IN THE UK, mould and dampness are a problem for many homeowners, so we reviewed the best dehumidifiers in the UK so you can keep your home clean, healthy and odour-free.
Whether it’s excess condensation on windows or creeping mould on the walls, it can give you an unsettling feeling that something is invading your home, and you’re powerless to stop it.
However, you can often win the battle by installing a powerful dehumidifier in the room that’s being affected, so we've decided to bring together the best dehumidifiers that we've tried and tested to help you better protect your home from mould and dampness.
At a time we’re all hyper-conscious of household budgets, the last thing you need is another machine in your house draining power and pushing up energy bills.
Every dehumidifier comes with a headline extraction rate (in litres) detailing exactly how much water it can pull from the atmosphere in any 24-hour period, so we tested a cross-section, looking for appliances that worked quickly and efficiently, so they could be running for as little time as possible, but still have a big impact on the problem.
Ultimately, running costs are more important than the upfront cost of the machine itself because using an energy-hungry device can put a serious dent in your wallet, and cheaper machines can end up costing hundreds more over time, which is why choosing the right machine from the get-go is so important.
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With this in mind, we donned our lab coats and clipboards, and like the work colleague who’s rarely found chatting in the break room but is always scoring employee of the month, we were looking for quiet efficiency.
How we tested
Most models will be fitted with an internal humidistat, which allows the unit to track moisture levels and fine-tune the operating performance accordingly, so we set each appliance running in a property suffering from dampness to see just how quickly it could fill up the tank and get to a target humidity level of 55% and keep it there.
Our testing also included a room full of washing on an indoor airer, fresh from the machine. More and more people are using their dehumidifiers as a cheaper alternative to tumble drying these days, and most models these days will come with an energy-saving Laundry mode, which will monitor the air and adjust the power based on the relative humidity.
This is just another way to test the efficiency of each appliance.
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Also on our clipboard criteria list were the portability, usability and operating noise levels of each appliance, as these are machines that you have to live with comfortably.
Best dehumidifiers at a glance:
- Best dehumidifier for drying clothes: Princess 10L Dehumidifier
- Best value dehumidifier: Black + Decker BXEH60004GB
- Best dehumidifier for mould: DUUX Bora Smart Dehumidifier
- Best cheap dehumidifier: Daewoo COL1382 2L
- Best dehumidifier for damp weather: MeacoDry Arete One 12L Dehumidifier
- Best dehumidifier for home: Honeywell TPBIG33L
Princess 10L Dehumidifier
- Princess 10L Dehumidifier, £160 at Argos – buy here
Pros: Excellent clothes dryer, easy to roll around different rooms
Cons: Very noisy, awkward water tank
This compressor offered a very useful level of extraction (10L), without costing the earth to run, with 205W of power usage and we found that it was very efficient in operation, particularly when drying clothes as there is a manual vent on top of the machine which you can use to direct the airflow towards your laundry to speed up drying time.
The humidistat was accurate, and there was good portability as the whole unit rolls well on carpet or hard flooring on quality castors, although it is a bit of an awkward beast if it’s travelling between floors in a property.
The timer function did fail once, but apart from that, we had no issues with it at all. Although the warning alarm for a full tank could be a little louder, and there were a number of occasions when the tank was full, we didn’t notice until we realised that it had automatically shut down.
In fact, the machine is very noisy, and that was what alerted us to the fact that the machine had powered down. The tank is a little difficult to extract when full, but the control panel was very easy to operate and read.
Seeing as this dehumidifier will definitely cost you a premium price, it's fair to want a premium-quality item. So, unsurprisingly this item comes in highly recommended from a store with an almost perfect 4.8-star rating.
Dimensions: 19.8 x 28.8 x 50.9cm Weight: kg Extraction capacity: 10L Power consumption: 205W Water tank: 2.5L
Black + Decker BXEH60004GB
- Black + Decker BXEH60004GB Dehumidifier, £99.99 from Amazon – buy here
Pros: Energy efficient, water tank capacity, styling
Cons: Hard-to-read control panel, not optimal portability
This large compressor dehumidifier attempts to make itself a little less conspicuous with some nicely rounded edges, so you won’t be cursing it if you’re using it in a small room and need to work around it.
We really liked the circular LED on the front of the machine, which is lit in three different colours according to the room’s current humidity level: yellow (30-49%), green (50-69%) and red (70-80%).
It offers a good balance between extraction capability and water tank capacity. It can pull 20L of moisture from the air and store it in a generous 6.5L water tank, which automatically switches the machine off when it reaches capacity, or after 24 hours – whichever comes first.
This means it’s an excellent machine if you want it to be working in an area where you won’t be able to constantly monitor it, for example, a boat, basement or rental property, as you can switch it on, let it get on with the job and return to empty the tank when it’s convenient.
We would have liked a way to check the water levels in the tank from the front of the appliance instead of having to turn it around, but that’s a small gripe in the grand scheme of things.
Portability was okay, although the side handles make it harder to carry the unit up and down a flight of stairs, which isn’t ideal considering it’s quite a heavy machine.
In terms of overall usability, the control panel is clear and organised, and the buttons are responsive, but the fact that the functions are written in grey on a grey panel background makes them hard to read.
We're always looking to save a little bit extra on purchases, so you'll be happy to know that it's currently been reduced to £99 from £199, saving you a more than desirable £100.
Having a 4.5-star rating, it's no surprise that customers call it 'perfect' and an 'amazing product' and being 'compact and quiet', we're sure you'll be just as happy with your purchase.
Dimensions: 57cm x 24cm x 34cm, Weight: 14.5kg, Extraction capacity: 20L, Power consumption: 320W, Water tank: 6.5L
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MeacoDry Arete One 12L Dehumidifier
- MeacoDry Arete One 12L, £190 from Argos – buy here
Pros: Tailored for UK climate, energy efficient, very easy to use
Cons: Upfront cost, styling
The result of five years of research and development, including consultation with its customers about what they liked and didn’t like about the brand’s previous Dehumidifiers, the Arete One is a compact machine that looks like the love child between a shredder and a kitchen bin and not in a bad way.
It has been specifically designed to cope with British conditions, with a relative humidity of 60% for temperatures between 10°C and 20°C, and it really shows in operation.
It’s a powerful 12L compressor machine with an accurate, advanced humidistat (which we verified independently), which, rather than constantly checking the humidity, takes its reading every 30 minutes and adjusts its output accordingly, shutting down in between to save energy.
Apart from its outstanding performance, we loved the straightforward interface of the Arete One.
You have a power button, a daily use button, a setting for drying clothes and a night mode. A couple of button pushes will put the machine in Smart Humidity Mode, which will take the air down to 55% humidity and switch off, although you can adjust the levels according to your needs. If it detects levels have risen again, it will kick back into life with the fan speed and compressor automatically adjusting to moisture levels.
Night mode is quiet; there are no blinking lights, no obtrusive beeps and the speed of the fan powers down to its quietest mode.
Backing all this up is good portability with easy-rolling wheels and a retractable carry handle, so you can transport it quickly between rooms or get it upstairs without too much effort.
You can rest easy with this purchase since it's got an outstanding 4.9-star rating on Argos with praises of its 'great ease of use' and notable effectivity, claiming that they had 'no more condensation.'
Dimensions: 47cm x 32cm x 24cm, Weight: 10.9kg, Extraction capacity: 12L (24hrs), Power consumption: 165W, Water tank: 2.5L
Honeywell 33L TP
- The Honeywell 33L TP Dehumidifier, £249.95 from Airconcentre – buy here
Pros: Well-designed controls, energy efficiency
Cons: Water tank could be too small for some users
As soon as we powered this 33L compressor on, its humidistat was able to give us a very accurate reading of the current humidity percentage in the room and then set about getting that percentage down to the target level.
Programming this level was straightforward, and the control panel itself was nicely laid out and easy to navigate.
This is a very efficient machine, and we can back up the 33L extraction capacity claim of the manufacturer, however, we could have done with a slightly larger water tank because if you’re faced with high humidity levels or a big load of washing, you’ll probably need to monitor the machine’s water tank alert regularly and empty the tank frequently.
For many, the smaller water tank will be a trade-off they’re willing to make as the unit is a nice size and won’t dominate the room it’s in. The tank itself is easy to remove, drain and replace and the unit does have a continuous drainage feature.
With a robust grab handle and multi-directional castors, we had no issues with portability on the ground floor, and its lightweight also made it a doodle to get it upstairs.
The product comes with a 2-year warranty to give you that extra piece of mind. If that's not enough, it currently has a 5-star rating, with the reviewer acknowledging they had condensation and mould issues, but this device 'solved the problem completely.'
Dimensions: 32cm x 40cm x 65cm, Weight: 15kg, Extraction capacity: 33L, Power consumption: 540W, Water tank: 3.3L
Daewoo COL1382 2L
- Daewoo COL1382 2L, £62 from Amazon – buy here
Pros: Lightweight, cheap to run
Cons: Sub-standard extraction performance and build quality
We had high hopes for this low-powered, compact machine that, on paper, was capable of sucking out 750ml of water from the air, which made it ideal for smaller, targeted jobs around the house, which weren’t suited to the bigger machines. For example, stopping mould forming in fitted wardrobes or keeping the air nice and dry in a compact toilet or bathroom; we’ve also heard that smaller machines like this are great for winterised caravans and trailers.
Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the performance, and the advertised 750ml extraction capability was hard to qualify as we struggled to fill the 2L water tank, even after leaving the machine running for most of the day in a small room.
When the tank is full, the machine does automatically shut down, but the water container is quite awkward to pull out, and we would struggle to do so when the tank is full without spilling.
The unit is very light, but the handle feels cheap and not particularly robust, so we don’t believe it could stand up to the rigours of being used in a number of settings.
Dimensions: 40 x 22 x 13cm Weight: 14.3kg Extraction capacity: 750ml 2L Power consumption: 40W Water tank: 2L
DUUX Bora Smart Dehumidifier
- DUUX Bora Smart Dehumidifier, £299.99 from Amazon – buy here
Pros: Quiet operation, energy efficient, looks good
Cons: App is not very user-friendly, very heavy
It makes a lot of sense to have a “smart” dehumidifier as it’s one of those appliances where continuous monitoring can be beneficial in terms of checking in with humidity levels and also seeing how full the tank is. However, it seems the Dutch manufacturer has been a little too eager to label their product “smart” because, apart from turning the machine on and off, the app is pretty much redundant and will only tell you what you already know – the active settings you have already programmed into the control panel.
The company have missed a trick in not letting you be able to control and interact with the machine via your smartphone, and the fact that the app doesn’t even warn you when the water tank is full seems ridiculous.
Smart grumbles aside, the machine is hugely efficient, whether dealing with damp, mould, or laundry, and a very accurate humidistat with good power and an efficient compressor combine to deliver a guaranteed 20L of daily extraction, which is collected in a big 4L tank that we had no issues emptying.
The control panel is clear, the wheels are robust, and the handle, which tucks away out of sight easily, is sturdy – but then it needs to be as this is a very heavy machine
Dimensions: 33,5 x 24,5 x 51 cm, Weight: 15 kg, Extraction capacity: 20L, Power consumption: 400W, Water tank: 4L
How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier?
This will depend on the litre capacity of your appliance, what wattage it operates at and doing some quick calculations involving the average unit price for dual fuel customers on standard variable tariffs, which is 34p kWh.
So, basing our costs on the average price of 34p kWh, a 12L appliance will use around 160 watts, which translates to 0.16 kWh, so an hour’s usage will cost a little over 5p an hour.
Bear in mind, though, that a lot of our featured dehumidifiers have smart modes and in-built humidistat, so won’t be running around the clock.
Where to buy dehumidifiers in the UK?
We've gone and done some of the hard work for you by testing dehumidifiers for you, but we know as well as you that there's a huge range of dehumidifiers on the market, and it's likely you'll want to test out a few of them for yourself.
We've put together a list for anyone whos looking to do a little bit more shopping around before making a purchase.
- Amazon
- Currys
- B&Q
- Argos
- Screwfix
How much do dehumidifiers cost?
As seen in this article, dehumidifiers can, like all products, come in a wide variety of prices. From what we found, dehumidifiers aren't the cheapest of household accessories, and you'll be looking at around £50 for some of the cheaper variants, and it can range all the way up to a few £100 for any on the more technical side that comes with more functionality.
Costs don't end at just the purchase, unfortunately. However, most dehumidifiers are fairly cost-conscious in running as it works out to be around 5p an hour.
What does a dehumidifier do?
Much like a tumble dryer extracts moisture from clothes, a dehumidifier will extract moisture from the air by drawing warm, damp air inside and releasing drier air back into the space. At the same time, the condensation is collected in a tank, which the user can then empty.
All the machines we tested were compressor machines, (the most popular type of dehumidifier for the British climate). That means that they will suck the air in over-cooled coils so that the water condenses and is collected in the tank. The processed air is then vented out of the machine as dry, warm air.
Do dehumidifiers work?
They really do, although don’t forget that they're more effective in a heated room than an unheated room, because they need the air in the room to be warmer than the cold surface within the dehumidifier.
Compressor appliances work best at around 20ºC, which happens to be the average UK household temperature.
For the machine to work optimally, you need to ensure that doors and windows are closed when it’s running. If windows are open, your dehumidifier will be working harder to try to dehumidify a greater area.
Can a dehumidifier remove dampness?
This is one of the appliance’s main functions because the air in your house will contain moisture or humidity.
Mould is likely to occur if the relative humidity indoors is 70% or more for long periods of time, so you need the machine to bring that humidity down to between 30 and 60%, especially during the colder months of the year.
How effective the machine is at doing this depends on how well the room is sealed.
For example, if you’re using a machine in a basement and a door is constantly being opened, it will let fresh, moisture-laden air into the room, so the dehumidification process will take longer. This is why to optimise the efficiency of the machine and rid an area of dampness. You need to keep the room totally enclosed.
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Do dehumidifiers help with dust?
A dehumidifier draws air through it to extract the moisture from the air and, in doing so, will draw in dust, which is why all appliances are fitted with high-quality HEPA filters, or a filter with an anti-bacterial coating, which is there to catch dust and stop it from entering the inner workings and causing maintenance problems.
Most manufacturers recommend that the filters are removed and cleaned regularly to keep the machine operating efficiently.
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