Dehumidifiers are an excellent way to keep moisture in check whether you have an issue in a crawl space, closet or throughout your entire home. While there are systems that can sit on a nightstand and heavy-duty systems in the industrial class, choosing a dehumidifier is an important decision. This this guide, we will help you find the best dehumidifier for your needs, and we’ve compiled a quick list featuring the best options for residential use.
The Best Dehumidifier Reviews
To find the best dehumidifier, our team of experts cast a wide net. We looked at well over 100 systems in the course of our research, and instead of focusing on the age of a system, we looked at how well it performed. That means features took a bit of a backseat in these dehumidifier reviews, as we concentrated on reputable brands and systems that are built to deliver where it counts while outlasting the competition.
#1 LG PuriCare 50-pint Dehumidifier UD50KOG5
The Best 50-pint Dehumidifier
LG manufactures well over a dozen types of air conditioners, but their lineup of indoor air quality products pales in comparison to other collections from other major brands. While they only have two dehumidifiers, the LG PuriCare UD501KOG5 is the best system for homeowners that need a high-capacity portable dehumidifier.
From the first time we set eyes on the LG PuriCare Dehumidifier, we knew it was different. It has a clean, modern design that stands out from similar systems, and the outer chassis is made from metal, not plastic. It’s arguably the best-looking dehumidifier on our list, and quite capable as well. The LG UD501KOG5 is rated to remove 50 pints per day by the new DOE standards, and has two speeds with a max CFM of 194 on high.
Homeowners found this system quiet, although it’s not as silent as a desiccant-based system. The water bucket loads from the side, not the front, and it can hold up to 13.3 pints of water. The bucket has a handle and is easy to manage, even when full. Continuous drainage is an option as well. Standard features include a 12-hour timer, auto restart, and auto shut-off along with alerts for the water bucket and washable filter.
LG kept safety in mind with the UD50KOG5, so it will turn itself off after 23 hours of usage to prevent overheating. The metal chassis won’t melt it catch fire like plastic dehumidifiers, but it’s also safe on the inside. The company utilized multiple layers of glass and silicone on certain parts, which increases thermal resistance as well.
The LG UD50KOG5 is an attractive machine with a nice price point, which homeowners found extremely easy to use. The side-loading bucket is a unique touch, it has plenty of power, and the build quality is top-notch. If you like this system but need a dehumidifier with an internal pump, the LG PuriCare UD501KOJ5 is an excellent alternative.
- Pros: Sturdy, but sleek metal housing with a side-loading bucket and additional safety features. High capacity dehumidifier rated at 50 PPD.
- Cons: Nothing significant.
#2 Ivation Small Area Desiccant Dehumidifier
The Best Desiccant Dehumidifier
With close to 20 dehumidifiers, Ivation has one of the larger selections of dehumidifiers on the market, including both compressor and desiccant machines built for residential use. Our top pick from the company is one of the larger systems in the desiccant class with the Ivation IVADDH09 small area dehumidifier.
One of the advantages of desiccant dehumidifiers is the fact they work in a wide range of temperatures. With a rating of 33° to 104°F, the IVADDH09 can run all year long. That includes the colder months when you’ll be thankful for the drying vent on this system. The blower is adjustable, so you can tilt it to dry laundry or heat up a small room.
This dehumidifier only has two speeds with normal and turbo mode but is powerful enough to cover rooms up to 410 square feet. The humidistat is adjustable in 5-degree increments up to 85%. Other features on the Ivation IVADDH09 include a 12- hour timer, sleep mode, a 3.8-pint bucket, and a port in the back for continuous drainage.
The dehumidifier reviews for this system are overwhelmingly positive. The design of this system makes it easy to use, and consumers loved the adjustable drying vent, which puts off a considerable amount of heat. There aren’t any drawbacks in terms of performance, although there were some complaints with quality control on what appears to be a handful of units.
- Pros: Adjustable blower vent, sleep mode, and a wide operating range. Easy to use with a large dimmable LCD display.
- Cons: Random quality control issues.
#3 Danby 40-Pint Energy Star Dehumidifier
The Best Budget-Friendly Dehumidifier
The cost of a dehumidifier largely comes down to the features found on the system and capacity. The more moisture it can remove, the higher the price tag, which makes budget-friendly dehumidifiers a popular area. If you are looking to save a few bucks, but still need a large system, the Danby DDR40BJWDB is an excellent choice.
Rated at 40 pints per day by current standards, this dehumidifier is geared for rooms between 1,000 to 3,000 square feet. This system is Energy Star certified like all the best dehumidifiers and is designed with a front-loading bucket. It can hold up to 12.7 pints of water before it needs to be dumped but has an auto shut-off feature that ensures it won’t overflow.
All the standard features found on our other systems are present on this Danby dehumidifier. That means you’ll get two speeds, a couple of notification lights, and an automatic defrosting feature that kicks in at 41°F. The timer is longer than average, at 24 hours, and it has a Smart Mode as well. This feature takes the ambient temperature in a room into account while adjusting the fan accordingly.
This isn’t the fanciest system on the market, but it will look good in any home and can handle medium to large areas with ease. A larger water bucket would have been nice, but you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck from the Danby DDR40BJWDB. This dehumidifier is backed by a 2-year warranty from Danby.
- Pros: Affordable dehumidifier with Smart mode and a 24-hour timer. Reliable brand with a 2-year guarantee.
- Cons: Small water bucket.
#4 Aprilaire 1870 XL Whole Home Pro Dehumidifier
The Best Whole House Dehumidifier
When you need to address a moisture issue throughout your entire home, a portable system just won’t cut it. The best choice for areas over 2,000 square feet is typically a whole-house dehumidifier. Well, the Aprilaire 1870 can certainly handle that while removing over 100 pints of moisture from your home each day.
This system is built to handle high humidity levels in larger homes between 2,500 and 7,400 square feet. The ductable system works alongside your HVAC unit and provides homeowners with several installation options. The supply duct can be installed in two different places, the unit can be hung, and you have an option for fresh air ventilation as well. Even the control panel can be mounted in different positions depending on your needs.
As for the tech specs, the Aprilaire 1870 is a single-speed system that is relatively quiet with an airflow rating of 310 CFM. It has an auto-defrost and auto-restart features and is continuous drain capable although there is no holding tank which is common for this class. This dehumidifier has corrosion-resistant aluminum coils, a heavy-duty washable Merv-8 filter, and tips the scales at around 113 pounds.
Whole-house dehumidifiers aren’t cheap, but the Aprilaire 1870 is one of the more affordable systems for its size. There is a variant of this dehumidifier that has castor wheels instead of leveling feet, although we prefer feet for permanent installations. This system is made in the United States and comes with a 5-year guarantee.
- Pros: Covers areas up to 7,200 square feet with a variety of installation options. Built to last with corrosion-resistant coils and a 5-year warranty.
- Cons: It’s not cheap, and more of an investment.
Related Article: Aprilaire Dehumidifier Reviews and Buying Guide
#5 Ivation Small Area Compressor Dehumidifier
The Best Dehumidifier for Small Areas
Sometimes good things come in small packages. That means you don’t necessarily need the biggest dehumidifier to clear up moisture in a small area – you just need an effective machine. One of the best small area dehumidifiers comes from Ivation with the 11-pint IVA20PDEHU.
At around 10” wide and 10” deep, this dehumidifier is compact. It’s taller than other small systems but narrow with a streamlined design that’s easy on the eyes. That includes a large touch-based control panel on the top and two washable filters. The system also has a drain port in the back for continuous usage and definitely won’t break your back at only 22 pounds.
Ivation installed a little something extra under the hood of this system so that it can filter the air to a degree. The IVA20PDEHU has a built-in ionizer which can be run with the dehumidifier or separately, but also has a small UV light. In addition to those features, you’ll get a 24-hour timer, auto shut-off, and a 3.5-pint bucket on this system.
The Ivation IVA20PDEHU impressed us with its design and is one of a handful of systems this small that has positive dehumidifier reviews from consumers on multiple sites. The fact it has a built-in UV filter and ionizer is a bonus, and homeowners felt it was quiet enough to be used in bedrooms as well. There were some complaints in regards to the placement of the UV light, but not enough to warrant any real concern.
- Pros: Quiet and efficient system with a compact design and two speeds. Built-in ionizer and UV-C light.
- Cons: Nothing significant.
#6 Santa Fe Advance 100 Dehumidifier
The Best Dehumidifier for Basements and Crawl Spaces
Basements and crawl spaces are one of the main areas where moisture and humidity can cause issues in homes. While there are a number of suitable systems that can fit in those cramped areas, our favorite is the Sante Fe Advance 100 dehumidifier.
While larger than similar systems, this high-capacity dehumidifier can still be ducted vertically or horizontally. It can also be hung with a separate kit, despite its 80-pound weight. Santa Fe has this machine rated at 100 pints per day by the 2012 testing standards, but it’s suitable for crawl spaces and basements up to 3,700 square feet.
This Energy Star certified machine has two speeds with a rating of 325 CFM on high and has a Merv-13 filter. Auto-restart is included, and the system will defrost if temperatures drop below 41°F. The biggest feature is an unexpected one, however, as the Advance 100 is also the companies first connected system. You can sync up with the Santa Fe app to remotely control your unit or even check the temperature outside.
If you require a dehumidifier that can deal with moisture under your home, it’s hard to go wrong with a system from Santa Fe. The Advance 100 dehumidifier is expensive, but unique considering it has Wi-Fi is ductable and built to outlast similar units in this class. Add-ons like condensate pumps and drain pans are options for this model as well.
- Pros: Well-built machine with digital controls, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a 6-year guarantee. Ductable vertically or horizontally
- Cons: Cold weather operating range isn’t as low as other systems geared towards crawl spaces.
Dehumidifier Buying Guide
With over a dozen major dehumidifier manufacturers and hundreds of models to choose from, to say it’s tough to choose a dehumidifier would be a bit of an understatement. We often see companies roll out yearly refreshes of their product lines as well, which means the market is flooded with models, both old and new. With that in mind, here are the areas you should focus on when you want to narrow the field.
How bad is your humidity problem?
Before you think about sizes, styles, or features you’d like to find on a dehumidifier, it’s a good idea to consider the problem at hand. Humidity can strike in your home in a variety of ways from a steamy bathroom without a vent to issues in below-grade rooms.
You could have an issue in a small closet or a crawl space, whereas other homeowners may have a larger issue that requires a whole house system. Regardless of how bad the problem is, you may need to address the cause of the problem before purchasing a dehumidifier.
These systems are ideal for removing moisture, but can’t work miracles if you experience seasonal flooding or have poor ventilation indoors. If you have a serious humidity issue in your home, you may want to have a professional take a look before settling on a system.
Types of Dehumidifiers
When looking for the best dehumidifier, most of the systems you’ll come across have a compressor. While they will definitely get the job done and are incredibly popular, there is more than one type of dehumidifier. Below we are going to touch on the most common types of dehumidifiers found in residential settings.
- Compressor Dehumidifiers – A compressor-based dehumidifier works in a similar fashion to a refrigerator or AC unit as it uses refrigerant and has a compressor, fan, and coils. As air is drawn across the coils, moisture is collected in a tank. These units come in a variety of sizes and are best suited for mild to warm weather.
- Desiccant Dehumidifiers – Dehumidifiers in this class don’t have a compressor, but do have fans along with a desiccant rotor or wheel inside which absorbs moisture. Heat is used to recharge the desiccant, which in turn can be used to dry clothing or raise the temperature of a room. These systems use more power than a refrigerant-based dehumidifier but work better at lower temperatures.
- Thermo-electric Dehumidifiers – Often referred to as a Peltier dehumidifier, these systems use the Peltier effect to dehumidify an area. These simple dehumidifiers pull air over a heat sink where it condenses before being collected. They are budget-friendly but limited to smaller sizes for residential use like most desiccant dehumidifiers.
- Whole House Dehumidifiers – When you a dehumidifier that simple, ductable, and can cover several thousand square feet, a whole-house dehumidifier is your best option. These are often compressor-based machines, although there are several desiccant systems in the commercial class as well. Sizes range from 70 to 200 pints per day for these systems.
The only other style of dehumidifier we feel is noteworthy are systems in the commercial class. They can be used in residential settings, but are built to last far longer than a portable unit. Commercial dehumidifiers usually come in larger capacities above 50 PPD but can be a compressor or desiccant-based machine.
Dehumidifier Capacities
While you may think capacity refers to how much moisture a water tank can hold, it’s actually related to dehumidifier sizes. Measured in PPD or pints per day, this specification tells you how much moisture a dehumidifier can remove during a 24-hour period. It is an important number, although a variety of factors in your home can affect how well a system will perform.
Until June of 2019, dehumidifiers were tested using a specific set of standards. Systems were tested at 80°F at 60% relative humidity, but the new standards have dropped the testing temp down to 65°F, which directly affects sizing or capacity.
You can read more about the changes here, but what’s important to remember is that some systems are listed by the old standards, while newer models conform to the Department of Energy’s new standards. That means you’ll see older 90-pint systems sitting alongside 50-pint models, even though both have roughly the same extraction rate.
| Coverage | Pre-2020 Capacity | New Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 400 sq. ft. | 30 pint | 20 pint |
| 600 sq. ft. | 40 pint | 25 pint |
| 800 sq. ft. | 50 pint | 30 pint |
| 1000 sq. ft. | 60 pint | 35 – 40 pints |
| 1200 sq. ft. | 70 pint | 45 – 50 pints |
| 1500 sq. ft. | 90 pint | 55 – 60 pints |
Coverage
After you understand what size system you need, it’s time to think about coverage. Unfortunately, it can be just as confusing as deciphering the new DOE standards because there is often a range or two figures are given with some systems. Coverage is measured in square footage, although some machines under 10 PPD will use cubic feet instead.
Whenever you see a system with a high and low number, the largest one typically refers to the “suggested” room size from the manufacturers while the lower is more in-line with usage in a typical setting. It’s usually the number we suggest using, although most systems in a specific class have a general range.
- Desktop – Any system we refer to as a desktop or personal dehumidifier is small enough to sit on a countertop and usually under 10 pints per day. Coverage is limited with these machines, which are thermo-electric or desiccant systems that range anywhere between 150 to 300 square feet.
- Single Room – You can find small to large dehumidifiers in this class with ratings from 300 to well over 1,000 square feet. They are built for use in living areas and have the best array of features with options like internal pumps and Wi-Fi.
- Basement – A basement or crawl space dehumidifier is on the opposite end of the spectrum from a single room system from a design standpoint. These machines have higher capacities, tougher exteriors, and can handle small to large areas beneath your home.
- Whole House – As the name implies, a whole-house dehumidifier has enough power to handle humidity throughout your entire home. That could be anywhere from 1,200 to over 7,000 square feet as these machines come in a wide variety of sizes. They are comparable to basement dehumidifiers from when it comes to pricing and features, however.
Noise Levels
If you are running a dehumidifier if a basement, the noise level probably won’t be an issue. When the system is in your bedroom or other living areas, you’ll want to take the decibel level into account with dehumidifiers. As not every manufacturer lists those specifications or just gives an “average” number for multiple speeds, you may have to rely on dehumidifier reviews from consumers for opinions as well.
While everyone has a different idea of what they consider loud, this chart will give you an idea of what to expect when it comes to the noise level of a dehumidifier. Placement is definitely critical when you are running a system at night or in a bedroom.
Dehumidifier Features
Features can be a major selling point with any product, but it’s important to not let them before a distraction when searching for the best dehumidifier. That’s because all residential systems have a common set of features. There are only two things we consider flagship features with Wi-Fi and internal pumps.
There are a number of systems that have an internal condensate pump, although most are rated at 40 PPD or larger. Wi-Fi is still somewhat rare, however, as there are less than a dozen models with this feature at this time. Both of those features will raise the cost of a dehumidifier, but you shouldn’t overpay for the following features.
- Auto shut-off – This feature ensures your dehumidifier will shut off before the water bucket gets full, which prevents overflowing. It’s also used to prevent overheating with some machines and protect the unit and the room it’s placed in.
- Timers – Timers on dehumidifiers are common, but not all are created equal. The length can vary between 8 to 24 hours. You also have to consider whether the system allows you to set the timer in smaller increments or hourly blocks.
- Auto-restart – A power outage can cause a variety of issues with tech in your home. That won’t be an issue with dehumidifiers that have an automatic restart feature, as it ensures your dehumidifier will be back up and running in the event of an outage.
- Filtration – Almost every dehumidifier will have some form of filtration, no matter how large or small it is. Washable filters are standard on larger machines, but there are a few dehumidifiers that have additional filtration, including MERV filters and ionizers as well.
- Drainage – Unless you purchase a dehumidifier with a pump, drainage is a feature that should be at the top of your list. That means you need to consider the size of the water bucket and look for a drain port if you prefer continuous drainage.
- Alerts – This is the most common feature found on dehumidifiers aside from auto shut-off and timers. Most dehumidifiers will have a notification light or audible alarm that lets you know when the bucket is full, or the filter needs to be changed.
While we technically don’t consider speeds to be a feature, any system that has more than two speeds is a bonus. There are a number of dehumidifiers with special “modes” as well, but those are generally tied to the speed of a machine.
Dehumidifier Warranties
Unless you plan on picking up a budget-friendly desktop dehumidifier or a desiccant system for a closet, you’ll want to take a long, hard look at the warranty provided by the manufacturer. From single room units geared for use in living areas, you can usually expect 1 – 2 years on average. That’s for both desiccant and compressors-based systems, regardless of the capacity.
The warranty gets better with whole-house dehumidifiers and commercial systems. These machines are often guaranteed for five years or more. You can pick up an extended warranty for almost any type of system, but replacement parts are much easier to find with high capacity dehumidifiers and larger brands regardless of the class.
Faq
Q: What size dehumidifier do I need?
A: Choosing the right size dehumidifier is a critical step when dealing with excess humidity and moisture in a home. These systems are sized from small rooms to units that can handle an entire house, but our sizing guide can help you find the right system for your needs.
Q: How long will it take for my dehumidifier to clear up moisture in a room?
A: It depends if the size of the systems and the conditions if the affected area. During initial use, it may take longer for the system to adjust to the room and operate properly.
Q: Is a Desiccant dehumidifier better than a compressor-based system?
A: For operation in cold weather climates, they are an excellent option, but it all depends on your needs and how large of a system you require for your home.
Q: Are dehumidifiers noisy?
A: On average, you can expect a dehumidifier to come at around 35 to 60 dB on the decibel rating scale. That’s about as loud as a general conversation but considerably quieter than a vacuum cleaner or lawnmower.
Q: Will I be able to find replacement parts for my dehumidifier?
A: Larger brands often have replacement parts available for most of their models, both new and old. Some may not be cost-effective, however, and you may have trouble finding parts from smaller brands.
Q: What’s a bucketless dehumidifier?
A: This is a term used by some manufacturers that refers to dehumidifiers that use continuous drainage instead of relying on a collection bucket.
