Performance-wise it draws 350 Watts, making it one of the most powerful on this list at a competitive price. I tested it in my shower room, where I usually keep a window open to prevent mould. As the mornings get chillier this dehumidifier is the perfect replacement, keeping any mould at bay and the heating in. The auto-defrosting function also means it can carry on working when the temperature drops. There are a few key things you need to consider when shopping for a dehumidifier, and various features you need to weigh up the importance of in terms of quality. Here are the sort of things you should be looking at when considering the best dehumidifier for your needs: This Honeywell dehumidifier also features auto restart to of it all of its previous settings once power is restored. Like all of their products, product comes with a 5-year warranty from the manufacturer. This could ultimately sway your decision, and remove any doubts you may have about the quality of this product. No other company offers such a lengthy warranty on their dehumidifiers. Pros:

If you’ve noticed that there is a lot of condensation on your bedroom windows in the morning, it might be time to buy a dehumidifier. During the night, we sweat (a lot more than you might think) and breathe out warm air; this adds to the moisture in our room. However, dehumidifiers can be noisy, especially the compressor type, and with sleep already at a premium, finding one that doesn’t keep you awake is an absolute must! That’s where the Silentnight dehumidifier comes in. Domestic dehumidifiers can extract up to 25 litres of water per day. We have largely focused on 20l models since these are the most popular for domestic use. For larger spaces, damper environments or colder temperatures, choose something more powerful. (Or vice versa for smaller spaces.)If you’ve ever had reason to ask yourself ‘what is the best dehumidifier?’ it was probably with a sense of desperation over mould in your bathroom that just won’t shift, or window condensation forever puddling on the sills. Humidity can be a real problem. A dehumidifier is your best defence.

The cheapest and smallest dehumidifiers on the market can often only extract 0.5L of water from the air per day – in many cases even less – but larger and more powerful dehumidifiers can extract up to 25L per day which can make a huge difference to your home's health if you struggle with damp issues and condensation. The latest model in Meaco’s dehumidifier range is a compact version of the superb Arete One, dropping the extraction rate down to ten litres per day, but reducing the size of the unit to less than 50cm high. Not only is the Arete One 10L physically unobtrusive, but it’s also impressively quiet. While we measured noise levels of around 42dB with the fans running at full tilt, these rapidly decreased to well below 40dB, which is about as close as dehumidifiers get to silent. In its night mode, the Arete One 10L can go as low as 35dB. Overall, it's not the most powerful dehumidifier you can buy, and it can't cope with high moisture levels – we found it made little difference when drying wet washing for example. However, it did a great job of clearing condensation on windows and managing moisture levels in a small bedroom when left running overnight. If you think of it this way, the sound, or noise from a dehumidifier is but a small price to pay for the safety of your family. The good news is, due to developments in dehumidifying technology, you can have it both ways! Traditionally, due to their compressors, large dehumidifiers can get noisy. But today manufacturers have found ways to lower the noise level to the point where you can barely hear the units running, making them more tolerable in the bedroom when you’re looking to get a quiet night’s sleep.

Humidity Selector - You can select a target humidity level between 35% and 85%, in increments of 5%. You're therefore given a great deal of flexibility. The unit isn't the lightest or most compact we've tested, but then we wouldn't expect that from a machine this powerful. However, built-in wheels, a retractable carry handle, and cable tidy make it easier to move around the house and store neatly away when it's not in use. As in real estate, location is everything. Knowing where you will place your reduced noise dehumidifier is the first step in choosing the right size for your needs. For example, a basement or a crawl space will require a more powerful or specialized dehumidifier, but since we’re talking about a quiet dehumidifier, you’re probably shopping for your bedroom or your living area. If you’re running a dehumidifier, keep the door to the room the dehumidifier is in open, so that air can circulate through your home. But close the window, so that damp air outside – which will migrate towards drier spots – isn’t drawn to the drier air indoors.

Some dehumidifier brands routinely do well or badly in our tests, while others are a lot more hit and miss. However, if you're looking for a dehumidifier for use in a cold climate, the EcoAir DD1 Simple MK3 Dehumidifier's 1ºc operating temperature is hard to beat. litres – large capacity. A sensible choice if you have a lot of moisture that you need to get rid of fast. For example, clearing up after a flood or dealing with lots of water in the air through drying laundry indoors. It’s important to do get rid of your dehumidifier in a way that isn’t harmful to the environment. If sent to landfill, it could release the refrigerant into the environment. In some models, particularly older ones, these can be HFCs, which are greenhouse gases. Rather than being a compressor or a desiccant, the ProBreeze instead uses peltier technology, similar to that used in some mini fridges, to cool water vapour into water. It’s much quieter than the other methods.Integrated cord storage This is handy for saving space when the dehumidifier isn’t in use, and removes the risk of tripping over a sprawling cable.

Look at our test scores. Every dehumidifier we review has an energy efficiency rating, so our highest-scoring models are most likely to be the least wasteful. Look for one which draws less than 360 Watts and you will never spend more than 10p per hour. It’s often much less on lower power settings. Dehumidifiers are generally cheap to run. What size dehumidifier do I need? Plus, the MeacoDry Arete One dehumidifier'sSmart Laundrymodeworks brilliantly for drying washing indoors – wet laundry was dry in hours rather than the days it can usually take in the draughty Victorian terrace we tested the unit in. Mumsnet has been helping parents make their lives easier since 2000 and, in those years, we’ve seen, tried and reviewed thousands of products. Simple and standard, the only additional feature is that you can choose between their four pre-set humidity levels to match your and your home's needs. All you’ll need to do is pop it in a corner and let it run, it costs around nine pence an hour so that it won’t break the bank, and when it is full, the dehumidifier will automatically shut off to avoid spillage. The only downside is that at 47dB, it is between a whisper and a regular voice; it is a little noisier than its competitors, so we recommend keeping it out of the bedroom at night.However, it’s worth looking out for newer and more energy-efficient designs. For example, Meaco’s MeacoDry Arete One 20L costs around 6p per hour to run, based on an electricity rate of 28.3p per kWh, while some models will cost significantly more at the same rate. Use your dehumidifier daily for a couple of hours and the difference soon mounts up. When it’s in this automatic mode, the noise varies between 37dB (fine) and 46dB (pretty loud) so I set the timer to switch it off at 10:30pm every night, so it didn’t bother me as I drifted off. The other options, operated by buttons on top of the machine, include adjusting the fan speed, increasing or decreasing the target humidity and switching between laundry drying, continuous or SMD (smart dehumidification). Continuous-drain facility Many dehumidifiers allow you to connect a hose and flush the collected water away to a low-level drain. This will save you having to empty the water tank, or prevent the machine from getting full and switching off if you're not around to empty it. Note that dehumidifiers with this function often don’t come with a hose in the box, so you’ll probably have to buy it separately. There's also plenty of useful functionality on the models. The automatic Smart Humidity Mode works perfectly and is hassle-free, turning the dehumidifier on when moisture-levels rise and automatically shutting the appliance off when the desired humidity is reached so there's no wasted energy or expense.And in our tests, the Arete One reduced moisture levels in damp-prone rooms in a very short period of time. Did we mention how good the PuriCare looks? It’s sleek, modern design allows you to place it anywhere in your home without ruining the décor. The water tank comes with a single handle that folds into its build for easy drainage. Moreover, the wheels on this dehumidifier allow you to roll it to any room in your house that needs its attention.