I use a Dyson purifier and... it's been okay I guess. It helped a little bit, but whether it's worth it or not is debatable.
A couple of cons:
- You need to run it all the time, because otherwise it can take ages to filter out pollutants, by which time your allergies can get triggered.
- It works best if your doors and windows are always closed. Naturally, that won't make for a very healthy or pleasant home, so you might want to restrict the purifier to a specific room which has its windows and doors closed all the time. But then if you consider air draughts, the pollen's gonna make it's way in anyways, so a strategic placement of the purifier is crucial.
- Obviously it won't help if you go outside.
So you could get one if you really want to, but don't get it specifically for combating hayfever. The one I've got also purifies VOCs (ie volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, which can released by paint, carpets, furniture etc), and it also doubles up as a space heater, air cooler (fan) and temperature/humidity monitor. I've also noticed a significant reduction of dust in my room, which means a lot less dusting/cleaning needed for all the surfaces and electronics etc in your room. I can also control the purifier from my phone and Home Assistant. So it's nice to have when you consider all of those.
I have friends across the ditch who swear by Haytox - a medication which is administered nasally, it takes only a few minutes and you're allergy free for a whole year. Maybe get your partner to talk to their GP and see if it's available here? I haven't seen any mentions of it in NZ but maybe they've got something similar.
Overall I'm happy I guess, at the very least, it has visibly reduced the dust levels, and when I imagine all that dust that might've gone into my lungs instead, I think I'd rather be in a home with an air purifier than without.
Just another question if you don't mind, but do you run a few around the house / move it around from area to area / have one just focused on a main section of the house etc.
I move it around sometimes. Typically it's in my room most of the time but sometimes I may use it in the kitchen for odor removal in case I'm making a curry or something (after cooking though, so as to not interfere with the extractor fan's airflow). But if I'm planning to spend a long time in say, the lounge for watching a movie, then I'd move it there. The model I've got is fairly lightweight at 5kgs, so it's not a big deal to move it.
Hmm couple of mentions of needing to close windows etc.
Wonder how it works in conjunction with regular airing. Relatively quick "filtering" of the fresh air thats come in from outside once you've finished airing out?