The 9 best dehumidifiers for tackling damp and condensation – tried and tested in our homes

Whether you want to banish damp, mould, and condensation from your home or speed up the drying time for your laundry, the best dehumidifiers offer a reliable solution for removing excess moisture from the air.

Their versatility is unrivalled, and yet when it comes to buying one, the technical specifications can be a lot to get your head around. Much like when you’re looking at the best portable air conditioners, anything that manages indoor air quality can be heavy going.

To help you find the best dehumidifier for your home, we've been busy testing the latest and greatest options on the market and have rounded up our favourites below, with the Meaco 20L Dehumidifier coming out on top.

The quick list

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

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Best dehumidifier overall

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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.

On test, we also found that it 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.

If you're looking for something ultra-quiet in the bedroom, we'd recommend the Meacodry Abc 12l Compressor Dehumidifier instead.

Read our full Meaco 20L Low Energy dehumidifier review for more details.

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Best mid-range dehumidifier

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The ProBreeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier 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.

We found this appliance easy to set up and its significant water extraction (up to 20L daily) noticeably improved the air quality in the home within 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 other operating modes including strong, natural, ventilation and continuous. In addition, this dehumidifier has a safety child lock to deactivate all buttons and a sleep mode that will turn all the lights off for undisturbed sleep.

However, if you want to use your dehumidifier in a cold room, such as a garage or basement, the EcoAir DD2 Simple Desiccant Dehumidifier or Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier will be a better choice.

Read our full ProBreeze 20L Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best compact dehumidifier

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Despite being compact in size, the MeacoDry Arete One 6L Compact dehumidifier packs a punch when it comes to performance. When Homebuilding’s former web editor Amy Willis put it to the test, she was particularly impressed with how well it dried her laundry, how easily it could be moved from room to room, and how conveniently it could be placed on worktops out of the way of foot traffic.

It might have a smaller tank size than regular dehumidifiers, but you shouldn’t underestimate its power – Amy found it plenty big enough for her double-sized bedroom and helpful for tackling condensation, drying clothes and reducing humidity levels in her bathroom.

The model is quiet enough for an undisturbed night’s sleep (running at 32 dB) and comes with a free HEPA filter, allowing it to double up as an air purifier.

This dehumidifier also has excellent energy efficiency, running at 101 watts and costing around 3p per hour based on 26.35p/kWh energy pricing. When you compare it to the 12L model, which uses 151 watts, and the 25L model, which uses 67 watts, it puts into perspective how efficiently it runs considering it’s only a six-litre unit.

If you think you'll need a bigger tank size, the Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier and Air Purifier is a great alternative.

Read our full MeacoDry Arete One 6L Compact Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best dehumidifier for drying laundry

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

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

If you're after something more lightweight, the MeacoDry Arete One 6L Compact Dehumidifier is an excellent alternative that can also be used for laundry.

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

Read our full DeLonghi DEX212F 12L Tasciugo AriaDry Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best dehumidifier for cold rooms

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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, our tester Amy Willis believes that 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, we found it to be, nonetheless, fast, 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, operating from 37 dB (A), making it suitable to use inside if your property struggles to get warm. Amy was also impressed by its "very powerful" laundry mode which extracted moisture from the air and was easy to select on the settings.

Read our full EcoAir DD2 Simple Desiccant Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best dehumidifier for bedrooms

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Specifically chosen for testing in the bedroom due to its Quiet Mark rating and sleep function, we found this dehumidifier to be suitably quiet. While initially noisy when starting up, the fan quickly reduced to a low hum, making it easy to fall asleep while it works – even for light sleepers!

If you're looking for an affordable solution to window condensation in the bedroom, this could be a great option to consider. It also made the room feel warmer and the generous 12L tank capacity meant it was still working when our tester, Sarah Harley, woke in the morning.

There are two options for reducing humidity: continuous extraction until you turn it off (which is recommended for drying laundry), or auto switch-off, which turns off once you've reached your desired humidity level and tests the air every 30 minutes.

Read our full MeacoDry ABC 12l Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best dehumidifier for garages

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If you're looking for a solution for a cold, damp garage, the Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier comes highly recommended by our former web editor Amy Willis. She put it to the test to see if it could prevent condensation, damp and mould from damaging her stored items in the garage, and was very impressed with the results.

One of her favourite things about this model – and a big reason why it's so good for garages – is that it comes with a wall mount to help keep it out of the way. This was particularly handy considering the dimensions were quite bulky.

It can extract up to eight litres of water per day and has a two-litre collection tank, as well as the option for continuous drainage. While it doesn't come with a hose, Amy says that you can fit a garden hose as an alternative.

The Meaco DD8L Pro can also be connected to your phone, allowing you to monitor the water tank and humidity levels remotely, which Amy found "useful but not essential".

It might be on the expensive side of dehumidifiers, but Amy says this model is "perfect for garages" and liked how you can tailor it to your space via the adjustable power settings. For something (slightly) more affordable, we also recommend the EcoAir DD2 Simple Desiccant Dehumidifier.

Read our full Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best smart dehumidifier

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There’s a lot to like about the Duux Bora 20L Dehumidifier, which features an eight-litre daily extraction, a quick-drying laundry mode and a practical, portable design. But what makes this model stand out are its advanced smart features, which let you control it remotely from your phone or voice assistant.

When Homebuilding's former news editor Joseph Mullane put it to the test, he connected the dehumidifier to the Duux app, which allowed him to set up to seven schedules and track his indoor air quality. He also liked how it integrates with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for easy, hands-free control.

Smart features aside, this dehumidifier has been a “game-changer” for reducing damp in Joseph’s home, thanks to its 20-litre extraction capacity and the hygrostat, which ensures humidity levels stay perfectly monitored.

He also found this dehumidifier fantastic for drying laundry and appreciated the continuous drainage hose for easy emptying and the roller wheels that make it easy to move from room to room.

The only drawback is that it can be slightly noisy when on the highest extraction rate, so if you plan on sleeping with a dehumidifier in your bedroom, the MeacoDry ABC 12L Compressor Dehumidifier is a better choice.

Read our full Duux Bora 20L Dehumidifier review for more detail.

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Best budget dehumidifier

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As a dehumidifier novice, our content editor Megan Milstead was delighted with how easy the VonHaus Auto 12L Dehumidifier was to set up – simply leave it upright for 24 hours, plug it in, set your desired humidity level, and it gets to work. "I love how the LCD display tells you the humidity in real time, so you can watch it go down," she says.

The unit features three different modes: Auto (activating when humidity exceeds your set level), Sleep (reducing the noise with no display), and Laundry (running continuously), along with adjustable fan settings and a timer function. It can collect up to 12L of water per day, which can either be collected in the 2L tank or continuously drained with an attachable hose (though Megan wishes this was a bit longer).

Weighing 9.5kg, it's not the lightest thing to lug up and down the stairs, but the built-in handle and wheels make it easy to drag along the floor, and the cable storage means it can be neatly stored away. Its compact size and minimalist white design helps it blend in with Megan's living room.

This two-in-one dehumidifier also doubles as an air purifier, filtering away particles such as dust, pollen, and pet dander, making it a great contender for those with allergies.

"While there is lots to love about this dehumidifier, it's a bit noisier than I would have liked, and I didn't notice any difference when I switched between Sleep and Auto mode (even on the low fan setting). For something ultra-quiet, I would recommend the MeacoDry ABC 12L Compressor Dehumidifier instead."

How we test the best dehumidifiers

To help you find the best dehumidifier, we researched the latest and top-rated products on the market, considering specs, price and customer reviews. After narrowing down the list, we tested the chosen products in our own home based on the following criteria:

• How easy they were to set up and use
• How effectively they extracted moisture in the air
• Whether they're worth the price tag
• How portable and user-friendly they were
• How noisy they were

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.

For more information, you can read our dedicated page on how we test products.

Who tested the best dehumidifiers

Want to know who tested the best dehumidifiers in this buying guide? Meet our review panel below:

Sarah Harley

Sarah is Homebuilding & Renovating’s Assistant Editor and joined the team in 2024. An established homes and interiors writer, Sarah has renovated and extended a number of properties. She tested the MeacoDry ABC 12L Compressor Dehumidifier and De'Longhi DEX212F 12L Tasciugo AriaDry Dehumidifier.

Natasha Brimsmead

Natasha has been writing about all aspects of renovating, building and extending for over 20 years, as well as making the odd radio and TV appearance to talk about self build. She tested the  Meaco 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier.

Joseph Mullane

Former news editor, Joseph, previously contributed to publications like Today's Media and Chambers & Partners, where he specialised in covering news relevant to conveyancers and industry professionals. He tested the Duux Bora 20L Dehumidifier.

Gabriella Dyson

Gabriella is an interiors journalist and has a wealth of experience creating interiors content. She tested the ProBreeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier.

Amy Willis

Amy spent over a decade in London editing and writing for The Daily Telegraph, MailOnline, and Metro.co.uk before moving to East Anglia where she began renovating a period property in rural Suffolk. She tested the MeacoDry Arete One 6L Compact dehumidifier and EcoAir DD2 Simple Desiccant Dehumidifier.

Megan Milstead

Megan joined the Homebuilding & Renovating team in 2025 as Content Editor. Working alongside homes and interiors experts, she’s passionate about providing accurate guidance and creative inspiration to help readers transform their living spaces. She tested the VonHaus 12L Auto Dehumidifier.

How to choose the best dehumidifier

Finding a dehumidifier that meets your needs and wants depends on the type of moisture that you’re trying to remove. A general rule of thumb is the larger the dehumidifier, the more powerful it’ll be.

According to Chris Michael, co-founder of Meaco, you'll need to consider the following factors:

1. Size of the property
You'll need to match the extraction rate to the size of the property:

• 6L: room only dehumidification 
• 10L: suitable for a small, two-bedroom flat
• 12L: recommended for a two-bedroom house
• 20L: suitable for a three-bedroom house
• 25L: recommended for properties with more than three bedrooms

2. Moisture levels
"If the property has high moisture levels due to damp issues, a high number of occupants, or regular indoor clothes drying, it’s best to choose the next size up. A more powerful model will remove moisture faster and more effectively."

3. Room temperature
"Compressor dehumidifiers perform best in heated homes, while desiccant dehumidifiers are better suited to cooler conditions, such as in a basement, conservatory or garage. The key temperature is 15°. Below this, go for desiccant, above 15°, go for compressor."

4. Energy efficiency
"Electricity consumption is an important consideration for an appliance that may run for much of the year. Models with a built-in humidistat are recommended, as they can be set to reach a target humidity level and then switch off automatically."

5. Noise levels
Be sure to check the decibel rating before investing in a dehumidifier. Models with Quiet Mark accreditation are a good choice for places like bedrooms.

6. Quality versus low-cost models
"While cheaper models may have a lower upfront cost, they are often less energy efficient and may not last as long. A higher-quality model can offer better long-term value through lower running costs and greater durability. Indicators of quality include longer warranty length, independent media reviews, and strong consumer ratings."

Feeling undecided? Here's a quick overview of the best dehumidifiers:

Chris Michael

Chris Michael is the founder of Meaco and has worked within the air treatment industry for over 30 years.

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 help. 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 building work to fix the issue will be a better solution. Start by looking at the causes of mould in a house to help you figure out what could be the root of the problem.

If you're keen to do a little more research before making your purchase, read our guide to dehumidifier sizes and which dehumidifier is best for cold rooms.

Edited by Beth Murton.