This Dyson Gadget Made My Space (& My Nose) Less Stuffy

If you don't suffer from allergies, then you, my friend, are an elite specimen of a human being. Allergies have ruled most aspects of my life and, apparently, the lives of 50 million other sniffly Americans (according to the AAFA, they're the 6th leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S.). Although many of us have spent the majority of our time over the past year stuck at home, allergens have found a way. Instead of worrying about outdoor irritants, our focus shifted to indoor air quality — examining all the potentially harmful compounds to teeny-tiny particles or dangerous odors that could be hanging around and entering our airways. "Reducing exposure to substances in the environment around us that trigger allergy and asthma symptoms are important. Eliminating these indoor triggers is a great place to start,” Kenneth Mendez, CEO & President of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, explained. And thus, my pursuit for a quality air purifier began. After prodding around the internet for a highly-reviewed option, I settled on the cult-favorite Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Purifying Fan Heater. Below, read about my experience with what many shoppers claim to be the best heater-slash-purifier of all time. I've included it all from a full rundown of the esteemed gadget's bells & whistles to personal photos I snapped in my now-purified home and my final feelings on its allergy-fighting worthiness as a $$$ investment.

The Dyson Pure Hot+Cool is an entire-room-purifying heater plus fan — aka a multitasking home gadget that resembles something from the year 3005. The product is designed to take in dirty air, clean it, and then circulate the purified air around the room. It uses Air Multiplier technology to reach every corner. By circulating out clean air, dirty air is pushed back toward the machine for purification.

Dyson has an Auto feature where the purifier will automatically draw in and release more air for faster purification, making it seamless to leave on while running errands or working. I tapped Sam Railton, Senior Design Engineer at Dyson, for more insider info on this. "Since most indoor pollutants are invisible to the naked eye, the sensing capabilities become crucial in maintaining a constant level of clean air. We simply wouldn’t notice increased pollution indoors until the air quality became really poor, so a Dyson purifier on auto mode can take care of this for you," he explained.

With 10 different fan speeds, it can be used as a traditional fan to cool a room during the warmer months. It also features heater capabilities that can easily warm-up a chilly apartment within seconds. All you have to do is set the thermostat to your desired temperature and then the machine will do the rest; automatically turning on and off to maintain the selected temperature.

My favorite part, personally, is the Dyson Link App. I can control my Dyson from other rooms with a simple button-press. When a pollution event occurs (i.e., cooking, spraying hairspray, etc.) the purifier will show a spike in pollutants. I noticed the spike big time while my boyfriend was frying tofu on the stove. Instant ALERT! I'm now an air-quality expert; regularly glancing at the graphs in the app to see if I can better direct my indoor environment. Chic.

"Dyson’s range of purifiers are engineered specifically for real-homes, and do three things to maintain good air quality," Sam Railton explains, "Firstly, they sense pollutants and react automatically – you don’t even need to think about switching it on. Secondly, they use fully-sealed advanced HEPA and activated carbon filtration systems to remove gases and odors and capture 99.97% of allergens and pollutants as small as 0.3 microns." According to the CDC, many forms of indoor air pollution are possible in a modern home. Air pollutant levels in the home increase if not enough outdoor air is brought in to weaken emissions from indoor sources and to carry indoor air pollutants out of the home. HEPA (which stands for "high-efficiency particulate air") filters are considered top of their class for their ability to trap tiny particles in the air (around at least 99.97%). Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist with the Allergy & Asthma Network agrees that at-home air quality is more important than ever. "Purifiers help filter mold spores, animal dander, and larger particles of the virus. Again, it can also miss small particles that may be aerosolized so it's not a guarantee but it can help reduce exposure."

Like I said before, allergies control most of my life. I can't use certain beauty products without the risk of hives coating my cheeks. I can't pet cats and I definitely end up Swiffering and vacuuming every other day to avoid the throat-closing symptoms caused by dust mites and dog dander. My boyfriend often wakes up in the morning with a clogged nose, and I'll wake up moments after him coughing aggressively. After two weeks of using the Dyson, we've been waking up without the sniffles and itchiness. No joke, I think this machine is really working. We've utilized many different purifiers before but none have come close to the Dyson Hot + Cool. Although the price point is hefty, the results have been nothing short of astounding. Plus, there's a 2-year warranty just in case it has any issues. We've moved it from the bedroom to the living room, the basement, and back again; so far, it's helped to improve our air quality in each of these locations. To me, waking up without bleeding nostrils or an allergy headache is worth the $$$.