The best dehumidifiers not only help eliminate condensation, but they can also help prevent damp and mould, get your laundry dry faster and even cut energy bills. We've rounded up the best around
The best dehumidifiers can help you overcome so many common household problems, particularly as colder weather sets in.
Not only are they one of the best options for those wondering how to stop condensation, but they can also help prevent damp and, subsequently, mould from forming. In turn, this can protect your property from damage — damp, excess moisture in the air and the dreaded mould can all have an effect on plasterwork, woodwork and even your soft furnishings and flooring.
In addition, 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 buyer's guide, our team have tested a range of dehumidifiers in order to help you decide not only whether you need one of these machines but also to help you choose the right product for you.
The Quick List
Not much time to search for the best dehumidifier for you? Not to worry — 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 right into a more detailed review of the particular product that you like the look of.
This is a brilliantly effective dehumidifier, perfect for anyone living in a medium to large home. Despite being incredibly effective, running costs are super low – just 6p per hour based on 27.35p/kWh. It also comes with a free HEPA filter to purify the air – great news for allergy sufferers.
With its large 5.5 litre capacity water tank, five operation modes – one of which includes a laundry drying function – and simple to use controls, this is a brilliant dehumidifier for those after a mid-priced model that will be suitable for medium to large homes. It is also compact.
Dehumidifiers need not cost a fortune in order to be effective. This budget buy is not only easy on the bank balance, but it is also compact and lightweight and would be ideal for those after a dehumidifier for a small room. Only the downside, it only collects 300ml per day.
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, but also 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.
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.
Extraction: 700ml (can extract up to 300 ml of moisture daily)
Fan speeds: 1
Laundry mode?: No
Reasons to buy
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Relatively quiet operation
+
Small and lightweight
+
Affordable
Reasons to avoid
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Short power cable
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Takes a while to extract moisture
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Only suitable for small spaces
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.
This would be a great buy for those after a dehumidifier for a small room, such as a home office or box room.
FAQs
How do dehumidifiers work?
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."
Can a dehumidifier prevent damp?
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.
How much do dehumidifiers cost to run?
Dehumidifier running costs vary depending on the model.
When calculating dehumidifier running costs, you need to take the model's power rating and find out how much you pay for electricity per kWh. The new Energy Price Cap rates from 1 October to 31 December 2023 stand at 27.35p per kWh.
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.
This dehumidifier has a 2L capacity tank and can extract up to 400ml of water per hour — plus it features an automatic shut down to switch off the machine when full. Other features include a carry handle, LED display and reusable air filter. Suitable for rooms from 18-20m².
This low-energy compressor dehumidifier uses just 320 watts to run and is perfect for medium to large spaces. It comes with an active carbon filter and HEPA filter as standard and can be controlled from wherever you are using your smart device — it can even be voice operated using Alexa or Google Home.
This highly-rated dehumidifier is a great option for those with large rooms with persistent damp issues. It comes complete with a continuous drainage hose, extracts up to 12L of moisture per day and features a child lock and automatic humidity sensor.
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Natasha is Homebuilding & Renovating’s Associate Content Editor and has been a member of the team for over two decades. An experienced journalist and renovation expert, she has written for a number of homes titles. Over the years Natasha has renovated and carried out a side extension to a Victorian terrace. She is currently living in the rural Edwardian cottage she renovated and extended on a largely DIY basis, living on site for the duration of the project. She is now looking for her next project — something which is proving far harder than she thought it would be.
