Best dehumidifiers UK 2021: prevent damp and dry your clothes with models from Wayfair, Argos and Currys
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Feeling comfortable and healthy in your home is incredibly important, and a dehumidifier can be a great way to improve your air quality and solve a whole host of breathing issues.
If your house has high humidity levels, this can be a perfect breeding ground for mould and dust mites, which can contribute to an increased risk of asthma or eczema. Too much humidity can also cause damp, mould and mildew, which can damage your home, and can lead to rooms smelling unpleasant or feeling stuffy.
What do dehumidifiers do?
Dehumidifiers work by removing moisture from the air and collecting it in a water tank. Depending on the machine, they can also collect dust and dirt in their filters. Depending on your dehumidifier, you can either then empty the water tank, or connect a hose for continuous drainage.
Removing the moisture and dust from the air makes the environment less appealing to dust mites and other unwanted pests in the home.
What are the benefits of a dehumidifier?
Using a dehumidifier isn’t just useful for preventing allergies: it can also help your laundry to dry faster, and to help your home heat up faster. They’re also inexpensive to run, making them a wallet-friendly addition to your home.
So which dehumidifier should you go for? First, take into account the size of your home and the rooms you’ll be looking to dehumidify.
If you’re on a budget and looking to remove the moisture out of a small room such as a home office or utility room, you can buy one on the smaller and cheaper end of the scale, while if you’re looking for strong dehumidifying power throughout your home and have the space for a heavy duty machine, you’ll want to invest a bit more in your device.
We’ve included a range of dehumidifiers of all sizes, prices and styles, testing each one to suss out their moisture-removing qualities. Whatever your budget and your home’s needs, we have the dehumidifier for you in our roundup.
If you’re also looking for an easier way to control your heating as the seasons change take a look at our best smart home thermostat guide.
If you know there will be times when you need your laundry to be cupboard dry as quick as possible then it would also be worth investing on one of these top tumble dryers.
If you’re into your smart tech, you’ll want a dehumidifier to match. Step in the Bora Smart Dehumidifier from Dutch air treatment specialists Duux.
It’s large and on the pricier end of the spectrum, but there’s no messing about with this powerful machine, which is easy to transport thanks to its discreet wheels and handle.
With a four-litre water tank and a capacity of 20 litres every 24 hours, it’s a great choice if you’re looking to dehumidify larger spaces with excessive humidity. It also offers a carbon filter to remove unwanted odours.
We really liked the sleek, stylish look of the machine, as well as the added bonus of controlling the device no matter where we were through its easy-to-use app.
If you’re in need of a dehumidifier that does the job without taking up loads of space - and without grabbing too much attention - this low key, effective and affordable option from trusty electrical appliance brand Russell Hobbs is the one to pick.
It couldn’t be simpler to set up and use, with an LED on-off button and a 600ml water tank that’s easy to empty.
Weighing just 900g, it’s easy to transport from room to room, and will work in spaces up to 15 metres squared, ideal for smaller rooms such as bedrooms or utility rooms.
We particularly liked the sleek, contemporary design, with the futuristic black gadget sure to blend seamlessly into any room and look right at home on your desk.
Improve the quality of the air you breathe at home with this dehumidifier and purifier. With three speed settings, you can purify the air in different-sized rooms. The HEPA filter captures 99.97% of even the smallest particles and thanks to the dehumidifier function you can protect your house from mould. It’s easy to operate too using the intuitive touch controls, and can extract up to 18 litres of water in 24 hours.
It also features frost protection so it can withstand changes in temperature in your home.
For serious dehumidifying power, opt for the Tasciugo AriaDry Multi Dehumidifier from Italian manufacturer De’Longhi.
Removing up to 12 litres of excess moisture every 24 hours, this is a serious machine that promises to improve the quality of your air.
As well as its dust filter, it has a removable filter to catch allergens in the air, perfect for those with allergic tendencies. It also comes with a continuous drainage pipe.
Our favourite thing about this dehumidifier was its laundry setting, perfect to speed up the drying time after you do your washing, and we were also impressed by how quiet it was considering its large size.
If you don’t like the look of a traditional dehumidifier but you still want the moisture in your home to be soaked up, the Modern Moisture Absorber from British brand Lakeland is a perfect compromise.
Rather than working like a machine, this is a beautiful decorative ceramic pot with a bamboo lid - but under its lid is a water collection tank and absorbent tablet that absorbs moisture in the air, helping to prevent condensation, mould and unpleasant smells in spaces of up to 15 square metres.
It lasts between one and three months, and is easy to replace the tablet once it’s finished. We loved how chic this looked in our home, and how simple it was to use too.
We were really impressed with the 10L Dehumidifier from Russell Hobbs.
Extracting 10 litres of moisture in a 24 hour period in rooms between 15 and 30 square metres, and with a two litre water tank, this is a really effective appliance with loads of added features that make it great value for money.
It comes with a hose to allow for continuous draining, timer and silent modes and auto defrost and restart settings.
We liked how the timer mode in particular allows for less hassle and more control over when you want to dehumidify, and thought the two-tone colours looked sleek too.
An added bonus was the portable handle and wheels underneath, making it easy to carry around despite being on the heavy side.
This compact machine can filter up to 220ml of water per day from the air, collecting it in a 0.5 L container.
Using a Peltier element, it is both extremely quiet and also very economical, with a power output of just 22W.
The dehumidifier works until a sensor detects that the water tank is full, then it shuts off automatically. Once the water tank has been emptied it will resume operation.
Two LEDs clearly show whether the dehumidifier is in operation, or whether the water tank needs to be emptied. With this dehumidifier, you can effectively improve the air quality in small, poorly ventilated rooms up to 40 square metres, such as walk-in wardrobes, bathrooms and pantries.
It removes unwanted water vapour and helps to prevent mildew and condensation.
With a simple, yet elegant design and compact dimensions, this dehumidifier can fit into any living or working environment.
Available in black and white.
The Thermoelectric Dehumidifier from sleep experts Silent Night is a good choice if you’re noise sensitive and the whirring of appliances drives you bonkers.
This unobtrusive dehumidifier quietly works its magic in the background without making a racket, removing up to 600ml of moisture from the air every day and working in rooms up to 25 square metres.
It’s super easy to use, with a simple on-off switch and a water tank that’s a doddle to empty.
It’s light and compact, making it easy to move from room to room, and has an auto shut-off feature for peace of mind.
This portable dehumidifier is a great choice to keep living environments fresh and comfortable.
It can switch between automatic, continuous and dry modes - with four different fan modes to set it to a preference best for you.
It can hold up to eight litres of liquid so it can keep running all day and night in 20-40m² sized rooms.
With a working noise of below 40dB, however, this machine is quiet in operation and won’t disturb you if you do want to leave it on all night while you sleep.
The machine also comes with a 24-hour timer so it can be set to turn on at any time of the day and is finished with four wheels and a handle to move around easily.
Was £479.99, now £137.99
The large water tank in this dehumidifier is capable of extracting up to 20 litres of moisture a day, preventing condensation in large rooms around the home or office with excess water and poor air circulation.
Choose between four preset functions for powerful dehumidifying, continuous moisture collection, effective clothes drying or increased air ventilation.
An LED display shows the current humidity in the room, which can be easily adjusted with a press of the touch panel. The dehumidifier is energy efficient and consumes a low amount of power, with a 24-hour auto-off timer to save more energy and minimize running costs.
When the water tank reaches full capacity, the unit will automatically shut off to prevent leaks and spillages. Built-in anti-frost technology protects the dehumidifier against severe temperature change to provide you with powerful performance all year round.
This machine is designed and tested to remove condensation and moisture from around the home.
It has a comfort humidity light, 15 hour timer, easy glide castors, a visible water tank, carbon filter to remove odours, continuous mode for efficient clothes drying and a humidity air quality sensor.
Control the dehumidifier to operate when needed with a delayed start and runback timer help too.
Suitable for room size up to 65m².
Made in Britain for the cold and wet British Climate, Argo’s 21 litre dehumidifier will eliminate condensation, damp and mould around your home.
It is simple to use and has a dedicated Laundry Function makes the Argo 21 the most cost effective way of drying laundry indoors.
The air purification mode also creates a cleaner and healthier living environment offering great flexibility for all year use.
Ebac’s patented smart technology automatically detects when the humidity level in your home increases, and will turn itself on and off when needed to remove any excess moisture from the air.
Suitable for room size up to 225m².
Want to dehumidify without breaking the bank?
Then the PureMate 500ml Compact & Portable Air Dehumidifier is a great option.
Small, unobtrusive and offering great value for money, this dehumidifier comes in either black or white, and can remove up to 250ml of moisture per day with a 500ml water tank capacity.
It’s perfect for smaller rooms such as home offices or utility rooms, and has an automated electronic shut off so you don’t need to worry about overflow once the tank is full.
We particularly liked how quiet this was - perfect for leaving on all day without bothering you at all.