This guide contains:

Background on dehumidifiers
Features to look for in dehumidifiers
How to find the best dehumidifier for you

This independent guide was written to help consumers understand the basics of dehumidifiers, and to help you find the best dehumidifier for you. We do not sell any dehumidifiers ourselves, so you can be confident that all of the information in this guide is independent and unbiased.

Background on dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers are made to remove moisture from any enclosed environment, typically your home. For many people, dehumidifying is only done in the warmer summer months, but dehumidifiers also help year round by reducing odor, mold and dust mites, which thrive in damp environments.

Dehumidifiers function by a fairly simple process, which is fairly standard across all dehumidifier makes and models. First, a small fan pulls the air into the unit and through a cooling coil. As the air is moving through the cooling coil, it chills the air to the dew point (which is the point where moisture condenses, or turns from a gas to a liquid), and the resulting condensation is channeled into a bucket or through a hose to be drained. The cooled and moistureless air is then reheated and blown back into the room, and the cycle continues.

Features and functions to look for in dehumidifiers
Although dehumidifying can be done through an attachment to your air conditioning system, this guide focuses on stand-alone dehumidifier units. Here are the important features and functions of dehumidifiers:

Capacity
For dehumidifiers, the main feature that you should consider is capacity, which is a measure of how large of an area the dehumidifier can process and keep dry. Generally, the closer you are to ground level, the larger the area, and the damper the environment, the more capacity you'll need. Capacity is typically measured in the number of pints of water that a dehumidifier can remove from the air over a given time period. Most manufacturers have sizing charts to help you choose the right size for your situation.

Efficiency
Dehumidifiers run on electricity, and they are measured as to how well (or efficiently) they process electrical energy to run their operations. This is important to you because efficiency has a large impact on the long-term operating costs of the dehumidifier- the more efficient the unit is, the lower the cost over time.