If you’re a hay fever sufferer, you might have started to notice that familiar tickle in your nose or itchiness in your eyes. March usually signals the onset of hay fever season, beginning with tree pollen, and if you’re prone to it, this could mean months of discomfort. One potential solution to alleviate symptoms at home is an air purifier. These devices work by filtering out microscopic impurities and allergens from the air. Dyson is known for some of the most iconic designs, including the Dyson Purifier Cool Gen1 (TP10), which has recently been upgraded to the Dyson Purifier Cool PC1 (TP11). With a price tag of £449.99, although not cheap it’s Dyson’s most affordable air purifier, with models reaching up to a whopping £930. The new features include the ability to capture gases, odours and 99.95% of pollutants as small as 0.1 microns, including allergens like pollen and dust mites. It also offers thermal comfort temperature adjustment at night, and connectivity via the MyDyson app, allowing you to monitor and manage your air quality from your phone, reports the Mirror. Eager to see if this new gadget could provide some relief for my boyfriend, who suffers terribly from hay fever around this time of year, I decided to put it to the test… READ MORE: Amazon’s huge spring sale is almost here but these early deals have already dropped READ MORE: Five sleep supplements our testers swear by for sleeping better and waking up refreshed
We’ve been putting the new Dyson air purifier to the test
(Image: Laura Mulley)
Pros Makes air feel ‘cleaner’ Great at removing food odours after cooking, or smoke after lighting a match Very easy to use, and easy read the data and so know when pollen levels are high Looks very luxe and stylish Auto mode is very responsive Sleep mode is very quiet Cons Expensive Doesn’t make a huge difference with extreme hay fever symptoms Emits a bit of a breeze so perhaps not one for when the weather’s cold Can be a bit distracting when it’s turned up high Like all Dyson products, the new Purifier Cool PC1 is really easy to set up and work out how to use, and looks incredibly slick in the home. We have an open-plan kitchen/living so I set this up between in the two, in the hope of capturing cooking smells, smoke from our log burner, and pollen from our back doors (I haven’t quite found the best way to hide the wires, so it may end up moving further into the kitchen). I typically keep it on ‘auto’ and leave it to do its thing – and this it does, automatically detecting pollution and allergen levels and adjusting its output to match, trying to keep the data in the green (or ‘good’) category. Most of the time, it just quietly puffs away, but it immediately picks up on any changes in the room’s air, such as blowing out a match or frying something on the hob. After using it for a couple of weeks in the height of tree pollen season, I do think it’s made a slight difference to my boyfriend’s hay fever symptoms; he’s sneezing less in the evenings at home, and he says his eyes feel less irritated. It’s also super useful to have a look at the app or the screen and check pollen levels that day; this helps to inform him that, if the levels are high, he might need to take an antihistamine, or even stay away from open areas of green.
It’s easy to monitor pollution, pollen and allergen levels
(Image: Laura Mulley)
However, where we’ve found it most beneficial is in banishing lingering food smells post-cooking – a task that even with the windows wide open and extractor fan whirring, we often find challenging. This device manages to eliminate unwanted odours in mere minutes. I also reckon it’ll be a lifesaver come summer, when its gentle breeze will be a welcome relief. We’re likely to relocate it to our bedroom then, where its nighttime temperature adjustment feature will truly shine (other users have noted it significantly aids their sleep). I’ve owned another Dyson fan model before, and the filter lasted for years without needing a change. On the flip side, it’s undeniably pricey and quite large (though tall, so it doesn’t hog much floor space). It’s also tricky to determine if this alone has drastically improved our quality of life. However, since introducing it into our home, the atmosphere feels cleaner and fresher; if it’s within your budget, I believe it’s a worthy investment. If you’re on the hunt for alternatives, Amazon offers a few options that have garnered plenty of positive reviews: we’re fans of the Philips Air Purifier 600 Series, currently reduced from £99.99 to £79.88, and the Morento Air Purifier, now £39.99. Argos also stocks the compact Shark NeverChange5 MAX Air Purifier for £329, which has dozens of five-star reviews. Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
