Dyson Humidifier

Humidifiers are a worthwhile investment for any household that tends to get snap-crackly dry air, especially during the winter months. These machines help increase moisture in dry spaces and alleviate issues like parched eyes, itchy skin and allergies, and they can also improve sleep quality. The Dyson Humidifier is great at adding moisture to your indoor environment, and doubles as a fan when humidity isn't needed. This cool mist humidifier also has the greatest coverage among the humidifiers we tested, effectively humidifying up to 800 square feet. One of the main features that sets the Dyson apart is its UV cleanse technology, which is built into the water tank and kills 99.9 percent of bacteria in the water in just three minutes.

In our lab tests, the Dyson humidifier had a good output, using 0.5 litres of water over the course of an hour on the medium setting, with the target humidity set to 50 percent. Families that tested the humidifier in their bedrooms and living rooms were pleasantly surprised by how well it worked to increase moisture. The majority of families even said they saw an improvement in sleep, dry skin, itchy eyes and scratchy throats after they started using the Dyson.

Our editors and family testers also appreciated that assembly and setup was a snap, thanks to the helpful instruction manual. Testers also really liked that the Dyson Humidifier comes with a remote (which attaches magnetically to the top of the humidifier) and—even better—connects to a handy app to control the unit and check the humidity levels from afar. Everything is clearly labelled in the manual, so the humidifier is super easy to use once you familiarize yourself with the available settings, which are displayed on the illuminated interface.

In addition to the sleep timer function and fan/humidifier toggle that allows you to run the cooling feature without releasing any mist, the Dyson has 10 airflow settings and allows the target humidity level to be set between 30 and 70 percent. While you can set all of these elements manually, using auto mode means the Dyson will adjust the settings automatically based on its inner humidistat and thermostat—a set-and-forget feature we really like. Families loved the sleep timer feature (especially handy in kids’ rooms), and while editors noted that the medium and higher-level fan speeds were noisier than some of the other humidifiers we tested, parents had no issues with the fan volumes. They also appreciated that the humidifier isn’t an eyesore. It has a sleek design with a round base and a tall hoop, which fits in easily with any decor, though it is a bit on the tall side compared to more compact units.

It's worth noting that the water tank on the Dyson Humidifier has a fairly small opening, so you have to be careful when filling it or moving the humidifier around. That said, portability is a breeze—you simply have to take apart the three pieces (including the water tank, which has its own handle), and snap them back together in the new space.

This humidifier doesn’t need a lot of maintenance for optimal performance, but it’s best to follow the suggested weekly and monthly cleaning schedule. Dyson suggests cleaning the air hoop once a week with a lint-free microfibre cloth, followed by wiping the tank with a solution made of water and 30 grams of citric acid. Monthly cleaning involves removing the hoop and wiping it down with the same solution. It may seem like an effort, but this is actually less work than the maintenance required to keep other humidifiers free of bacteria, mould and mineral build-up.

While the Dyson Humidifier is on the high end of the price range of humidifiers, parents felt that the ease of use, quality and effectiveness of this humidifier make it worth the cost. It also comes with a two-year parts and labour warranty (though you'll want to note that cleaning this humidifier with non-recommended solutions and chemicals can invalidate the warranty).

FINAL WORD

With its large coverage area, impressive effectiveness, sleek design and useful bonus features like the nifty app, the Dyson Humidifier was very popular with our editors and parent testers alike. The word "amazing" cropped up repeatedly in parents' comments, and all said they would recommend this humidifier to other families. One mom even said she couldn't imagine life without it because it made such a difference in her home. Though it does come in at a higher price point than many other humidifiers on the market, our parent testers all agreed or strongly agreed that the Dyson's ease of use and benefits to their health made it a good value. Editors were similarly impressed with the range of features offered, from the app-connected technology to the UV light in the water tank to kill bacteria.