Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool is a new air purifier, cooling fan AND humidifier: release date, price and verdict

(Image credit: Dyson)

last updated 24 June 2020

Another day, another Dyson product and this one – the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool – is a timely release. Sales of the best air purifiers are rocketing for several reasons right now. Consciously, people are aware they will be at home a lot, and want the air to be as pollution-free as possible, whether that's cooking fumes, chemicals or their partner's chronic flatulence. Sub-consciously, maybe people think air purifiers can prevent exposure to germs. Sadly, they cannot – although they will filter out bacteria that is hanging in the air.

Humidifiers are also surprisingly big business. Get the humidity spot on in your home and you will have a more pleasant environment. Too low or too high and you actually run the risk of increased exposure to bacteria. Needless to say, Dyson has addressed this as best it can in the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool, with an arsenal of germ-slaying tech.

Finally, since it's summer it will be hot, and everyone likes a nice cooling fan when it's hot. So Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool does that too. It's all in the name, people, why am I having to explain this?!

Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool: release date and price

Initially on sale exclusively at Dyson's online store, the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool will roll out to selected 3rd parties in late April.

• Buy Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool for £600 at Dyson UK

The Pure Humidify + Cool is now on sale in the USA, priced $799.99

Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool: what does it do?

What? I told you this already! The Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool purifies the air, humidifies the air and cools the air, or any combination of the above.

You can control it via a remote, on-body controls, or the generally excellent Dyson Link app. Both the purifying and humidifier elements can be set to automatically generate an optimum room climate – based on readings from its built in air quality and humidity sensors – and that's how we suggest you use it. However, if you are one of those people who likes to tinker with things, you can use manual settings, if you must.

Air purifiers are generally very low-maintenance – you just need to replace the filter every year or so. The Dyson Link app will tell you when. However, humidifiers come with a number of problems attached, the main one being bacteria growing in the water tanks they use. And in the current climate, the idea of spraying potentially infected water vapour around a room is a bit of a no-no.

To make sure the water tank is always sterile, Dyson has used two anti-bacterial technologies in the Pure Humidify + Cool.

First, its 'revolutionary' ultra-violet (UV-C) light assembly kills 99.9% of bacteria in the water. UV-C, as Dyson puts it, 'damages bacteria in water by denaturing their DNA so they can no longer multiply'. But you knew that already.

In addition, the tank is lined with a 'biostatic', silver-threaded fabric that further inhibits bacterial growth. Silver antibacterial technology is a well-proven method found in everything from fridges to washing machines. It's also apparently used 'in surgery and childbirth as well as burn treatment and water disinfection.'

Charlie Park, Global Category Director for Environmental Care, says, 'People are often surprised that at Dyson we have a team of highly skilled microbiologists and an array of high-tech biochemistry labs, to properly research the problems we want to solve. Combining this knowledge with key engineering principles like aerodynamics, filtration and sensing, Dyson engineers and scientists developed a three-in-one, year-round machine to tackle dry, dirty air and maintain a comfortable indoor environment.'

Somehow I doubt he said that out loud in the course of a normal conversation, but you get the general idea.

Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool: cools and purifies (obviously)

As we all get into the swing of living indoors even more than usual, having a device that conditions the air beyond merely making it cooler or hotter is an ever more attractive proposition.

With its air purifying hat on, Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool can remove particles as small as 0.1microns, including allergens, bacteria and pollen. Activated carbon, coated with – wait for it – Trishydroxymethylaminomethane – increases absorption efficiency, and removes gases such as NO2 and Benzene.

As well as that, the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool also acts as a fan. But not just any old fan. The Pure Humidify + Cool includes an all-new 'Breeze mode' that Dyson describes thus.

'Many of us enjoy the refreshing feeling of a natural outdoor breeze on a hot day – termed ‘thermal alliesthesia’. So Associate Principal Research Engineer, Tim Jukes, and his team used a precision 3-axis ultrasonic anemometer to collect over 40 million data points from eight locations on Dyson’s Malmesbury Research and Development campus. From this, Tim’s team devised an algorithm to mimic natural airflow patterns using the machine’s oscillating barrels, to bring that refreshing breeze feeling indoors.'

There you go.

Should you buy the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool?

This looks like another great air-moving device from Dyson, which is pretty much the Apple of devices that move air around for various purposes. Everything about it has been designed to make it as low-maintenance as possible. In the case of the humidifier element of the device, that is not easy.

Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool incorporates a self-cleaning function that you need to run about once per month – it varies depending on use and water hardness. The 'Deep clean cycle' requires you to add a spoonful of citric acid – a natural product that is easy to buy online – and then wait for an hour while all parts of the machine are thoroughly cleansed. The device's LCD screen will tell you when cleaning is needed, and what to do.

We haven't played with the Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool yet but having used most Dyson fans and air purifiers over the years, we assume it'll be most effective.

• The Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool is available now in white and silver, and comes with a two-year parts and labour guarantee

Duncan is the former lifestyle editor of T3 and has been writing about tech for almost 15 years. He has covered everything from smartphones to headphones, TV to AC and air fryers to the movies of James Bond and obscure anime. His current brief is everything to do with the home and kitchen, which is good because he is an excellent cook, if he says so himself. He also covers cycling and ebikes – like over-using italics, this is another passion of his. In his long and varied lifestyle-tech career he is one of the few people to have been a fitness editor despite being unfit and a cars editor for not one but two websites, despite being unable to drive. He also has about 400 vacuum cleaners, and is possibly the UK's leading expert on cordless vacuum cleaners, despite being decidedly messy. A cricket fan for over 30 years, he also recently become T3's cricket editor, writing about how to stream obscure T20 tournaments, and turning out some typically no-nonsense opinions on the world's top teams and players.

Before T3, Duncan was a music and film reviewer, worked for a magazine about gambling that employed a surprisingly large number of convicted criminals, and then a magazine called Bizarre that was essentially like a cross between Reddit and DeviantArt, before the invention of the internet. There was also a lengthy period where he essentially wrote all of T3 magazine every month for about 3 years.

A broadcaster, raconteur and public speaker, Duncan used to be on telly loads, but an unfortunate incident put a stop to that, so he now largely contents himself with telling people, "I used to be on the TV, you know."