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Dehumidifiers remove excess moisture from your home to prevent mold buildup and remove allergens from the air.
The top-rated Frigidaire FFAD7033R1 dehumidifier is the best one because it removes moisture from the air leaving you with a comfortable and healthy living environment.
Excess moisture in the air can cause substantial damage to items in your home and your health. A good dehumidifier removes excess humidity from the air, which can help prevent mold and mildew buildup and eliminate allergens. Dehumidifiers are often placed in basements, but there are other use cases for them, such as in closets where you store damp clothes or other smaller areas where too much moisture can cause a problem such as bathrooms, RVs, boats, and more.
Dehumidifiers fan-force air over coolant-filled coils to remove moisture. The remaining condensed moisture then drips from the coils into a bucket or basin, or it may be pumped out of the unit depending on the model. As a result, drier air is expelled back into the room.
A dehumidifier helps maintain an ideal relative humidity level (RH level) in your home. Relative humidity refers to the ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity. According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy, it's recommended you keep relative humidity between 30% to 50% in the summer and 30% to 40% in the winter.
How to choose a dehumidifier
When selecting a dehumidifier, it's important to consider the size of the area you wish to dehumidify, along with the condensation moisture removal method, and the amount of power you expect the machine to consume.
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At their most basic level, dehumidifiers vary according to pint removal capacity every 24 hours. Moderately damp areas will require between 25 and 40-pint capacity, while extremely moist areas will need between 40 and 70-pint capacity, all dependent upon the size of the area you wish to dry.
Unless you plan on removing and clearing the water basin constantly, you'll want to go with a direct drain feature, which allows for continuous operation without emptying the unit's bucket. Direct drains are convenient but typically require a floor-level water drain. If that's not an option based on your layout, opt for a unit with a pump, which can push water into a specific space, such as a basement sink.
Dehumidifier energy performance is rated by the amount of water extracted every hour versus the amount of energy consumed to do so. Low-level units usually consume less power, but they may not be effective enough for your humidity needs. To get maximum efficiency out of any unit, look for those that are ENERGY STAR certified. Also consider the following:
The filter indicator setting alerts you when the air filter needs to be cleaned.
The auto-humidistat senses the moisture level in the area around the unit and automatically shuts the unit off to save energy once the desired humidity level is reached.
A low-temperature setting allows the unit to operate in temperatures as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
Auto-defrost keeps units from freezing in colder environments (usually below 65 degrees Fahrenheit).
Auto reset restarts the unit to its previous setting after a power loss.
The following picks are based on online research, ratings from review and dehumidifier-specific sites, Amazon ratings, and customer reviews. They're intended for commercial use and we've included picks for different sized areas ranging from spaces as small as a gym bag to an entire apartment. Beyond square unit cooling capabilities, we also took into consideration moisture removal options, energy requirements, specialized features, such as high tech control panels, and of course, price.
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The Frigidaire FFAD7033R1 dehumidifier removes an impressive amount of moisture, is easy to setup, and includes a helpful digital display that's easy to control.
The highly-rated Frigidaire FFAD7033R1 dehumidifier protects your home from the mold and mildew caused by excess moisture, and it helps to eliminate bacteria in the air.
The dehumidifier is capable of continuous operation when the unit is located near a suitable drain and has Ready-Select electronic controls, including a digital humidity readout, a 24-hour on/off timer, and a control lock.
It can capture up to 70 pints of moisture every 24 hours and allows you to control the exact percentage of humidity in any room. It has a portable design that includes a top handle, integrated side handles, and caster wheels, all which make it easy to move from room to room. The Energy Star Certified product has a low-temperature operation that helps you save both energy and money.
The Frigidaire FFAD7033R1 has rave reviews across the web and is considered the best on top review sites including The Sweethome (now Wirecutter), Consumer Search, and Dehumidifier Web. It's a top-ranked Amazon product with a 4.3 out of 5-star average rating based on more than 4,700 customer reviews.
Humidity is everywhere, which is why this Eva-Dry E-333 Portable Dehumidifier is a must have for smaller areas. The handheld 5-by-5-inch device can be placed anywhere extra humidity clogs up the air such as in closets, under your kitchen sink, in safes, boats, RVs, or bathrooms, and more.
Each Eva-Dry E-333 Portable Dehumidifier helps to eliminate excessive humidity for up to ten years using renewable silica gel technology that works without batteries or external power. Without the need for a power source, the portable dehumidifier is completely silent, but it's powerful enough to provide a humidity-solution in any area up to 333 cubic feet.
The dehumidifier is renewable, meaning it will not require any expensive refills, and comes backed by a 5-year warranty. The product works on a cycling system in which you place it in a damp area to soak up moisture and then remove it to charge.
As the unit absorbs the humidity, there is an indicator window containing crystals that will change from orange to green over the course of two to four weeks or as the device collects between 8 and 10 ounces of moisture. When the crystals have changed to green, this indicates the dehumidifier is ready to be renewed or plugged in for 8 to 10 hours in a well-ventilated area, and then placed back in the area you wish to remove humidity from. The product is designed to be used in this way for up to 10 years as it captures moisture in the air without any leaks or spills.
Consumer Search and Faveable both rate it highly. On Amazon, the product holds a 4.2 out of 5-star average based on more than 2,000 reviewers.
Suck humidity out from large rooms with an Ivation 70 Pint Energy Star Dehumidifier. The dehumidifier keeps spaces up to 4,500 square feet cool and comfortable by removing 70 pints of moisture a day. It uses an advanced filtration and evaporation system that helps to prevent mold, mildew, and structural cracking. The dehumidifier also safeguards those in your home against allergens, mites, and other asthma triggers.
It has an easy to use LCD interface that lets you check the humidistat, set your ideal levels, adjust fan speed, program the 24-hour timer, and receive important filter and reservoir alerts. It also uniquely has multiple green features, including energy-saving auto-shutoff mode, a timer and a cleanable and thus reusable filter.
Other perks include an extra long 6-foot, three-prong power cord that eliminates the need for extension cords, two fan speeds of regular and turbo, an optional hose connection to make draining easy, and an auto-defrost sensor that prevents wasted energy and protects evaporator coils all within a relatively small, compact 40-pound design.
The Ivation 70 Pint Energy Star Dehumidifier is featured on Best Reviews, Good Air Geeks, and Faveable. On Amazon, it has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating based on nearly 250 reviews.
The Eva-dry Edv-1100 Electric Petite Dehumidifier is powerful enough to remove humidity from areas as large as 1,100 square feet, but it's so small and quiet you'll barely notice it's there.
Perfect for smaller rooms such as bathrooms, the Eva-dry Edv-1100 Electric Petite Dehumidifier is compact enough to fit on a desk or workbench while it still effectively removes humidity. It uses Peltier Technology (which means there's no compressor) making it light and quiet to run as it extracts moisture from the air and stores it in a spill-proof reservoir.
The tiny dehumidifier has an auto-shutoff feature, which displays a 'full' light indicator to alerts you when the 16-ounce reservoir needs to be emptied. Even better, it doesn't require or consume much energy and because of its operation, it's super quiet, so as not to be disturbing as you tuck it into closets, RVs, and other small places up to 1,100 cubic feet large.
The Eva-dry Edv-1100 Electric Petite Dehumidifier is featured on The Spruce and RVing site Wheel on Road. On Amazon, it holds a 4 out of 5-star rating based on more than 2,500 reviews.
A clear, concise electronic control panel makes this Black & Decker 70 Pint Energy Star Portable Dehumidifier extra easy to use. The digital display allows you to control the adjustable thermostat, set the 24-hour timer, control automatic settings such as the auto-restart, auto-shut off, and auto defrost features and choose from three different fan speeds of high, medium, and low.
The dehumidifier collects up to 70 pints of moisture every 24 hours and operates between 41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Its Energy Star Certified saving you money on your electric bills and uses the environmentally friendly R410a refrigerant. A built-in collection bucket holds up to 14.8 pints of water and is fast and easy to empty, although with the larger size you won't need to empty it too often.
Alternatively, there are also two ways to drain continuously including an especially easy to drain built in pump that pushes collected water towards the area of your external receptacle, and is powerful enough to push it vertically if needed.
The Black & Decker 70 Pint Energy Star Portable Dehumidifier is featured on The Spruce and Good Air Geeks. On Amazon, it has a 3.7 out of 5-star review based on over 200 customer reviews.
Pros: High-end electronic control panel, three fan speeds, wide temperature range, various drain options, Energy Star Certified, eco-friendly refrigerant
Cons: Large but heavy reservoir, issues reported with the pump
