The best dehumidifiers of 2023 to keep damp and mould at bay
With advice from experts, we researched the market to find the best dehumidfiers of 2023 - just in time for the damper months of winter
If you’ve ever had reason to ask yourself ‘what is the best dehumidifier?’ it was probably with a sense of desperation over mould in your bathroom that just won’t shift, or window condensation forever puddling on the sills. Humidity can be a real problem.
Excess humidity in the home can come from cooking or showering, from the way your house is constructed and even just from breathing. Measured with a hygrometer (a humidity gauge - they’re not expensive), the recommended humidity for your home is 40-60 per cent in the summer months and between 30-50 per cent when it gets colder.
If it goes over 70 per cent, you run the risk of condensation, damp, mould, fungi and bacteria, all of which thrive in humid conditions. Carpets can trap the moisture in the air, making it an ideal breeding ground for dust mites. Mould can leave you open to respiratory infections, while those with allergies can be more susceptible to asthma attacks in damp homes.
Dehumidifiers are the best way to reduce humidity in your home and come into their own at this time of year. They range from bathroom dehumidifiers to compact ones for your car and even ones you can control from your mobile phone. Small dehumidifiers are ideal for flats or smaller spaces, while the bigger models can dehumidify a five-bedroom property or a small business space.
Below, we've rounded up the best dehumidifiers on the market, with reviews and help from an expert. However, if you're in a rush, here's a brief summary including best Black Friday deals.
Best dehumidifiers 2023 at a glance
- Best overall - Honeywell 24L
- Best for energy saving - Meaco 20L Low Energy
- Best for drying laundry - Ebac 3850e 21
- Best dehumidifier for small rooms - ProBreeze 500ml mini dehumidifier
How we chose the best dehumidifiers
We looked at everything from size to efficiency, from budget to innovation and tailored our choices to the specific needs or the size of the room, the space involved or the extent of the property that required a dehumidifier. Remember, size isn’t everything. Look at the area you’re dealing with and act accordingly. You’ll be surprised at just how powerful some of the small dehumidifiers are.
High demand
Dehumidifiers are proving exceptionally popular this year, given the high energy prices. My top-rated airers may temporarily sell out. These are currently the best places to look for alternatives:
- Air con centre dehumidifiers
- Currys dehumidifiers
- John Lewis dehumidifiers
- Amazon dehumidifiers
- Lakeland dehumidifiers
- Argos dehumidifiers
Best dehumidifiers
1. Honeywell 24L
Best overall
We like: Big delivery from an industrial giant
- Compressor
- Extracts up to 24 litres per day
- Noise level 50dB
- Draws 330W (approx 17p per hour of use)
- Great for drying clothes
Solid, compact and not bad looking, the Honeywell 24L Portable Dehumidifier is designed for medium to large-sized homes with three to five bedrooms. Weighing 14.8kg and a little over half a metre in height, with omni-directional castor wheels, it’s not hard to manoeuvre around your property.
“The Honeywell features a smart digital humidistat,” Ryan Kandola says. “It automatically senses the moisture levels of your room to maintain your pre-programmed humidity level. There’s also a washable dust filter to purify the air that has already been dehumidified. It’s a good all-rounder.”
It can also cut the time it takes for laundry to dry by a quarter, while costing one fifteenth as much as a tumble dryer to run. (Read our guide to the best heated clothes airers for another cost-effective alternative.)
Also available at
- Amazon, £189.95 - buy now
2. Meaco 20L Low Energy
Best for energy saving
We like: Cost-effective, but not at the expense of performance
- Compressor
- Extracts up to 20l per day
- HEPA filter
- Noise level 46dB
- Draws 219W (approx 11p per hour of use)
- Two year guarantee
Using only 219 watts of electricity per hour (at an estimated cost of 11p per hour, based on the current average rate of 52p per kWh), the Meaco 20L offers the lowest energy consumption of any dehumidifier in its class. This model is designed for larger homes or small business premises.
“We all want to save energy at the moment – and that’s where the Meaco 20L Low Energy comes into its own,” adds Kandola. It uses a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter which will remove 99 percent of dust mites, pollen or other allergens, making a cleaner and healthier atmosphere in your home.
Additional features include 'Laundry Mode' for drying indoors, a safety cut-out and a child lock. The maximum 20l per day extraction rate is for hot and humid conditions. In a cooler room, expect more like 8l per day.
3. Ebac 3850e 21
Best for drying laundry
We like: A laundry boost function that works (but uses more energy)
- Compressor
- Extracts up to 21l per day
- Noise level 46dB
- Draws 320W (about 17p per hour of use)
- Two year parts and labour warranty
With winter around the corner, the opportunities to dry your washing outdoors will inevitably be limited but if you invest in the right dehumidifier you can still do it quickly and efficiently indoors. The British-made Ebac 3850e 21 has a cost-effective dedicated laundry boost function that helps reduce the drying time of your damp laundry when it’s inside.
“That will be especially useful over the winter months as it means you won't have to keep your heating on as long to dry your clothes, reducing your energy bills in the process,” says Wood.
The 3850e also has an Intelligent Defrost feature which means you will be able to use it at temperatures as low as 3°C, useful for keeping unused rooms mould-free in the winter. Some of the best electric heaters we've reviewed have a similar low-energy, frost-protection function.
4. ProBreeze 500ml mini dehumidifier
Best dehumidifier for small rooms
We like: Compact, quiet and very economic (but low powered)
- Condenses water using thermo-electric cooling
- Extracts up to 250ml per day
- Noise level 33dB
- Draws 23W (approx 1p per hour of use)
If you have a small space that’s prone to damp air, like a kitchen or a bathroom, you need a dehumidifier that’s compact and quiet. Standing 22cm high and weighing little more than a bag of sugar, unlike some dehumidifiers The ProBreeze is easy to move around and won’t stand out like a sore thumb once it’s in place.
“The Pro Breeze is great if you’ve got a smaller space and you want something that doesn’t cost a lot to run,” says Kandola. “It’s probably about a penny an hour.”
Rather than being a compressor or a desiccant, the ProBreeze instead uses peltier technology, similar to that used in some mini fridges, to cool water vapour into water. It’s much quieter than the other methods.
It’s worth noting, though, that its maximum extraction of 250ml is one hundred times less than the Honeywell 24l and it works best above 15C (so no good for very cold rooms in winter). But for small, specific jobs this could be the best choice.
5. Meaco DD8LJ
Best desiccant dehumidifier
We like: Powerful, but with energy-saving smarts
- Desiccant
- Extracts up to 8l per day
- Noise level 39-48dB depending on running mode
- Draws 30W/330W/650W dependent on mode (approx 2p/17p/34p per hour of use)
- Three year warranty
The beauty of a desiccant dehumidifier is not only that they are typically quieter than compressor models, but they are ideal for smaller, unheated areas such as conservatories, campervans, garages, boats and cellars. They’re also fantastically efficient.
“If you are worried about high running costs, then the Meaco is one for you,” says Chris Wood. “It has a unique control logic system that can reduce your energy consumption by up to 80 percent compared to traditional dehumidifiers.”
With its intelligent control logic system, the Meaco DD8LJ will turn itself off when the target humidity is reached before turning the fan on 30 minutes later and sampling the air again. If the humidity has increased, it will turn itself on once more but if it’s maintained the target it will go back to sleep again for another half an hour.
This one does not have an air filtration function, so families with allergies will be better off with one of the other dehumidifiers.
Also available at
6. Midea Cube
Best smart dehumidifier
We like: Clever collapsible form allows much greater capacity
- Compressor
- Extracts up to 20l per day
- Noise level 42dB
- Draws 214W (approx 11p per hour of use)
- Smart technology
Perhaps the best-looking dehumidifier on our list, the Midea Cube is only a foot tall when collapsed for storage but extends upwards in use to hold 11 litres of water. That’s about three times more than traditional dehumidifiers and means you need to empty it less often. Another option is to just use the top half and run its hose into a sink or drain so that you never have to empty it at all.
What further sets the Midea Cube apart is that it is smartphone compatible, meaning you can not only control it from your mobile (or smart devices like Alexa or Google) but can also enjoy real-time monitoring of the humidity status and alerts when the water tank is full. “This is so versatile, it’s amazing,” says Ryan Kandola. “We like the lift and twist design too. It’s very clever.”
FAQ
What does a dehumidifier do?
It varies slightly between ‘compressor’ and ‘desiccant’ models, Ryan Kandola, a dehumidifier expert from Aircon Centre, explains. “Compressor dehumidifiers are almost like a mini-fridge that cools the air and converts it into water that you can pour away,” he says, “whereas desiccants take the air and run it over a rotating flywheel which absorbs the moisture, before heating it so the wheel doesn’t get saturated.”
While compressors are generally efficient at room temperature they can’t handle the winter cold so well and if the temperature drops below three or four centigrade, they will tend to stop working. That’s not the case with desiccants, although they can be more expensive to run.
Whatever the shape, size or model, dehumidifiers all serve the same purpose. By removing the vapour from the air, they help to create a cleaner, healthier environment; they’ll even help you dry your laundry more quickly too, especially in the winter.
How to use a dehumidifier
Most dehumidifiers are very easy to use. Essentially, it’s just a matter of setting the required moisture level and the unit will do the rest. All you will need to do is empty the water tank.
Where you place the dehumidifier is a different matter, as Chris Wood, also from Aircon Centre, explains. “If there’s a specific problem in a room, the dehumidifier should be kept in there, preferably with doors and windows closed,” he says. “If it is to be used to control the moisture for the whole house, however, then it should be located centrally, on a landing or in the hallway, and the air from the rooms should be able to flow towards the units. So keep the doors open and the windows shut.”
For a bathroom, you should position the dehumidifier just outside the bathroom door and ensure the door is left open so the unit can draw the moist air towards it. If you’re drying clothes, just place the dehumidifier in the room, making sure the door and windows are all closed.
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