The 10 best dehumidifiers

If you’re serious about dehumidifying your home, you want to get your hands on a Meaco 25L Ultra Low Energy machine. It’s a bit big – think wheely suitcase crossed with a kitchen bin – but it will change your life. Not only does it use less energy per litre than any other dehumidifier currently on the market, but it can sap enough moisture to dry a five-bed house, or a particularly damp basement, or a rack of freshly laundered clothes. Then, once full, it simply switches off until you’re ready to empty its impressive 25l tank.

Never heard of Ebac? Allow us to introduce you. This homegrown company has been making dehumidifiers since founder John Elliott hand-built the first 16 in his shed 50 years ago. Now they’re an international corporation working out of a factory in County Durham. They’ve worked with TFL, Eurostar, the MOD and loads of big brands you’d know. If you’re still unsure, they offer a persuasive seven-day free trial. We’d suggest checking out the 2650e: it purifies and dehumidifies, offers permanent drainage, is low on energy and quiet. Plus, it comes with Smart Control, which means it’ll predict conditions and adjust settings to prevent them occurring.

Whether you’re in a caravan, narrowboat or a cupboard, this little Pro Breeze 1.5L will wick away any unwanted moisture. Given its diminutive stature, it’s especially good for small spaces as it can fit on tabletops or in awkward gaps, removing up to half a litre of humidity a day. Once the tank is full it’ll switch itself off until you can empty it, which is done via the removable tank that rather handily has a cover, so you can avoid any spillages. It’s not the most attractive out there, somewhat resembling a plastic fan heater, but for £60 you’re getting a bargain with this diddy dehumidifier.

Most dehumidifiers have this incredibly industrial look to them. You know they’re a utilitarian product because they’re essentially all big white plastic boxes. Not the De’Longhi DEX2 16L. This dehumidifier is sleek and navy blue. Oooh. But it’s no surprise really, coming from the company that’s known for making sexy kitchen appliances. Our one gripe is that there aren’t wheels and lifting it could be cumbersome. But what it lacks in castors it more than makes up for in functions: double-action filtration that hypoallergenic, anti-freeze for colder climates, clothes drying and night-time modes, plus a hose attachment for continuous drainage.

Like the Pro Breeze, this Duronic DH05 Mini is designed to tackle humidity in small spaces or specific areas within one room, but it costs almost half the price at £35. That said, you get what you pay for. It only has a half-litre tank, so you’ll be emptying that regularly if you task it with any particularly moist areas, and the fan isn’t entirely unnoticeable, so don’t buy it for a bedroom. However, if you’re not fazed by any of that, what you’ll get with this Duronic is a nice looking, simple to use, no frills dehumidifier.

What initially struck us about the EcoAir Summit-S, is the design. With rounded corners and controls on the front in a neat, minimalist touch-panel, it stands out against the competition. Another great feature is that it comes with a one-meter hose for continuous drainage, so even though it’s fairly lightweight, it can be used for the odd big job. Castors make for easy manoeuvrability and it has a laundry mode, child lock, timer and a sleep mode. The power button changes colour depending on humidity levels (green is optimal), it can collect up to 12l/day and the filter is washable.

The big ol’ glowing ring on the front of the ElectriQ 20L Low Energy dehumidifier is a polarising feature. Luckily, ElectriQ considered this and made a button to turn it off, so whether you love or hate the humidity indicator, which uses a traffic light system to show you if levels are bad (red), moderate (orange) or good (green), it shouldn’t affect your view on the rest of the machine’s benefits. Like the air purifier function with UV sterilisation, or the 24/7 timer, or the large tank that can manage up to 20 litres per day. The built-in handle and castors also come in handy.

The unsuspecting MeacoDry ABC 12L would make a great addition to any home, but especially a flat, as it’s the quietest in the Meaco range, so it won’t disturb your sleep, let alone the neighbours. There’s a convenient built-in timer anyway, so you can have it running (or not running) when you want, even if you’re not in. This compact dehumidifier also comes with a child lock, laundry drying function and the option to add castors (although it’s pretty lightweight at only 11kg). Plus, it’s super efficient, using less than 3p per hour, and comes in a choice of five different coloured tops.

Alright, we admit it, we picked this because it puts on a light show. That’s not to say the Ughey Mini doesn’t dehumidify, but it’s not powerful. The perfect place for this would be on a desk in a small office, where it can work away in the background, but you can appreciate the multicoloured lights beaming from the water tank (these can also be set to one hue or turned off altogether). It’s pretty convenient too, weighing less than a bag of sugar and about the size of a small lamp or plant, plus it glows red and automatically turns off when the tank is full.

How something that can fit in the palm of your hand could dehumidify a wardrobe, we’ve no idea, but that’s exactly what the Pro Breeze Cordless claims to do. Instead of a fan and a filter, this mini machine uses non-toxic silica gel to absorb any moisture that’s causing damp in your cupboards, car or even your gym bag. Once the gels have sucked up as much wetness as they can they turn from orange to green and are ready for a recharge. Simply plug it into the mains until the gels turn back to orange and it’s good to go again.