The best dehumidifiers

Compact, quiet and simple to live with: it shows the room’s humidity, switches itself off when the air is dry enough, and has a laundry mode for wet days.

• 12 litres a day (compressor)
• Humidity sensor and display
• Laundry drying mode
• Sleep mode and 24-hour timer
• Under 38dB

What owners say: Owners say it keeps windows bone dry and dries a load of washing in a few hours, and that it’s quiet and easy to move between rooms.

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A closer look: Close the door and windows of the room it’s working in, or it spends its effort drying the whole street. For washing, stand it near the airer on laundry mode with the door shut. The 1.8-litre tank fills quickly in a damp house, so expect to empty it daily at first.

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Twenty litres a day for a larger or damper house, on castors so it rolls from room to room, with an app and voice control.

• 20 litres a day (compressor)
• Wi-Fi app, Alexa and Google
• Laundry drying mode
• Castors, for rooms up to 30m²
• Under 38dB

What owners say: Owners report humidity falling from the 80s to around 55% in a couple of hours and big loads of towels drying in an afternoon, and find it easy to wheel about.

Heads up: The full tank is awkward to empty without spilling, and some find it louder than advertised.

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A closer look: A drain hose comes in the box, so in a utility room or beside a sink it can run continuously without emptying the tank. The app shows the humidity from another room, handy for keeping a bedroom or loft in check. Worth the extra over the 12-litre model only if the house is large or the damp is serious.

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Meaco started in Surrey in 1991 making humidity monitors for museums and galleries. This desiccant model keeps working in cold spaces where compressor dehumidifiers struggle.

• 8 litres a day (desiccant)
• Suited to rooms below 10°C
• Humidity settings of 40, 50 and 60%
• Laundry mode
• 39dB

What owners say: Owners say condensation disappears after the first day and washing dries quickly, and that it warms a cold room a little as it works.

Heads up: Some owners find it a little noisy.

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A closer look: Desiccant models give off gentle warmth, which makes this a good fit for a conservatory, garage or cold back bedroom in winter. It’s light enough to carry between rooms. In a warm, well-heated house a compressor model like the Pro Breeze is usually the cheaper one to run.

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A 12-litre compressor model rated at 36dB flat out, and it keeps working in rooms down to 5°C.

• 12 litres a day (compressor)
• Works down to 5°C
• Laundry drying mode
• Dust filter
• 36dB at full speed

What owners say: Owners say it brings humidity below 50% quickly, runs almost silently and rolls easily on its wheels.

Heads up: A few owners find the water tank fiddly to remove.

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A closer look: At 36dB it’s one to consider for a bedroom where it will run overnight. Rinse the dust filter every few weeks so it keeps pulling air through well. The wheels make it easy to move to wherever the washing is drying.

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A little dehumidifier for one damp spot: a wardrobe corner, a small bathroom or a campervan.

• Up to 400ml a day
• 1.2-litre tank with auto shut-off
• Under 35dB
• Colour night light (switchable)
• For 5–30m²

What owners say: Owners find it compact enough for a windowsill and cheap to run, though views on how much water it collects are mixed.

Heads up: It’s for small spaces: in a whole damp room it collects far less than a compressor model.

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A closer look: Put it where the damp actually is, like inside a large wardrobe or by the window that streams each morning, rather than in the middle of a room. It switches off and flashes red when the tank is full. Not a fix for a whole-house damp problem.

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