3 microns, including allergens, bacteria, and pollen. The machine also features an activated carbon filter that absorbs harmful gases like NO2 (which is released into the air through combustion such as burning gas when cooking or vehicle exhaust emissions) and Benzene. 

Dyson also sells a Cryptomic version of the Pure Humidify+Cool, which costs $100 more, and includes an additional panel in the filter system that destroys formaldehyde that can be emitted from common items like pressed wood, cleaning agents, carpets, permanent press fabrics, cigarettes, paints, and varnishes.

In the Dyson Link app, you can see your current indoor Air Quality Index (AQI) score, which ranges  from good to severe. You can also input your zip code and it will show your outdoor AQI score. The app is color coded, so if the house icon is green, you know that your AQI rating is good. Yellow means your air quality is fair, orange is poor, red means is very poor, dark red is extremely poor, and purple is severe. The app also suggests which level to run the machine at based on your Air Quality Index score. 

In Auto Mode, it will automatically kick on at the appropriate level when it detects elevated airborne particles and gases. If I’m cooking in the kitchen and it detects even the slightest hint of smoke, it will automatically turn on, even though it’s located in a different room.

In addition to your AQI rating, the app also shows your indoor temperature, relative humidity (the amount of water vapor in the air), and ratings for NO2, PM2.5 (microscopic particles smaller than 2.5 microns in size), PM10 (microscopic particles up to 10 microns in size including dust, mold, and pollen), and VOC (volatile organic compounds, or odors from things like cleaning products and paint that can be potentially harmful). The app does a good job of explaining what all these terms mean so you can easily understand the ratings. It also shows graphs of your daily and weekly metrics for the ratings mentioned above. 

As mentioned earlier, I take allergy medication daily, so it’s hard to say whether the Pure Humidify+Cool lessens my symptoms. But let’s put it this way: I’m not going to be able to stop taking my allergy medication because of an air purifier, no matter how good it is. The Pure Humidify+Cool drastically reduces airborne allergens, which is a big plus. But I still pet my dog and let him sit on my lap, and no air purifier can help that.

Humidification

Air conditioners and heating systems are essential, but they can dry out the air in our homes. Citing research published in the Journal of Environmental Protection, Dyson says that bacteria and viruses can “thrive” in air that is too dry (or too humid). Humidifiers can help relieve cracked lips, dry skin, headaches, nosebleeds, and other issues. But not all humidifiers are created equal. 

Unlike many other humidifiers that should be filled with distilled water to reduce the risk of bacteria being emitted in the air, the Pure Humidify+Cool can be filled with water from your sink. A column in the water tank uses UV-C light to kill waterborne bacteria by denaturing its DNA so it can no longer multiply. Dyson says this system kills 99.9 percent of waterborne bacteria on the first pass. As a second line of defense, the machine’s 3D Air-mesh evaporator (the part that converts the treated water into water vapor) has interwoven silver strands, which Dyson says provide biostatic properties that inhibit bacterial growth. 

Pure Humidify+Cool’s one-gallon water tank allows for up to 36 hours of continuous humidification

The Pure Humidify+Cool has a one-gallon water tank, allowing for up to 36 hours of continuous humidification on a single fill. When it’s humidifying the air, the vapor emitted from the machine is invisible. 

Because I live in Florida, where it’s already humid all year, I don’t necessarily need a humidifier. But I used to live in New York City, in an apartment building with steam heat that I couldn’t control. In the winter months, the air in my apartment would get so hot and dry that I would get dry patches on my face. Between its cooling and humidifying features, I can see the Pure Humidify+Cool coming in handy in situations like that.

The Pure Humidify+Cool also features Deep Clean Cycle, which allows for easy maintenance. When it needs to be cleaned, the Deep Clean Cycle button on the machine’s display will light up, and the app will notify you. Dyson determines your Deep Clean Cycle based on your water hardness. If you have hard water, you’ll need to run it about once a month. If you have medium or soft water, you won’t have to run it as often. By default it’s set to hard water, but you can change that in the app.

When it’s time for a Deep Clean Cycle, you simply place the 3D Air-mesh evaporator in the water tank, fill the tank with water, add one of the citric acid powder packets included in the box with the machine, and activate the cleaning process, which removes limescale buildup, ensuring your machine works effectively. 

Far More Than a Fan

The Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool is a sophisticated three-in-one machine that can cool, humidify, and purify the air in your home. It promises to capture 99.97 percent of airborne allergens, bacteria, and pollen as small as 0.3 microns. In Auto Mode, it kicks on if it senses potentially harmful airborne particles and gases, like smoke when you’re cooking, even if it’s in a different room. Its excellent companion app lets you quickly see your air quality status, as well as the humidity level, temperature, and more. 

This isn’t your average humidifier, either. It uses a dual line of defense to sanitize the water it converts into the invisible vapor it circulates throughout your home, and has a Deep Clean Cycle that eliminates mineral buildup and bacteria throughout its water system with little help on your part. Its large water tank allows for up to 36 hours of humidification.

If you just need a smart air purifier, a fan, or a humidifier, there are plenty more standalone options in each category, and they’re far more affordable. But the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool excels at all three. If you suffer from allergies and want to improve your home’s air quality, and you’re prone to cracked lips, dry skin, nosebleeds, or other issues due to dry air, the Pure Humidify+Cool is worth its high price. 

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