Best dehumidifiers for drying clothes and reducing damp

Can dehumidifiers really speed up laundry drying? I've tested the best dehumidifiers in the UK and can say from personal experience: yes - they really do make a difference. With families across the UK keen to reduce their energy bills, but understandably reluctant to open windows in the winter months while drying washing, an effective, energy-efficient dehumidifier is an absolute must for your home, your laundry and your health.

I spoke to Meaco CEO Chris Michael about the research Meaco are doing into reducing energy costs and laundry drying times.

"[A] dehumidifier alone offered a substantial improvement over natural drying," he told me, "but pairing it with the pedestal cooling fan made the biggest difference. Drying time dropped by 58 percent, from nearly five hours to around two."

To put that in context, drying laundry indoors without a dehumidifier took 20 hours. With a dehumidifier and a fan, it took 2 hours - and cost just 14p in total.

Best dehumidifiers - at a glance:

1. Best overall: Meaco Arete One Dehumidifier, 180

2. Best budget: Blyss 16L Dehumidifier WDH-316DB, 120

3. Best for drying laundry: Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier, 260

4. Best 25l dehumidifier: Wood's MRD25GW Dehumidifier, 370

5. Best moisture absorber: Unibond Aero 360, 9

How we tested

To help you find the best dehumidifier for your home and your family, I've hand-tested each dehumidifier on this list, testing them against full loads of laundry and damp spots. In total, I tested 10 dehumidifiers, assessing their performance and analysing their user-friendliness, energy-efficiency and value for money.

• Tested for condensation and drying laundry

• Tested over the course of at least a month in a real family home

• Cross-compared with other dehumidifiers

• Detailed notes taken on performance, user-friendliness and noise levels

Following testing, I selected only the very best dehumidifier for each use case. Here's our guide to the seven best dehumidifiers to dry laundry and tackle damp in 2026.

Read next: How to use a dehumidifier to dry clothes

Why do I need a dehumidifier?

Dark patches on your walls, condensation on your windows and patches of black mould or mildew are all signs your house is suffering from damp - this happens when the humidity level regularly goes above 60%.

A lack of ventilation, leaky pipes or poor insulation can cause damp, but daily life does have an impact, too for instance, cooking, showers and drying washing indoors all add excess moisture to the air. And some houses, built before the advent of central heating and decent extractor fans, just arent up to coping with modern life.

So, how does that affect you? Living in a mouldy and damp home can cause serious health issues, particularly for allergy and asthma sufferers, which include an increased risk of respiratory illness and infections. Additionally, damp can make your home look unattractive and give it a musty smell, with the excess moisture causing damage to your walls, carpet, ceiling and furniture.

Related: The best moth repellents for protecting your cashmere, wool and carpets

How do dehumidifiers work?

There are two main types of dehumidifiers that work in slightly different ways: desiccant dehumidifiers and compressor (also known as refrigerant) dehumidifiers. While all dehumidifiers have the same aim, which type you go for will depend on where and how you will use it.

Desiccant dehumidifier

Desiccant dehumidifiers extract water using an absorbent material to draw moisture from the air. Then an internal heater warms it so the moisture condenses and drips into the tank below.

The advantage of this type of dehumidifier is that it works well in warm and cold spaces. The only downside is that they tend to release warm air into a room, which you may not want in an already-heated home. However, they are ideal for a garage, loft or conservatory during colder months as they can operate below 10 degrees, unlike a compressor dehumidifier. They are also much quieter, so they might be a preferable option for you to use in a bedroom. Their main disadvantage is that they use a lot more energy and therefore cost more to run.

Refrigerant (compressor) dehumidifier

A compressor dehumidifier is the most common type in the UK as it works best in higher temperatures, such as in a heated home.

Compressor dehumidifiers work the same way as a fridge a fan draws warm, damp air into contact with cold coils, and the water then condenses and drips into the tank.

The advantages of this type of dehumidifier are that they tend to be larger, more energy efficient and much more widely available. The problem is that they dont work well in lower temperatures as the coils need to be colder than the room, or they start to freeze. Once that happens, a compressor dehumidifier focuses on de-frosting itself over reducing humidity, so they arent a great option for garages or cellars. They also tend to be much noisier, and depending on your noise-level preference, this can irritate people.

Should you leave a dehumidifier on all the time?

That depends on your humidity levels and what youre trying to achieve. You dont always have to leave your dehumidifier on, but you may want to if your damp problem is severe. Also, it can be cheaper to run them at night.

If you intend to run it at night, you should take a few safety precautions first. Modern dehumidifiers in good working order are not a fire hazard, but ensure you arent overloading sockets and four bars, as that poses a possible risk. Also, check that your dehumidifier has an auto shut-off feature to turn itself off once the tank is full.

If you have a serious damp or condensation problem, its worth buying a model with a bigger tank so that it keeps working all night.

How to choose the best dehumidifier for your home

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:

• Extraction amount: It is essential to consider the maximum amount of moisture your dehumidifier can extract daily. It can range from anywhere from 500ml to upwards of 30 litres of water. Small units are fine for occasional use or a small area, such as a cupboard or study. Around 12 litres is suitable for a small flat, medium-sized room or a mild damp problem. Up to 16 litres is best for a larger room or one used regularly for washing or cooking, and units with a capacity of up to 20/30 litres can be used to dehumidify whole homes.

• Water tank capacity: This is how much water the unit can hold, ranging from around 250ml to six litres. The smaller the dehumidifier, the more regularly youll have to empty the tank, though some larger models have a continuous drainage option through a hose.

• Humidity levels: Relative humidity (RH) should sit between 30 to 60%, and most models have a built-in humidistat to keep the room at your chosen level. Devices with an auto-setting monitor adjust the moisture levels in the room, which can save on electricity.

• Control panel: More basic models come with a manual control that turns on and off, while others have digital displays with more features, such as a timer and laundry drying mode, which removes excess moisture from drying laundry indoors and dries your clothes quicker. It can be a cheaper alternative to a tumble dryer, and an automatic shut-off and humidistat are also handy features.

• Fan speeds: Some dehumidifiers have just one speed for continuous drying, limiting your control. Whilst others have up to three, which is advantageous if you want to adjust it for faster drying or put it on a lower (and possibly quieter) setting.

• Portability: A model with a handle or wheels/castors (or both) will be easier to move around, especially if you buy a large, heavy dehumidifier. If youre only ever going to use the dehumidifier in one room and wont want to put it away much, this might not be so important to you.

• Noise: A dehumidifier's noise levels can fall between 34dB to 60dB - 34dB being a whisper and 60dB being the same as a normal conversation. If you choose to run your dehumidifier at a lower fan speed, it will make less noise but may be less effective. Think about where you are using it and whether it will disturb you.

• Cost to run: This will depend on your energy tariff, how you use the device, and how much power it uses. Check the power usage, which can range from around 22 to 600 watts newer models tend to be more energy-efficient, for example, using 2.45p per hour based on 15.2p/kWh. Using a timer and humidistat will ensure it only comes on when needed. Desiccants tend to use more energy than refrigerants but are more powerful.

• Air filter: Some models come with a HEPA filter which helps to provide cleaner air in your home, which will be helpful for any allergy sufferers.

How much does a dehumidifier cost to run?

The cost entirely depends on the dehumidifier's wattage and current energy prices. We've given a cost-per-hour estimate for each dehumidifier on this list, and they range between 3p and 12p per hour. Smart Energy Tools' energy cost calculator allows you to work out how much different appliances cost to run.

What's the best dehumidifier to buy?

The best all-round dehumidifier is the MeacoDry Arete 12L Dehumidifier. Compact, portable and energy efficient, this product is much-loved by Mumsnetters (as are all of their award-winning products). Recommended by parents and loved by experts, Meaco's products are incredibly popular and sell out quicker than they can restock.

The only downside is that they're more expensive than less effective dehumidifiers, and although they are relatively inexpensive to run, the initial outlay can much more than you would expect.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials, laundry and fans. From a highly-recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.

With an MA in Creative Writing and a PGCert in Lifestyle Journalism, Poppy's written about parenting topics for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Mirror and The Sun. She's a best-selling, award-winning author, and her books for children and parents have been translated into 12 languages.