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Best Dehumidifier for Basements
Honeywell Smart Portable Dehumidifier TP70AWKNR 50-Pint
Best Portable Dehumidifier for Apartments
Honeywell TPFIT50PWK 50-Pint Energy Star Portable Dehumidifier With Pump
Best Dehumidifier for Travel
Eva-Dry Renewable Mini Dehumidifier E-333
Best-Designed Dehumidifier
Midea 20 Pint Cube Dehumidifier
Even though I’ve spent the better part of my life living in humid New York City, I never owned a dehumidifier. I never had a basement, and I was ignorant of the benefits of a portable dehumidifier.
I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t had or at least known about a mold issue where I live. I use an air conditioner in the hotter months, and that mitigates the moisture to some degree. But last spring I found myself on dehumidifier TikTok and decided to take my indoor air quality up a notch.
This past summer I lived in a damp cabin in Maine where the humidity level was often at 80 percent, according to my air quality monitors. It was time for a dehumidifier. I wanted good air by all metrics—not just looking at PM 2.5 or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but low moisture, too. I also wanted a good hair day. And so these are the best models out of the many we tested, from our best for basements pick, the Honeywell Smart Portable Dehumidifier ($260), to our best portable version for travel or small spaces, the Eva-Dry Renewable Mini Dehumidifier E-333 ($25).
May 2025 update: We’ve added two options from Eva-Dry, Midea’s Cube, and the Tabyik Peltier, and updated links and prices.
For more ways to improve your indoor quality, check out our guides to Best Air Purifiers, Best Air Quality Monitors, Best Window Air Conditioners, Best Space Heaters, and Best Fans.
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Things to Know Before Buying
The first thing to think about is how you’re going to drain the water from the dehumidifier. In the basement, the best thing you can do is to use the dehumidifier’s continuous water drain tube to either the sump pump or a drain. If those options are not available, you might be emptying the tank multiple times a day. The first time I put a dehumidifier in the basement, the tank was filled in three hours’ time. It’s all about the drainage. Also, knowing how to read a label. If a dehumidifier is listed as “50 pints,” that means the appliance can remove 50 pints of moisture from the air in a 24-hour period; it’s not the internal tank capacity. Also, look for the maximum area coverage. For example, the Honeywell Smart 50 pint can remove 50 pints of water from 4,000 sq ft in 24 hours.
If you, like me, also need a dehumidifier in your city apartment, then consider buying one that’s easy to move around with wheels and a handle. Some of these machines are heavy. Also, a small dehumidifier in the bathroom is a good idea to keep the dampness at bay, especially if you have mold growing on your grout.
Lastly, do not drink the water collected in your dehumidifier tank. That water is not potable. Pour it down the drain. A dehumidifier is not creating distilled water; that’s a different process and appliance.
Dehumidifying your home is one of the nine foundations for a healthy home, according to Harvard’s TH Chan School for Public Health’s Healthy Buildings for Health initiative. Moisture can cause mold to grow. And most of my air quality monitors, like the Awair Element and QP Pro, have a moisture or humidity reading. As someone who has a mold allergy—or at least that is what the allergist’s test confirmed—a dehumidifier is something I should have purchased years ago. And while dry air can be a culprit for itchy eyes and respiratory issues, according to several studies, there are many benefits for lower humidity in the home. The EPA recommends keeping humidity below 60 percent and ideally between 30 and 50 percent.
It’s worth noting that there are many studies about how low humidity—or low RH (relative humidity), the amount of water vapor in the air—affects the viability of certain viruses. One example was the SARS coronavirus (not Covid-19), which had stability in low-temperature and low-humidity environments that facilitated transmission, while high-temperature and high-humidity such as tropical locales did not. I’m focusing on the unhealthy effects of high humidity, as it can spur mold growth.
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Best Dehumidifier for Basements
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Honeywell
Smart Portable Dehumidifier TP70AWKNR 50-Pint
The Honeywell Smart Portable Dehumidifier is meant to work with the continuous water drain tube attachment. When I put this unit with its 1-gallon tank in the unfinished basement of my cabin, I was more than surprised when it turned off after three hours. The tank was full. The float inside the tank automatically turns off the dehumidifier once it’s filled to capacity. That extra step of setting up the continuous water drain tube is the only way to have this dehumidifier work effectively in a basement setting.
As a dehumidifier novice, I found the Honeywell Smart to be user-friendly. It works with the Honeywell Air Comfort App (for iOs and Google). The app allows users to preset humidity levels, fan speed, and timer. The app also allows for multiple dehumidifiers and connects to both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice-activated control. For the price, the Honeywell Smart Portable has a great deal of user control along with a four-year warranty on parts. The Honeywell Smart also has a moisture sensor that can be seen both on the app and on the dehumidifier’s front panel.
Specs Smart app? Yes Tank capacity 1 gallon Laundry mode No Noise on high 50 dB Wheels/handles Wheels and handle Warranty 1 year; 4 years on parts -
Best Portable Dehumidifier for Apartments
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Honeywell
TPFIT50PWK 50-Pint Energy Star Portable Dehumidifier With Pump
For moisture removal, the Honeywell Portable Dehumidifier can work with the continuous water drain tube attachment in a basement, or in an apartment using the 2-gallon tank. And unlike the Honeywell Smart version, the Portable doesn’t have Wi-Fi, nor is it compatible with Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant.
What the Honeywell Portable does have is a solid laundry mode. I dried a full laundry rack of towels in four hours using laundry mode. I then dried a cotton fitted sheet in even less time. None of the clothing dried on the rack using laundry mode were soft like clothes coming out of the dryer, but they weren’t as “crispy” as clothes that are dried without a dehumidifier. Again, I really urge everyone to try laundry mode. This is a solid, long-term investment that makes a lot of sense for both home and apartment dwellers.
Specs Smart app? Yes Tank capacity 14 pints Laundry mode Yes Noise on high 51 dB Wheels/handles Wheels and handle Warranty 5 years
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Best Dehumidifier for Travel
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Eva-Dry
Renewable Mini Dehumidifier E-333
The Eva-Dry is a different kind of dehumidifier. It’s filled with desiccant beads using the same moisture-absorbing principles as those ubiquitous silica packages that are tucked into electronic boxes and food to keep the contents dry. The Eva-Dry works without electricity … at first. You simply place your Eva-Dry in your luggage, your car, your boat, RV, display cabinet, or any small space. Over time, depending on the level of moisture, the beads will change from orange to green. When the Eva-Dry beads turn green, it’s time to plug it in to dry out the beads back to orange.
I know I’ve seen the Eva-Dry before I ordered one to demo; I can’t remember if it was in an antique shop or a doctor’s office, but it was familiar to me. Invented over 20 years ago in humid Florida, the Eva-Dry has a full line of desiccant humidifiers designed for portability, and they might offer the right amount of drying power for your needs.
Specs Smart app? No Tank capacity No tank Laundry mode No Noise on high 0 dB Wheels/handles No Warranty 5 year -
Best-Designed Dehumidifier
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Midea
20 Pint Cube Dehumidifier
The Midea Cube 20 is a powerful dehumidifier that nests into its own cube for compact storage. I was surprised by how much I liked the user-friendly design. Its intuitive control panel and easy-to-pair smart app make this particular dehumidifier a solid addition for anyone who needs to dry out their home. The Cube is also quieter than other models I’ve tested, humming along at a quiet 20 decibels on its lowest fan setting and at around 40 decibels at its highest. It reminded me of the sound of a small fan. The Cube has three speeds, and there is an option to attach a hose for continuous drainage.
What sets the Midea Cube apart isn’t just its large-capacity 3-gallon tank and solid app, but it also takes into consideration those of us who do not have endless garage space. The fact that I can nest the Cube inside its bucket when not in use means I can tuck the 13-inch square into a storage closet. There are four well-made optional wheels that are easy to mount, making the Cube painless to move around. The wheels are an important design feature for those of us who find its 33 pounds (without water) to be heavy. I had to use my hand truck to transport the Cube up three flights of stairs. And while the Cube doesn’t have a designated “laundry dry” mode, you could easily use its lowest setting to dry hanging clothes or items that take forever to dry, like a weighted blanket.
Specs Smart app? Yes Tank capacity 20 pints or 3 gallons Laundry mode No Noise on high 42 dB Wheels/handles Handles Warranty 1 year
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Best Non-Refrigerant Dehumidifier
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Eva-Dry
4000 Rotary Desiccant Dehumidifier
This 13-pound dehumidifier is without a refrigerant. Instead, it works with zeolite desiccant material. Like Eva-Dry’s Renewable Mini Dehumidifier above, the EVD-4000 works with the same dehumidification principle but at a much larger scale. It has a rotating desiccant ceramic disk to pull in moisture and is able to dry out a 440-square-foot room. It’s lighter and quieter than the other dehumidifiers I’ve tested, but that comes with the higher price. And because the EVD-4000 doesn’t require refrigerant, it’s able to work in a variety of temperatures. It has a blue-light ionizer and air filter to capture some particulate matter. And the air blowing from the unit is warm. It is barely audible at its lowest setting and is around a quiet-ish 60 decibels at its highest setting.
When I first plugged in the EVD-4000 it gave off an off-putting smell, like heated plastic, but true to the manual’s word, it soon dissipated. I also worried that the EVD-4000 would somehow impact the indoor air quality of my son’s 250-square-foot room. It did not. I set the ideal humidity at its highest setting of 35 percent and checked my various indoor air quality monitors. They were reading a high 62 percent humidity. I wondered how long it would take EVD-400 to deliver its 35 percent target. It took four hours to get to 46 percent humidity, but after seven hours, the tank was filled and EVD-4000 turned off. The EVD-4000 includes a drain hose for continuous drainage, and that would be ideal to use, as its water reservoir is too small for continuous dehumidifying. It also has three swinging louvers, a clothes drying mode, and a pullout tank to collect water.
Smart app? No Tank capacity 2 liters Laundry mode Yes Noise on high 60 decibels Wheels/handles Handle Warranty 1 year -
Best Dehumidifier for Drying Laundry (Yes, Laundry)
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
GoveeLife
Smart Dehumidifier
Like the Honeywell Smart, the GoveeLife portable dehumidifier has an app. It also has a continuous drain hose and a 2-gallon water tank. It’s capable of removing between 49 and 109 pints a day depending on the temperature. The higher the temperature, the more water it’s able to remove. The unit weighs nearly 40 pounds, but I was able to move it around on its wheels. It had that disappear-into-the-room white design, and while I wouldn’t run it at full blast in my bedroom, it was quieter at its lower settings.
It also had something I hadn’t considered before: laundry mode. I was more than curious, as I hate running my dryer and knew that countries like Denmark have drying rooms where they line-dry their clothes with the aid of a dehumidifier. Could I increase my energy efficiency and dry my clothes simply by running my dehumidifier? Why, yes! I was able to dry two bath towels, a cotton T-shirt, a tennis skirt, and several hand towels in four hours. In that time, the 2-gallon tank was almost at capacity. It was also a day with nearly 80 percent humidity. I liked the GoveeLife as a dehumidifier, but the big takeaway was having a real alternative to my dryer.
Specs Smart app? Yes Tank capacity 2 gallons Laundry mode Yes Noise on high 53 dB Wheels/handles Wheels/side handles Warranty 1 year
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Best Dehumidifier for Mood Lighting
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Breezome
60 Oz. Dehumidifier
I love this demure dehumidifier with its seven changing mood lights and clear window revealing its water tank. The Breezome has become my bathroom nightlight and mold fighter all in one. At under $60, the Breezome is not a basement humidifier, nor does it have the power to dry laundry (at least not in a short period of time), but the Breezome is small enough to fit next to the tub in my bathroom. It’s slowly (over several days) filling with water, and it is one of the coolest appliances I have in my home at the moment.
I could see the Breezome being a gateway dehumidifier, and perhaps it will start showing up in dorm rooms too. I like the timer settings that are 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours. There’s also a sleep mode along with overfloor protection. And while its tiny size keeps it from being truly effective at mitigating high indoor moisture levels, it offers some support in small spaces.
Specs Smart app? No Tank capacity 60 ounces Laundry mode No Noise on high N/A Wheels/handles Handle only Warranty 1 year
Recommended With Reservations
Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Tabyik 35-Ounce Dehumidifier for $46: I am still looking for the ideal bathroom dehumidifier/night-light combo. At just over 2 pounds and 10 inches tall, the Tabyik Peltier Dehumidifier had the potential to be the right fit. While it’s slightly cheaper than the Breezome’s 60-ounce dehumidifier, that lower cost comes with half the Breezome’s tank size. If you’re looking for a small dehumidifier for your windowless bathroom or mud room, then this tiny, toy-sized version of a dehumidifier might be for you. One issue was the Tabyik’s 4-foot electrical cord, which made placing it on the floor from a high-up electrical outlet, like those in a bathroom, somewhat restricting. And small doesn’t mean quieter. The Tabyik churns along at close to 30 decibels—louder than the full-size Midea Cube 20-pint at low or medium fan speeds.
