People who live with allergies or health challenges know the importance of an air purifier, but what about the rest of us? While most of us think we have clean air in our homes, the truth is things like radon gas, ultrafine particles and even toxic chemicals like formaldehyde can and do exist in our homes, brought in with things like new furniture, carpeting and even some building or renovation products. But of course if you can’t see it, taste it or smell it, you probably don’t know it’s there. That’s where something like an air purifier comes in; it can clean the air of junk you didn’t know was lurking. In this review in my home I’m trying out the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde. I’ll look at what it’s designed to do, what makes it unique (and the ‘big’ in its name is a huge clue) how I integrated it into my home how it seems to work and if overall I can recommend it to you.
Dyson has made a name for itself by revolutionizing air movement technology. Their fans and vacuums quickly became the standard for quality and innovation. Today, we look at a new offering in the air movement and filtering side of things: the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde. Air quality is always a concern, as it directly affects our health and well-being. Knowing that there’s a system in place to remove allergens and particulate matter goes a long way in providing comfort and assurance in the home or office.
Let’s dive deeper into the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde.
Yep, it’s BIG: Size & weight
It’s in the name, but it’s worth starting with here, since even I wasn’t prepared for how big this purifier truly is. The Dyson purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde is 830 mm tall (32 inches) and 415 mm wide (16 inches.) It weighs 11.9 kilograms (26 pounds) and has a set of wheels that are not visible when the unit is upright. The wheels are designed for hard flooring, making it easy to move your purifier around. Its cord is 1.8 m long (70 inches.)
The Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde has been designed to work from the corner of a room, but Dyson recommends it be at least one metre away from the wall, which because of its massive size again poses more challenges with placement in smaller spaces.
Of course because it is designed for larger spaces and is Dyson’s largest format purifier in the lineup, space shouldn’t really be an issue; it’s made to purifier bigger rooms and home up to up to 100sqm / 1,076sqft.
It’s also extremely unique looking and made up of two parts, the base, where the filters are and the top which I’ve taken to calling the bowl, which is where the airflow exits.
There’s also a magnetic remote control in the box too.
Set up & assembly
There is some minor assembly required but the good news is that it’s easy. Once you unpack the two large components from their box, they essentially just fit together.
Filters
On the inside are the filters; the outer layer, wrapped around the inner filter like a blanket is the activated carbon filter. The inner core is a glass fibre HEP filter.
The big and quiet formaldehyde has a HEPA h13 grade filter, which captures up to 99% of particles as small as .3 microns. It also has an activated carbon filter to remove odor and gases.
Dyson recommends replacing the H13 grade HEPA filter after using it for up to five years or sooner. The activated carbon filter should be replaced every two years or sooner if required.
Further, this unit has a catalytic filter which you can’t see, that traps and breaks down formaldehyde molecules and turns them into tiny, imperceptible amounts of water and carbon dioxide/CO2. It claims this filter will last a lifetime.
What you get
Powerful Pull
This unit is made by Dyson, so you know it’s not messing around. The big and quiet formaldehyde unit is designed to filter air even for large spaces, so it can pull air from up to 32 ft away, filter it, and send it back out. It does all of this and only 56 decibels at full speed. It’s designed to be placed about 1 M from a wall and probably in the corner of the room. You’ll want to set it up so the air being pushed back out can travel across the room or along the wall. Due to the amount of air that it’s moving around and the fact that it’s made for larger spaces, you may find it impacts airflow and creates a breeze in the home. Depending on the type of year that may or may not be welcome.
Removes Formaldehyde: but why?
Since it’s in the name, it’s no surprise the Big+Quiet Formaldehyde pulls formaldehyde from the air.
To help you understand how and why formaldehyde is a problem, I’m going to pull fro my previous blog on this topic:
First, let’s get to What is Formaldehyde? And why do I need to remove it from my home?
Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used in building materials and household products. It can also be found in materials made of pressed wood, such as particleboard and plywood, as well as glues and adhesives.Formaldehyde is also used as a disinfectant and germicide and can be found in wallpapers, some fabrics, fireplaces and vehicle exhaust.
Laboratories and mortuaries often use formaldehyde for its preservative qualities. Formaldehyde gets into our homes mainly through what’s called off-gassing, where construction or renovation materials, furniture, cabinets and household products slowly release formaldehyde over time.So what’s the problem? The Government of Canada calls formaldehyde an irritant, saying exposure to high concentrations can cause burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat. Formaldehyde is also classified as “carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
So that’s my Bill Nye the science guy explanation… and it’s clear we’d probably rather not have formaldehyde accumulating in our homes.
Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde: what else it removes
What else does it remove from your air? It also removes pollen, pet dander, mold, and dust, anything smaller than 10 microns (which is practically microscopic). It’s also effective against smoke allergens and bacteria, as well as cigarettes and candle smoke.
It also claims to be effective against VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), including aerosols and Air fresheners, and any off-gassing from things like plywood fiberboard paint, wallpaper, and household cleaning products.
Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde: see what it’s seeing
The unit is able to track its effectiveness in each of those ranges and it will display it both on the machine and on the companion Dyson app so you can see how well it’s dealing with smaller particulate matter like smoke, larger particular matter like pollen, and the VOCs.
Monitoring and App
This unit comes with an app called My Dyson, which handles all the unit’s features, including directional airflow, changing the oscillation setting, and increasing or decreasing airflow. You’ll also be able to monitor how effectively the big and quiet formaldehyde is cleaning the air. An auto feature allows the unit to detect and clean the air as it sees fit, increasing and decreasing power as needed.
Settings, Airflow and Noise: my experience
This air purifier allows you to make lots of adjustments depending on what you think you need. You can adjust the different airflow speeds from level one all the way to level 10. I can say that even on level two, there is still a decent amount of noticeable airflow coming from the unit; enough to cool you off if you’re passing by. Even so, at lower levels the big and quiet is silent.
The airflow comes out of the top bowl in three different directions. It will essentially cut straight across the room horizontally towards you, or it will aim the air up higher at different angles into the room; from 0° to 25° to 50°.
You can also run the unit on auto mode which will let the amount of particles in the air determine whether it cranks up or runs lower. There is also a timer which will shut the purifier off automatically, and a night mode which helps it to run even quieter. Essentially that’s it when it comes to settings.
Using Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde
With this device set up and running there is really nothing you will ever need to do except keep those filters changed every few years. You can use the Dyson app to check on the particle levels in your home and the app will also show you the current temperature in the room, relative humidity, and give your air quality a colour-coded score from green which is good to red which is very poor. The colour coding is very easy to understand at a glance, and if you want more granular data you can see that too.
The app will break down specific particulate matter by different type if you want to know exactly what it’s finding in your home.
Does it work?
I’ve said it more than once in air purifier reviews that it is extremely difficult for me to make a determination whether or not this device is actually working. I don’t have access to an air quality testing lab or a microbiology biologist so I’m essentially taking Dyson at its word that it’s devices are doing the job they say they will.
For the most part during my testing my air quality stayed quite good and I didn’t have any red flags. I can say however that when we have been in wildfire season in the past, that several Dyson purifiers I have tested do detect and filter smoke that seeps into the house. It shows up in the particle readings and the purifiers will work harder once they start detecting those contaminants in the house.
Overall review: Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde
Overall if you are in great need of a large format purifier that isn’t going to disrupt the house, this is a great place to start. It has a lot of pluses particularly if you live with an allergy suffer or someone with health concerns. But for the average homeowner, this device is going to be both overkill and not versatile enough to justify the price tag.
Let’s recap the pros and cons as I see them…
I do think this purifier looks really cool, and it was easy to get set up. The app connectivity works very well, and I think it’s very handy that it has wheels too more easily move it around. It provides good data about what it’s detecting in my home which does help provide a level of comfort. While it’s also not billed as a fan, on higher fan speeds it definitely gets a breeze going in my space. And as the name also hints, it is truly very quiet in operation.
What are the downsides? As the name suggests, this is a very large device and it does require a lot of space for optimal placement. I also found the controls were kind of limited; aside from 10 fan speeds and the three airflow angles. I also found myself as the first snow fell on Calgary wishing that it also had heating capabilities too. If that is something you’re looking for, I could also steer you in the direction of the Dyson Hot + Cool Formaldehyde which I’ve also reviewed here on the channel. It is also an extremely expensive device, particularly when you’re not getting either heating or cooling.
I look at this device and I think it could actually be so much more. Yes, add in the heating and cooling for sure, but if you’re going to make some thing that’s as big as a piece of furniture why not go all the way and get creative? Put a great sounding speaker into the base and now you’ve got some thing that might be more worthy of taking up all that real estate.
To be clear I think the Dyson big and quiet absolutely delivers on its name and promises and there are no surprises here. You’re definitely getting what you pay for. If you’ve got the funds for this, you won’t be disappointed. But if this is priced outside of your budget for now, I can recommend the smaller and less expensive Dyson Hot + Cool Formaldehyde (click to read the full review) as a worthy alternate—that’s the one I have in my home and I use it every day, all year round. (You’ll pay just about $849USD/$999CAD for it.)
The Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde sells for about $999USD/$1299CAD. Shop the Dyson purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde on Amazon or Best Buy and on Dyson’s website. You can also shop the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde too as a great alternative from Dyson or Amazon.
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Also Read:
- Dyson Pure Cool Me fan & purifier review
- Review: Dyson Pure Humidify+Cool fan, purifier & humidifier
