Best Dehumidifier Reviews

Wize Buying Guide for Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers are lifesavers in rooms that have high levels of humidity, such as finished basements and bathrooms, and in muggy climates. They clear the musty smell you typically encounter in damp homes by removing water vapor from the air and preventing the spread of mold, mildew, dust mites and fungi. For people with allergies and other allergen-triggered health concerns, a dehumidifier is a vital home appliance.

Many well-known companies manufacture dehumidifiers, including DeLonghi, Haier, Eva Dry, Whirlpool, Soleus and Fedders. This buying guide will help you consider your needs and make an informed choice about your new dehumidifier.

Size, space and weight 

Before you purchase a dehumidifier, you need to investigate available features to determine what you need. Location and space should guide your initial decisions. Basements or other rooms with a lot of square footage require large capacity dehumidifiers; look for 70 pints per 24 hours of water vapor extraction, a large water collection bucket, and a drain hose connection. This size is fairly heavy when full of water, so the ability to drain directly into a sump is handy.

Bathrooms, bedrooms and other small rooms require compact, portable dehumidifiers for short use and small foot prints. One pint in 24 hours is a good rule of thumb; look for a small collection bucket for easy disposal of water.

Bucket capacities range anywhere from 1 to 70 pints, and an empty dehumidifier can weigh anywhere from 3 to 60 pounds. Like all modern appliances, you will see a number of bells and whistles on new dehumidifiers. Some offer an adjustable humidity level, so you can determine how much moisture you want in the air. Others will feature an automatic shut-off when water collection is full, which is helpful for dehumidifiers located in unattended spaces.

Buying Dehumidifiers

When you've narrowed down your decision, you may want to consider the following details to nudge you toward a final decision.

How noisy is the dehumidifier? Some are very noisy, others whisper-quiet. If you are placing a dehumidifier in a bedroom, quiet operation might be quite important to you.

Does the dehumidifer have a hose connection for emptying the collection bucket? Remember that the collection bucket on a large dehumidifier can be very heavy and might cause strain or - worse - accidents.

How humid is the room of intended use? You may only need a small dehumidifier if the room is reasonably dry, or you might need a large dehumidifier if the room is especially damp. Remember again that the ability to ajdust the humidity level on your dehumidifier is ideal for maintaining a minimum amount of water vapor in the air.

Best Dehumidifiers

Currently, the best dehumidifiers -- based on basement use, mold clearing ability and portability, based on customer reviews, are:

• Basement – Whirlpool Gold AD 70655 and Whirlpool AD 50USS

• Mold – Soleus CFM-25 and EVA Dry EDV-1100

• Portability – Soleus CFM-25 and Whirlpool AD 506SS

Choose wisely and breathe easy!