The best dehumidifiers for condensation, mould and drying laundry

The best dehumidifier can help you overcome a variety of common household problems at all times of the year, even more so when the colder weather sets in.

Not only are dehumidifiers one of the best options for those wondering how to stop condensation, they can also help prevent damp and mould in the house from forming. 

In turn, this can protect your property from damage as damp, excess moisture in the air and mould can all have an effect on plasterwork, woodwork and even your soft furnishings and flooring. 

Dehumidifiers can also be valuable aids to speeding up the process of drying laundry, making them an ideal solution not just for homes where outdoor drying isn't an option, but also a money-saving option for anyone who has to resort to using a tumble dryer during the wet winter months.

In addition, the best dehumidifiers can help to make a home feel more comfortable to live in, particularly those models that feature air purification devices such as HEPA filters. If you live in a household with anyone suffering from allergies, a dehumidifier can make life a little easier.

For this buying guide, our team have tested a range of dehumidifiers in order to help you decide not only whether you need one, but also to help you choose the best dehumidifier for you. 

The Quick List

Not sure where to start in your search for the best dehumidifier? We've put together a handy overview of the dehumidifiers on this list, along with quick links that allow to you skip down the page to get a more detailed review of the particular product you like the look of. 

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Best low energy

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The Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier/Air Purifier is designed to help control humidity levels in a house, reducing or even eliminating window condensation and, subsequently, minimising the risk of damp.

It also offers further benefits. It can help to dry laundry quicker and, thanks to its HEPA filter, can also purify the air - ideal for those with allergies and a great way to create a fresher-feeling indoor air environment in general. 

This dehumidifier is perfect for those living in medium to large homes - spaces up to 64m² are well served by this particular model. It can also be used in unheated basements or cellars.

Read our full Meaco 20L Low Energy dehumidifier review to see just how good we found it was to use.

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Best mid-range

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The ProBreeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode, offers a powerful and user-friendly solution to combat damp and humidity in your home, especially if you live in a listed or poorly ventilated property. 

This product is easy to set up and its significant water extraction (up to 20L daily) noticeably improves air quality in a matter of days. Despite a somewhat noisy operation, benefits such as laundry mode, automated humidity detection, and an economical running cost make its mid-ranged price a worthwhile investment. 

Another benefit of this model is its 5 operating modes including strong, natural, ventilation, continuous and laundry. In addition, this dehumidifier bedroom has a safety child lock to deactivate all buttons and a sleep mode that will turn all the lights off for undisturbed sleep.

For a more detailed look, read our ProBreeze 20L Dehumidifier review.

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Best budget model

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For a compact and lightweight model, the Hysure 700ml Dehumidifier performs fairly well and with minimal noise. However, it's only suitable for small spaces and will not make a significant impact in large rooms.

Even though this model sits right at the lower end of the price scale and only has one fan speed, it has low running costs, is easy to move around the house, won't take up too much space and even has an automatic shut-off function, meaning it will stop running when the 700ml tank is at full capacity. 

If you're thinking of purchasing a dehumidifier for a small room, such as a home office or box room, read our Hysure 700ml Dehumidifier review to find out if this is the best dehumidifier for you.

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Best for drying laundry

Although the DeLonghi DEX212F 12L Tasciugo AriaDry Dehumidifier is on the more expensive side, it's sleek appearance is matched by its performance when it comes to drying laundry. 

Fast, surprisingly quiet and efficient at drying clothes and leaving them feeling softer than when dried on a heated airer, a few downsides are the fact it's on the heavier side and doesn't have a humidity level display like some of the other models.

However, if you live in an apartment meaning your drying options are limited to heated airers or tumble dryers, it's definitely a purchase worth considering.

For more information on some of its other functions, read our full review of the DeLonghi DEX212F 12L Tasciugo AriaDry Dehumidifier.

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Best desiccant dehumidifier

The EcoAir DD2 simple desiccant dehumidifier is suited to colder spaces and has a powerful yet relatively energy-efficient wattage. With an automatic shut-off, anti-tilt safety function and a continuous drainage outlet it's a good option if you are looking to leave it running in spaces such as garages.

Although it doesn't show humidity readings of the space you use it in, it's nonetheless fast and efficient and light enough to move around if you're struggling with damp in a number of areas.

It's also fairly quiet to run making it suitable to use inside if your property struggles to get warm.

For this and other information on how we tested the product, read our EcoAir DD2 Simple Desiccant Dehumidifier review.

FAQs

How to dehumidifiers extract moisture from air?

Dehumidifiers are designed to remove excess moisture from the air and to achieve a healthy relatively humidity. 

"A dehumidifier removes moisture from the air — excess moisture that you do not want to condense and hang around your home. It helps to ease damp problems, gives you healthier air to breath and can even make your energy use more efficient," says Chris Michael from Meaco

There are two main types of dehumidifier: desiccant and compressor. All the models reviewed here are compressors. 

"These types of dehumidifier have a cold-coils system, like a fridge," says Chris Michael. "They have two sets of coils, the first cools to create the condensation, which is collected into the water tank, the second warms the dry air back to just above room temperature. This helps to create the dry air needed to combat condensation, mould and damp problems."

When won't a dehumidifier be suitable?

If your damp issue is the result of bad ventilation and lots of condensation, a dehumidifier can definitely be helped by a dehumidifier. That said, if damp is a persistent issue, caused by other factors concerning the structure of your home, a different and more involved solution is going to be required long term. A dehumidifier will still help the situation but clearly building work to fix the issue will be a better solution.

How we review dehumidifiers

Homebuilding & Renovating is not given any compensation for our reviews, but may be allowed to keep the products for long-term testing meaning we can test over a greater length of time, and update this review if required.