Your home is probably stocked up with all the essential appliances, but what about a dehumidifier? It might not be on your wedding present list, but they’re a seriously valuable addition to any home — particularly if your home has damp or mould, or someone in your home suffers from allergies.

A dehumidifier can also save you money on bills, which is especially welcome as we make our way through the cost of living crisis.

But which dehumidifier should you buy? Unless you’re a moisture expert, dehumidifiers all look the same. It’s hard to know what model is right for you and your home. That’s why we’re here to help. Let’s get started with some basic information.

What is a dehumidifier?

A dehumidifier is a unit that sits in the corner of the room and sucks moisture out of the air. This means cleaner, healthier air. Just set the humidity level you want and let the machine do its thing. The recommended humidity in your home is between 40 and 60% during the summer months and somewhere between 30 and 50% when it gets colder. Anything over 60% and then humid conditions can lead to damp, condensation, mould, and bacteria. This is especially problematic for asthma and allergy sufferers, as mould can cause respiratory problems. Carpets in damp environments can also retain moisture and attract dust mites.

How do dehumidifiers work?

There are two main types of dehumidifiers:

Refrigerant dehumidifiers — These are also known as compressors, and work by using a cold coil that draws condensation out of the air when it makes contact with the cold surface of the coil. That condensation then drips into a tank (which can vary in capacity).

Desiccant dehumidifiers — These pass the air over a wheel that’s coated with a water absorbing material known as a desiccant (a bit like how a sponge works). The desiccant is regenerated by an internal heater, so the moisture drips into the tank. Desiccant dehumidifiers can let off some heat — ideal for unheated rooms — while refrigerant dehumidifiers struggle in colder temperatures.

The best type of dehumidier for you and your home will depend on your budget and a bunch of other factors like available space.

How much water does a dehumidifier collect?

Dehumidifiers are generally listed by their moisture-collecting quota per day, from 10 litres to 20-plus litres every 24 hours. It’s worth noting that some models are advertised based on performance in countries with more humidity than the UK, and you’re unlikely to actually collect 25 litres every day. Remember that dehumidifiers have a maximum water tank capacity, usually between 1 and 4 litres. So even if you’re collecting litres upon litres of water from the air, the tank will need to be regularly emptied. Unless it has a continuous drain function, in which case you can attach a hose to the ring from the unit to a drain.

Where should you position a dehumidifier?

The obvious answer is to put the dehumidifier in rooms with a damp problem. Close the windows and doors, too. If it’s a bathroom, put the dehumidifier outside the door and let the unit suck moisture out of the room..

Can dehumidifiers dry clothes?

Yes, absolutely. In the winter months, using a dehumidifier for drying clothes is a real game changer. It saves you expensive trips to the laundrette or the cost of running your own dryer — or even cramming your radiator with wet clothes. Besides, wet clothes on radiators or clothes racks are only adding moisture to the air in your home. For best results, hang your washing on a rack alongside your dehumidifier in a small room. The dehumidifier will draw the wetness out from your clothes so that they dry more quickly.

Do dehumidifiers use a lot of electricity?

As well as saving on laundrette costs, a dehumidifier will save money on heating bills because less moisture means less of a biting chill in the air. You can also save money on products for shifting mould or odours. And that tumble dryer you were thinking of buying? Forget it. A dehumidifier will cost you significantly less.

Generally speaking, a portable dehumidifier will consume between 30 and 50 watts per hour.

What is the most economical dehumidifier?

There are a lot of dehumidifiers out there, and it's a difficult to say which model is the most economical. That's because something that uses the least energy per hour might need to be switched on for longer to get the job done. It's always worth checking the energy rating of a device, and if in doubt, Meaco produce a lot of the most economical dehumidiers on the market.

What is the best dehumidifier?

It’s not a case of which is the best but which works best for you and your home. Or more specifically, the damp in your home. We’ve done the hard work of researching the best models and brands to help you make an informed decision.

There are the best dehumidifiers in 2022.

Duux Bora Smart Dehumidifier

Best For App Control

Credit: Duux

Specs

Type: Refrigerant
Dimensions: ‎53 x 37.5 x 28 cm

Buying Options

£299.99 from Amazon

The Duux Bora Smart Dehumidifier(opens in a new tab) can do it all. It has multiple fan speeds and humidity levels, plus a 24-hour timer that increases the humidity level by the hour. Best of all, it can all be controlled via the Duux smartphone app. That’s especially handy for homes that need constant damp management — even when you’re about — or if you have a small home that’s always packed with drying-out laundry.

To use it, simply set the humidistat to your preferred humidity level — anything between 30 and 80% — and let it go to work.

It comes equipped with a hose, so it can be set to continuously drain and save yourself the pain of emptying the tank. If you don’t have an appropriate drain, the tank is big enough that you can get away with emptying only once in a while. The tank itself is 4 litres, but the Duux can handle 20 litres per day.

Meaco DD8L Zambezi

Best For All Temperatures

Credit: Meaco

Specs

Type: Desiccant
Dimensions: ‎35.8 x 20 x 54.8 cm

Buying Options

£259.99 from Amazon

If you’re someone who spends lots of time in the garage or shed — or perhaps you have a caravan or camper van — the Meaco DD8L Zambezi(opens in a new tab) is a great option. Thanks to desiccant technology, it works perfectly in colder temperatures. It’s just as reliable in the home, too. It’s built for working in homes with up to five bedrooms, with coverage of 200 square metres, while its energy-saving Laundry+ is ideal for families and busy households.

Meaco boasts about the model’s next-level control functions, with a digital display, daily-run timer functions, and plenty of other options. The DD8L Zambezi even asks you to turn it on when the humidity hits 70%.

While it has a lower capacity than the most powerful refrigerant, absorbing 8.3 litres per day, you’d need to have a pretty serious damp problem to notice the difference.

De'Longhi DEX214F Dehumidifier

Best For Noise

Credit: De'Longhi

Specs

Type: Refrigerant
Dimensions: ‎22 x 33.4 x 50 cm

Buying Options

£244 from Amazon

The De'Longhi DEX214F Dehumidifier (opens in a new tab)doesn’t quite match up to the top-end options in this roundup, but 14 litres of moisture per day is certainly impressive — and for a lower price than its competitors. It has three humidity settings (40%, 50%, or 60%) while also filtering the air to tackle dust and allergens.

One of the most attractive features is its relatively low noise — just 37 decibels.

We also like the laundry function for when you’ve got a heavy load hanging up around the house. This optimises both the ventilation speed and dehumidifying capacity, which ultimately speeds up the drying process.

A smallish tank of 2.1 litres means you’ll need to empty fairly frequently, though you can set it to drain continuously — if you have a drain within reaching distance, of course.

Meaco Dry Arete One Dehumidifier

Best For Purifying

Credit: Meaco

Specs

Type: Refrigerant
Dimensions: 6.2 x 37.6 x 23.2 cm

Buying Options

£300 from Argos

The Meaco Dry Arete One(opens in a new tab) comes from Meaco’s all-new range of ultra-quiet, energy-savvy dehumidifiers. The big sell is that it’s essentially a 2-in-1 model — a compressor dehumidifier and HEPA air purifier all at once.

Whereas other dehumidifiers make claims based on more humid climates, Meaco has designed this model especially for the British climate. And 25 litres is a seriously impressive number that makes this ideal for big homes or severe damp problems.

It has two fan speeds and seven humidity levels, plus a humidistat, which adjusts the settings automatically.

The air purifier will remove dust and allergens from the air, but its worth noting that the Meaco Dry Arete One works as one or the other — the dehumidifier and purifier modes don’t work at the same time.

Ometa Pure Dehumidifier

Best For Modes

Credit: Ometa

Specs

Type: Refrigerant
Dimensions: 22 x 25.5 x 46

Buying Options

£114.99 from Amazon

The Ometa Pure(opens in a new tab) is a mid-sized, mid-capacity, mid-performance option. That’s a whole lot of mid, but there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when it comes with a mid-point price — not everyone needs the biggest and most expensive model.

The Ometa Pure can absorb 12L of moisture over 24 hours, with a decent sized tank of 2 litres. There’s the option to continuously drain (a hose comes included) but that’s once again dependent on having a floor-level drain.

Choose from various modes — Auto Mode, Continuous Drying Mode or Sleep Mode — while a three-colour LED system keeps you up to date with the humidity in the room (blue for 30-45%, green for 45-65%, red for 65% plus). It’s all controlled via an easy-to-use panel, which also offers a timer option.

Pro Breeze Dehumidifier

Best For Tight Budgets

Credit: Pro Breeze

Specs

Type: Peltier
Size: 18 x 28 x 16 cm

Buying Options

£39.99 from Amazon

OK, so you want to suck some moisture out of the air but you don’t want to suck your bank account dry? We get it. Most of the dehumidifiers on this list aren’t exactly easy on the wallet. Enter the Pro Breeze Dehumidifier, an effective and highly-rated option that costs under £40.

At this small size (and price) it’s best for small rooms. If that room happens to be your home office, where you’re trying to work, or even the living room, where you’re trying to watch TV uninterrupted, it’s perfectly quiet. This is thanks to using the much quieter peltier technology, which works by cooling water vapour into water.

Its water tank is just 500ml, but it has an automatic shut-off function, which kicks in whenever it’s full and alerts you to drain the system.