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The Best Dehumidifiers Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

The Best Dehumidifiers of 2023

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The Best Dehumidifiers Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

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1
Editor's Choice Product image of LG PuriCare 50 Pint (UD501KOG5)
Best Overall

LG PuriCare 50 Pint (UD501KOG5)

Attractive and with a reservoir that can be uniquely removed from the side, this dehumidifier is tops for its efficiency and performance. Read More

Pros

  • Sleek design
  • Easy to empty
  • Reduces humidity quickly

Cons

  • None that we could find
2
Editor's Choice Product image of Hisense DH7021K1W
Best Value

Hisense DH7021K1W

This energy efficient model has an auto mode, a sleek design, and a low operating temperature. Read More

Pros

  • Efficient
  • Low minimum temperature
  • Easy to empty

Cons

  • Less sturdy than most
3
Editor's Choice Product image of Frigidaire Gallery FGAC5044W1

Frigidaire Gallery FGAC5044W1

A strength is its smart connectivity with iOS and Android and compatibility with Amazon and Google Home. It also has a great front reservoir design. Read More

Pros

  • Easy to empty reservoir
  • Smart connectivity
  • Sturdy filter

Cons

  • Average humidity reduction
4
Product image of Friedrich D50B1A

Friedrich D50B1A

This top performer for humidity reduction flags when it comes to energy consumption. Read More

Pros

  • Fast humidity removal
  • Built-in pump

Cons

  • Energy hungry
5
Product image of Frigidaire FFAD5033W1

Frigidaire FFAD5033W1

Excellent, spill-resistant reservoir, sturdy filter, and robust carrying handle makes it a good value despite lacking smart features. Read More

Pros

  • Easy to empty reservoir
  • Easy to move
  • Sturdy filter

Cons

  • Average humidity reduction

Whether it’s a humid summer or you have a soggy basement, your home can get too damp for comfort. Muggy weather raises humidity above the comfortable range, and damp basements and bathrooms can breed mold or mildew.

We spent days testing dehumidifiers in our lab so you can solve these problems.

A portable dehumidifier dries the air in your home. Most dehumidifiers work in the same way, cooling room air to condense out excess moisture. However, not all are created equal. Through detailed testing, we’ll help you make the best choice for your needs.

If you combine a dehumidifier with an air conditioner or air purifier, you can keep your home cool, dry, and clean, even on the stickiest day.

The LG Puricare 50 Pint (UG501KOG5) (available at Walmart) with its sleek, easy-to-use design, and ability to stop excess moisture in its tracks is our top pick for making your home drier, safer, and more comfortable.

A black dehumidifier sits next to a table and couch with a colorful wall in the background
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

Coming in black, LG's Puricare is a strong contender for the most attractive dehumidifier on the market.

Best Overall
LG Puricare 50 Pint (UG501KOG5)

Capacity: 50 pints

This is a strong contender for the most attractive dehumidifier on the market for two simple reasons. First, it comes in black, rather than the almost compulsory white or beige. Second, the reservoir is removed from the side, giving the front of the dehumidifier a much cleaner and simpler design.

The reservoir also has a strong, comfortable carrying handle. The simple shape means that it’s easy to empty without spills.

Some portable dehumidifiers are surprisingly hard to move. The LG Puricare has deep carrying handles and large, smooth-running castors. So, moving it to where it’s most needed in your home is a snap.

The control panel design also elevates this model above most of the competition. The large display and touch-sensitive buttons are easy to see and use. You probably won’t need to reach for the manual to get this LG up and running.

Most importantly, it doesn’t just look good. During our lab testing, it was one of the top performers at reducing humidity in our test space. Not only that, but it was the most efficient dehumidifier we tested. It uses surprisingly little energy to achieve its impressive performance.

Pros

  • Sleek design

  • Easy to empty

  • Reduces humidity quickly

Cons

  • None that we could find

A person wearing red shorts steps to a white dehumidifier and pushes thee top
Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar

Our Best Value winner, the Hisense is energy efficient at reducing humidity and features a convenient auto mode.

Best Value
Hisense DH7021K1W

Capacity: 50 pints

Despite the low price point, the Hisense is energy efficient at reducing humidity. It features a convenient auto mode, which adjusts the fan level as needed to keep humidity at a comfortable 50%. This saves energy as it keeps the fan speed low once the target humidity is reached.

The Hisense is also better looking than most. Like our Best Overall, the design is sleek and simple. It also comes in black and white options to best fit in with your space.

Of the units we tested, at 38°F, it had the lowest operating temperature. The tolerance for cold makes the Hisense a great choice as a basement dehumidifier.

The Hisense has reservoir removal from the front of the unit. While the reservoir feels a little flimsy, it’s easy to carry and empty without spilling.

Although the build quality is slightly lower than other units, the up-side to this is that it’s relatively lightweight. It weighs in at 36 pounds versus 40-plus pounds for the other units we tested.

The low weight, well-designed carrying handles, and smooth castors make the Hisense easy to move.

Pros

  • Efficient

  • Low minimum temperature

  • Easy to empty

Cons

  • Less sturdy than most

How We Tested Dehumidifiers

We created the most humid conditions possible to challenge each dehumidifier. We measured how well they remove humidity, ease of use, and power consumption.

The Tester

I’m Dave Ellerby, the Chief Scientist at Reviewed. Living in the damp New England climate, I have a lot of experience using dehumidifiers at home. I have a portable dehumidifier in my damp basement, which is powered up all year round.

Here in New England, the late summer can get sticky, and not only the basement but the upstairs living spaces feel damp. Having lugged a dehumidifier up two flights of stairs more than once, I really care about how portable they are!

The Tests

A dehumidifier reservoir sits on a scale to measure the weight of water
Credit: Reviewed / Jonathan Chan

Each dehumidifier ran for two hours at its highest fan setting and set to continuous running mode. After, we measured to see how much water it had collected.

We used multiple humidifiers to create a disgustingly humid environment in a temperature-controlled room. These saturated the room air with water vapor, leaving the dehumidifiers facing a tough performance challenge.

We placed data loggers to record humidity and temperature around the room. Once we’d hit our peak humidity target, we switched on the test dehumidifier.

Each dehumidifier ran for two hours at its highest fan setting and set to continuous running mode. If that wasn’t available, we set the humidistat to the lowest possible relative humidity level.

Using these conditions and settings lets us test the maximum performance for each model. We used our humidity data to calculate how quickly each dehumidifier reduced the humidity in the room.

We also monitored power use. All the dehumidifiers tested are Energy Star rated, but our harsh tests told us the maximum power consumption under the worst possible conditions.

video of a person pushing a button on a dehumidifier
Credit: Reviewed / Jonathan Chan

Testing dehumidifiers in our testing labs is more than just pushing buttons—although it's a start!

The performance numbers are important, but a fast-drying humidifier isn’t much use if it’s impossible to use.

Each model was assessed for how easy it was to use the controls. Portable dehumidifiers should also live up to their name and be easy to move!

The water condensed out of the air collects in a reservoir at the bottom of the dehumidifier. Most of the models we tested didn’t have a built-in pump to automatically remove the water. Unless you have a floor drain, no pump means you’ll need to empty the water reservoir yourself. Having an easy-to-remove, carry, and empty reservoir was a major part of our usability testing.

What To Know About Buying Dehumidifiers

How Does a Dehumidifier Work?

First, the physics: The warmer air is, the more moisture it holds. That’s why humidity is more noticeable in the summer. During chilly weather, the air holds less moisture and feels much drier. Dehumidifiers make use of this cooling effect to reduce air humidity.

A dehumidifier is like an air conditioner. It has a cooling compressor linked to cooling coils. A fan pulls air across these, cooling it down, and condensing out some of the water it contains. This drips down into a collection reservoir.

The key difference to an air conditioner is that the air is rewarmed before it gets returned to the room. So, moist air goes in, and drier air comes out at about the same temperature as it started.

Compressors and fans aren’t silent, so expect a noise level similar to an AC unit or refrigerator.

What Size Dehumidifier Do I Need?

Dehumidifiers are rated by how many pints of water they can remove in 24 hours. We tested 50-pint models, which are close to the upper end of the size range. For large spaces or very damp areas, you’ll need a higher capacity model.

It’s difficult to exactly match pint capacity exactly to your square footage. In the real world, dehumidifying needs can vary throughout the year.

High-performance units take up more space, but we recommend going for a larger model. Larger dehumidifiers give you extra capacity to cope with emergencies like leaks or spills that temporarily make your home more humid.

If you routinely move the units between rooms, particularly between floors, then you may want to go for several smaller units. A 20 pint unit would work well for most small rooms.

How Do You Empty A Dehumidifier?

All dehumidifiers can run in a stand-alone mode where all the water is collected in the reservoir. This means regularly carrying the reservoir to the nearest drain or sink and pouring it out.

If you need to run your humidifier this way, note how easy it is to empty the reservoir by hand.

Most models also include a drain opening that can connect to a hose. When the reservoir is full, any extra water collected runs down the hose. This avoids the hassle of reservoir emptying. It’s only possible if you have a floor drain or a place for the hose to discharge.

Models with a pump are the most versatile. The pump gives you flexible emptying options as it moves the water to a drain point above the dehumidifier.

For example, it can drain into a bathroom sink, out a window, or into your washing machine drain stack. This saves on reservoir carrying and gives you more placement options but adds significantly to the cost.

Summer Humidity Vs. Cold Basements

There are two main situations where we fire up a dehumidifier.

First, is during the sticky summer months to cope with warm, water-saturated air. Second is in cool, damp basements.

Because humidity is removed by cooling the air, dehumidifiers work best when it is warm. All the dehumidifiers we tested have minimum operating temperatures of around 40°F. This means they’ll work just fine in most basements. If you have an unconditioned space that gets colder than 40°F, compressor-based dehumidifiers won’t work for you.

Desiccant dehumidifiers are the best choice for cold areas as they’re not temperature limited.

Cleaning A Dehumidifier

A person slides a filter into a dehumidifier
Credit: Reviewed / Jonathan Chan

Pull out the filter on your dehumidifier and vacuum or rinse it off every few weeks.

For effective cooling and humidity removal, the heat exchanger needs to be clean. If it gets dusty it won’t cool the air effectively to reduce the humidity. Dehumidifiers have filters to trap dirt before it hits the cooling coils.

Over time these filters get clogged and restrict airflow. Some can be vacuumed clean, and others are washable. Pull out the filter and vacuum or rinse it off every few weeks.

Dust can also get past the filter onto the cooling coils. To remove this, gently run a vacuum nozzle over the coils when you clean the filter.

The damp reservoir can also be a home for mold or bacteria. A gentle wash with dish detergent will take care of that.

The good news is that if you take these simple steps and keep the dehumidifier clean, it will run more efficiently. Also, because there’ll be less stress placed on the components it should last longer.

What Is A Comfortable Humidity Range?

For a typical room temperature of 68°F to 70°F a relative humidity of 30% to 50% is considered comfortable. Some dehumidifiers have a comfort setting that automatically keeps humidity in this range.

Do Air Conditioners Dehumidify?

An A/C system, whether it’s a whole-house system, window air conditioner, or portable air conditioner, will remove some humidity.

Air conditioners have a drain or reservoir to remove or collect condensed water. So, if you have air conditioning it might reduce your need for a dehumidifier. However, keep in mind that drying your air isn’t the main function of an A/C unit.

If your living space is damp and humid, even if you have air conditioning, you’ll likely need an additional dehumidifier.

What Is The Cost Of Running A Dehumidifier?

Running costs vary widely depending on the amount of humidity your dehumidifier is dealing with. In our tests, we challenged the units with an extremely high humidity environment and ran them at their maximum fan settings. This should give a top-end estimate for energy use.

Energy efficiency ratings are based on how much water a dehumidifier removes using 1 kWh of electricity. The most efficient portable dehumidifiers remove close to 2 liters of water per kWh.

Any dehumidifier with a score above 1.8 qualifies for an Energy Star rating. All the dehumidifiers we tested are Energy Star products.

An Energy Star dehumidifier running 24/7 could use about 300 kWh per month, this compares to 30 to 50 kWh per month for a refrigerator.

Basically, dehumidifiers can eat up a lot of energy and significantly raise your electricity bill.

Remember though, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be running your dehumidifier continuously at full capacity. Once humidity hits a comfortable level, the unit will only turn on when needed.


Other Dehumidifiers We Tested

Product image of Friedrich D50B1A
Friedrich D50B1A

Capacity: 50 pints

For straight humidity reduction, this is a top performer.

The high performance came at a cost though. Despite being Energy Star certified, under our test conditions the D50B1AA was less energy efficient than others at removing moisture.

In addition to solid drying performance, the D50B1AA was the only dehumidifier we tested with a built-in pump. This gives you more options for emptying the water. If you can run a tube to a drain or window, it avoids removing and emptying the water bucket.

The wheels and the large handholds also make the D50B1AA a cinch to move.

Pros

  • Fast humidity removal

  • Built-in pump

Cons

  • Energy hungry

Product image of Frigidaire FFAD5033W1
Frigidaire FFAD5033W1

Capacity: 50 pints

The FFAD5033W1 has much in common with the Frigidaire Gallery we tested.

The excellent, spill-resistant reservoir, sturdy filter, and robust carrying handle are almost identical. Its dehumidifying performance is also very similar, so the internal design is likely similar to its smart cousin.

If you don’t need smart features but want a thoughtfully designed dehumidifier with solid performance, this is a good choice.

Pros

  • Easy to empty reservoir

  • Easy to move

  • Sturdy filter

Cons

  • Average humidity reduction

Product image of Midea EasyDry MAD50C1AWS
Midea EasyDry MAD50C1AWS

Capacity: 50 pints

The MAD50C1AWS is one of the most energy-efficient dehumidifiers under our test conditions. The comfort mode automatically keeps humidity within a comfortable range, so once it’s up and running there’s little need to adjust the settings.

Reservoir emptying was a little tricky. It took practice to slide the reservoir in and out smoothly. The shape also made emptying difficult. There was no cover, and no obvious place to pour the water from to minimize spills.

The castors are large and run smoothly. Unfortunately, the carrying handles are near the front of the unit, so it tips when you lift it. Carrying the unit may be a problem for you.

Pros

  • Comfort mode

  • Energy efficient

Cons

  • Awkward reservoir

  • Difficult to lift

Product image of Honeywell TP50AWKN
Honeywell TP50AWKN

Capacity: 50 pints

There’s a lot to like about the Honeywell TP50AWKN. It has smart connectivity, it performs well at reducing humidity, and a well-designed carrying handle makes it easy to move.

The TP50AWKN was pushed down the ranking by the awkward reservoir. It was a challenge to take it out smoothly once it was full. The shape also made it difficult to pour out the water without spills.

If you were running in continuous draining mode or had the model with a pump this would be a solid choice, but it’s held back by the reservoir design.

Pros

  • Smart connectivity

  • Easy to lift

  • Effective humidity reduction

Cons

  • Awkward reservoir emptying

Product image of Black & Decker BDT50WTB
Black & Decker BDT50WTB

Capacity: 50 pints

This dehumidifier has an excellent reservoir design that slides in and out smoothly. The carrying handle is sturdy and comfortably contoured, and a lid with an opening for pouring avoids spills during emptying.

The castors are larger than in the other brands we tested, so it rolls easily. The lifting handles are a challenge though. They are recessed and shallow, and they are placed at the back of the unit. This makes it hard to get a good grip when lifting.

Despite the design pluses when it comes to emptying, the slow humidity reduction under our test conditions was a concern.

Pros

  • Easy to move on castors

  • Easy to empty reservoir

Cons

  • Slow humidity reduction

  • Hard to lift

Product image of HomeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier (HME020031N)
HomeLabs 50 Pint Dehumidifier (HME020031N)

Capacity: 50 pints

Simple controls are a major plus for the HME020031N. The comfort setting automatically keeps humidity around 50%, so the Homelabs dehumidifier is easy to set and forget.

Under our challenging test conditions, it was slow at reducing humidity. Like a number of other brands, there were problems with the reservoir design. The lack of a lid and awkward shape meant that emptying the reservoir was a tricky task.

If you had a floor drain and wanted a simple to control dehumidifier you could set and forget, this would be a good choice, particularly if you only have to cope with moderate humidity levels.

Pros

  • Comfort setting

Cons

  • Awkward reservoir

  • Slow humidity reduction

Meet the tester

David Ellerby

David Ellerby

Chief Scientist

Dave Ellerby is Reviewed's Chief Scientist and has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds and a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester. He has over 25 years of experience designing tests and analyzing data.

See all of David Ellerby's reviews

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