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Towels that don’t dry, a basement with a lingering musty smell, air that feels heavy no matter what temperature you set your smart thermostat to—if any of this sounds familiar, it may be time to invest in a dehumidifier.
Unlike an air conditioner, a dehumidifier’s primary job is removing excess moisture, rather than cooling the room itself. By pulling moisture from the air, dehumidifiers not only improve how your home smells, but they also help to prevent mold and improve overall air quality.
Dehumidifiers often come with a variety of features, like adjustable humidity settings, automatic shutoff, and energy-efficient operation. Some models have additional user-friendly features like continuous drain hookups and built-in Wi-Fi, while others stand out more for their power and reliability.
I researched models from trusted brands like Midea, Costway, and GE and incorporated insights from Popular Mechanics testers to help you find the best dehumidifier for your needs. Below, I also share tips and tricks to keep in mind when shopping for a dehumidifier.
Best Dehumidifiers
- Best Overall: Homelabs 25-Pint Dehumidifier
- Best Value: Costway 32-Pint Dehumidifier
- Best for Attics and Basements: Alorair 70-Pint Dehumidifier
- Best Humidity Controls: Frigidaire 35-Pint Dehumidifier
- Best Mini Dehumidifier: Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier
How We Selected and Tested
For this guide, I researched dozens of dehumidifiers, reviewed expert and consumer feedback, and incorporated hands-on testing from Popular Mechanics reviews editor Tom Price. I’ll update this guide as more testing is completed. I also spoke with Michael Rubino, a mold and air quality expert and founder of HomeCleanse, for tips on what to look for in a dehumidifier and information on how these appliances can impact indoor air quality.
To test each model, we placed every dehumidifier in a room within its coverage and capacity range. It was difficult to maintain equal humidity for each option, given the wide range of rooms where testing occurred (including bathrooms, living rooms, and laundry rooms—all places where you really notice a change in humidity), so success was measured based on the dehumidifier’s ability to lower humidity levels over one hour, as well as the amount of water collected. The goal was to use each device in everyday settings where excess moisture and humidity tend to become most noticeable.
Full Reviews
This dehumidifier from Homelabs has the best balance of features and usability that I came across in my research. Designed for spaces up to 1,800 square feet, it’s a flexible option for medium- to large-sized rooms or those living in humid climates. It's designed to remove 25 pints of water per day, with a listed maximum of 65 pints under ideal conditions.
It has a built-in pump, a continuous drain option (with an included hose), auto shutoff when the tank is full, and turbo mode for optimal moisture removal. That said, the hose port isn't universal, so you’ll want to hold on to the one provided in the box. The dehumidifier is also Energy Star-rated, which means it meets the EPA’s energy-efficiency standard. It has a washable air filter and sits on rotating wheels so you can easily move it around your home.
Regardless of the room you’re in, you can monitor and control the dehumidifier's readings and settings via Wi-Fi. This appliance also has an auto-defrost feature and a filter quality indicator light that alerts you when it’s time to clean the filter.
The Costway 32-Pint Dehumidifier is an updated version of the Costway 30-Pint Dehumidifier, which Price previously tested. Based on his experience and my own research, I think Costway offers one of the most affordable dehumidifiers on the market, especially given its size and capacity.
What stands out most with this model is the variety of operating modes. There’s an auto mode that turns the device on or off based on your selected humidity level, a continuous dry mode for persistently damp spaces, and a sleep mode that dims the display lights and lowers operating noise to around 33 decibels.
The Costway also includes a 24-hour timer and two fan speeds for additional customization. Its relatively compact size makes it easy to move between rooms, though Price noted that you’ll probably want to keep it near a drain if possible. He also observed that the half-gallon tank fills surprisingly quickly in humid conditions, especially when running continuously.
For ultra-clammy crawl spaces or damp attics, the Alorair dehumidifier excels. It’s compact and portable, and the lack of an attached tank greatly reduces its size. It’s also quite powerful: This particular model is capable of removing up to 70 pints of moisture from the air over the course of a day.
Because it lacks a holding tank for all the moisture it collects, you’ll need to provide your own holding container or have a drain nearby. The Alorair has two draining options: gravity draining, or you can use the water pump. Gravity draining, as the name suggests, means that the dehumidifier can expel water through the attached tube, though this also means that the unit must be higher than the draining point. You’ll also want a bucket or other receptacle to catch all that water.
The water pump, on the other hand, pushes the collected water out and upward. This feature is especially useful for spaces with a window, sink, or drain that can collect that excess water. Once you’re done using the water pump cycle, the Alorair pushes any remaining water out of the unit in order to prevent any lingering moisture that could cause mold or mildew within the device itself.
Price was particularly impressed by the built-in pump, which he found made it much easier to drain water upward into a sink rather than relying on gravity. That, combined with its custom humidity settings and continuous operation capabilities, makes the Alorair a smart pick for attics and basements.
If you're looking for a dehumidifier with more precise controls, the Frigidaire is one of the more customizable options out there. You can adjust humidity settings directly on the unit, through Frigidaire’s app, or via compatible smart home devices. Once it reaches your selected humidity level, it automatically shuts off; this is especially useful if you live in a humid climate but don’t want your air to feel overly dry.
Another standout feature is the 1.7-gallon water bucket, which is fairly generous for a 35-pint model and allows it to run longer between emptying sessions. There’s also a continuous drainage option if you’d rather not deal with the tank at all. As an added bonus, the Frigidaire can double as an air purifier with the purchase of an attachable filter that helps capture dust and allergens.
Designed for much smaller spaces, this dehumidifier from Pro Breeze is best suited for bathrooms, closets, laundry rooms, or bedrooms up to around 250 square feet. During testing, Price was impressed by how simple and unobtrusive it felt. Unlike most larger dehumidifiers, it doesn’t use a compressor, so it runs very quietly, enough that he barely noticed it while getting ready or working nearby.
Its compact size makes it easy to tuck the Pro Breeze away on a shelf or a countertop. Price used it in his bathroom and found it helped to prevent his towels from feeling like “perpetually damp rags between showers.”
There isn’t a continuous drainage option, though, with its size, it’s relatively easy to empty it out. Once the 52-ounce reservoir is full, an indicator light turns on and the unit automatically shuts off to help prevent overflow. Just keep in mind that while this model works well for small-scale humidity issues, it doesn’t have the power needed for large rooms or damp basements.
If you’re dealing with a damp basement or large living space that always seems humid in the summer, the Midea Cube is one of the more practical high-capacity options we’ve found. The holding tank has an enormous capacity—4.2 gallons—and can pull up to 50 pints of moisture from the air within 24 hours. That extra-large tank also means less frequent emptying, which can be a huge plus if you often find yourself forgetting to check your dehumidifier (or just find constantly emptying a tank tedious and time-consuming). Of course, that large tank also means it can be quite heavy when full, which is something to consider before purchasing (though it does come with a hose for continuous draining).
For all its power, the Midea Cube 50-Pint is surprisingly energy-efficient; it’s Energy Star Certified, which is nice to know, especially if your dehumidifier tends to run frequently. It’s compatible with Alexa and allows remote humidity monitoring, which can be helpful if you’re stashing it in a room you don’t frequent very often. I also think its design is quite clever: The unit twists open for use and collapses into a more compact shape when it's time to store it for the season.
For smaller spaces, such as an apartment, bedroom, or laundry room, a 50-pint dehumidifier may be excessive. You need something smaller, quieter, and more compact, which is where I think the GE 22 Pint Portable Dehumidifier really shines. Its relatively petite size makes it easy to move from room to room, and it features a Smart Dry mode that automatically adjusts the fan speed based on room conditions. It’s also considered a fairly quiet option, which is a plus when working with a small space.
That said, its smaller footprint also means a smaller tank size; at only 8.5 pints, some report having to empty the GE every 12 hours. It’s also not powerful enough to dry out extremely damp spaces. However, if you need a small, unobtrusive dehumidifier, I think this is a solid pick.
If noise is a consideration (think bedrooms, shared spaces), then you’ll want to pay attention to a dehumidifier’s decibel level. Forty decibels is comparable to a library or a quiet suburban street; not silent, but not enough to be disruptive to most people. That’s what sets the Waykar CTH30A apart from other models; it runs at about 34 decibels, making it quiet enough for a bedroom or shared space, while still efficiently pulling unwanted moisture from the air.
Besides its exceptionally quiet operation, this model can cover approximately 2,000 square feet, has four operating modes (including a turbo mode for when you need to dehumidify a space quickly), and has a washable, reusable filter. The wheeled base makes it easy to move from room to room, and it comes with a 3.3-foot hose (which you can extend with a garden hose for better reach) for continuous drainage. This is important, as the 0.4-gallon holding tank fills quickly, especially in very damp areas; the continuous drain option will save you multiple trips to the sink.
What to Consider
What Size Dehumidifier Do I Need?
“Choosing the right machine for the size of the space is massively important for reaping the benefits of using a dehumidifier,” Rubino explains. “If the dehumidifier’s capacity is insufficient for the square footage or moisture load, it may run constantly without ever effectively lowering humidity levels.” Conversely, a bigger model may be unnecessarily powerful and bulky for everyday use.
Capacity is something you’ll often see referenced when shopping for a dehumidifier, and this is measured by how many pints of moisture the unit can remove from the air over a 24-hour period. For mildly humid bedrooms, bathrooms, or laundry rooms, smaller 20- to 30-pint models are often enough. But if you’re dealing with a damp basement, stale air, condensation on windows, or towels that never seem to dry completely, it’s usually worth sizing up.
A room’s temperature also plays a factor. Warm air holds more moisture than cool air, so a dehumidifier will work more efficiently. As a result, cool but humid basements might require larger units.
You may also notice that newer dehumidifiers sometimes list lower pint capacities than older models with similar performance. That’s because the Department of Energy updated its testing standards in recent years to better reflect real-world home conditions, resulting in lower (but generally more realistic) capacity ratings.
Continuous Drain vs. Manual Emptying
You essentially have two options for disposing of all that collected moisture: manually emptying the tank or setting up continuous drainage with a hose.
Manual tanks have their advantages. For one, you have a lot more flexibility in where you place your dehumidifier: it can be set up anywhere there is an outlet, and you can let it run until the tank is full. The installation process is not complex and can be more cost-effective, as well. However, manually dumping a tank of water can get old, fast, especially if the bucket fills quickly.
“Continuous drainage is always a great option for rooms that are consistently humid,” Rubino says. “That way, the machine can run steadily without frequent monitoring or the need to constantly empty the reservoir.”
For basements, crawl spaces, or rooms with persistent moisture problems, continuous drainage is usually the more practical long-term solution. “This is also a great option for seasonal or vacation homes that aren’t lived in year-round,” Rubino adds. Many models include a hose adapter that allows water to drain automatically into a floor drain, utility sink, or nearby window. Some higher-end models (like our HomeLabs pick) also include built-in pumps, which allow water to travel upward instead of relying on gravity alone.
Noise Levels
While your dehumidifier is hardly the noisiest appliance you own, noise levels can make a difference. Most compressor-style models produce a steady fan and compressor hum while running, which may not matter much in a basement but can become a lot more noticeable in bedrooms, home offices, or shared living spaces.
As a rule of thumb, larger-capacity models tend to be louder because they move more air and work harder to remove moisture quickly. Smaller thermoelectric units (like the Pro Breeze) are usually quieter, though they’re also significantly less powerful and best suited for very small spaces.
If you’re planning to run a dehumidifier overnight or in a room where you spend a lot of time, it’s worth paying attention to fan settings, sleep modes, and overall size. A louder, more powerful unit may dry the room faster, but it can also become annoying if it’s running constantly nearby.
Smart Features
Many dehumidifiers now include extra smart features like Wi-Fi connectivity, app controls, and voice assistant compatibility. While these aren’t strictly necessary, they can be useful in certain situations.
For example, remote monitoring allows you to check humidity levels or adjust settings without walking down to the basement every few hours. Scheduling features can also help reduce energy use by running the unit only during certain times of day, such as when you’re at work.
That said, not everyone needs app integration or smart-home compatibility. For many people, features like auto shutoff, automatic restart after power outages, and built-in humidistats (like the GE) are going to be far more useful than voice controls or smartphone notifications.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is especially important because dehumidifiers often run for hours at a time. That means energy efficiency can make a noticeable difference over time, especially if you live in a particularly damp climate or plan to run the unit continuously in a basement.
Energy Star-certified models are generally worth prioritizing because they remove moisture more efficiently while using less electricity. In some cases, a slightly more expensive model may actually save money long-term if it runs more efficiently and doesn’t need to operate as often.
