Simply DEH002 Reusable Car Dehumidifier, Moisture Absorbing Bag, Keeps Windscreen Clear, 500g, Grey

Product Information

Key specs – Dehumidifier type: Desiccant; Tank size: 2l; Extraction rate: 6 litres per day; Dimensions: 48.5 x 29 x 17.5cm; Weight: 6kg; Warranty: 2 years

Dehumidifiers are the best way to reduce humidity in your home and many are cost effective and energy efficient. They range from bathroom dehumidifiers to compact ones for your car and even ones you can control from your mobile phone. Small dehumidifiers are ideal for flats or smaller spaces, while the bigger models can dehumidify a five-bedroom property or a small business space. Don’t get too excited about any claims of silent running – we found that, while actively dehumidifying, it puts out around 50dB on all of its three settings, so you won’t want to sit and watch the TV while it’s on. However, it’s a good performer for its size, reducing humidity in a damp-prone living room by 9% in the first hour and by nearly 22% within two hours. The laundry function’s quite effective too, helping dry your washing indoors without adding a layer of condensation to the windows. And at 9kg it’s light enough to take from room to room, making this a great dehumidifier for the average flat or small to medium-sized home. If you’re only planning to dehumidify occasionally – for a few hours here or there in a kitchen or bathroom, for instance – you can get away with a mini-dehumidifier with an extraction rate of less than one litre. It will be cheap to buy, cheap to run and perfectly effective. The same applies if you’re trying to fight damp or mould in a smaller area, such as a wardrobe, utility room or box bedroom. Keep it running all day long and the costs could mount up, but this is an excellent dehumidifier for situations where a refrigerant model just won’t work. It’s slightly louder and consumes more power than the equivalent refrigerant, but can also run more effectively over shorter periods. That makes it a good bet for drying clothes or using in an outside office, garage or workshop where damp is becoming a problem, and it’s relatively lightweight and portable to boot.

2. Best budget dehumidifier: Unibond Aero 360 Compact Moisture Absorber

Just like the larger model, the 10L has a laundry mode to dry your washing, and can double as an air purifier with the bundled HEPA filter inserted – although we found it a little less effective in our air-purifying tests than most dedicated models. As a dehumidifier, it’s hard to fault, working efficiently in small and medium-sized rooms to reduce humidity levels and get rid of mould and moisture. Throw in the intuitive controls and easily removable water tank, and this is the best of the compact options, and ideal for smaller rooms and homes. That will be especially useful over the winter months as it means you won’t have to keep your heating on as long to dry your clothes, reducing your energy bills in the process,” says Wood. If you are worried about high running costs, choose the Meaco,” says Chris Wood. “It has a control system that can reduce your energy consumption by up to 80 percent compared to other dehumidifiers.” Compressors are generally efficient at room temperature, but they can’t handle the winter cold so well. If the temperature drops below three or four centigrade, they will tend to stop working. That’s not the case with desiccants, although they can be more expensive to run. How to use a dehumidifier

The Princess isn’t as quiet as Meaco’s Arete models, but you can live with the 46dB it puts out at its highest fan setting, or the 40dB noise levels at low. It also has a useful laundry drying feature that makes the most of the vertical swing on the air output and the powerful fan. It’s simple to control, either through the app or via the built-in controls, and you can keep an eye on the current humidity level through a subtle “hidden” digital display on the front. Rival dehumidifiers have the edge on noise and performance, but the Princess gives you a great set of features at a very reasonable price.

Does a dehumidifier use a lot of electricity?

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PREVENT CONDENSATION– Helps prevent in-car condensation on your windscreen or even nearby building windows clear of moisture buildup becoming a nuisance and causing rust, mildew or any musty smells. Easily dried on a radiator, in an airing cupboard or in a microwave. For a bathroom, you should position the dehumidifier just outside the bathroom door and ensure the door is left open so the unit can draw the moist air towards it. If you’re drying clothes, just place the dehumidifier in the room, making sure the door and windows are all closed. With advice from air conditioning experts Ryan Kandola and Chris Wood, we have selected the best dehumidifiers on the market for energy efficiency, drying power, value for money and, where possible, quiet running. “Remember, size isn’t everything,” Ryan says. “Look at the area you’re dealing with and choose the right size of unit. You’ll be surprised at just how powerful some of the small dehumidifiers are.” High demand 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.All dehumidifiers do the same basic job of removing excess moisture from the air. However, there are three different technologies that do all the hard work. A compressor dehumidifier is almost like a mini-fridge that cools the air and converts it into water that you can pour away,” says Ryan Kandola, a dehumidifier expert from Aircon Centre, “whereas desiccants take the air and run it over a rotating flywheel which absorbs the moisture, before heating it so the wheel doesn’t get saturated.” How do you know when you need a dehumidifier? 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. Key specs – Dehumidifier type: Compressor; Tank size: 2.5l; Extraction rate: 10 litres per day; Dimensions: 47.2 x 23.7 x 31.9cm (HWD); Warranty: 5 years parts and labour Dehumidifiers are proving exceptionally popular this year and our top-rated airers may temporarily sell out. These are currently the best places to look for alternatives:

Peltier dehumidifiers also cool the air and condense the moisture content into water, but they do it using a cold heat-sink rather than a compressor. They’re not as effective as compressors, removing smaller amounts of water in a given time, but they’re quieter and more energy-efficient. Peltier dehumidifiers tend to be compact, lightweight units designed for smaller spaces.Look for one which draws less than 330 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? Compressor dehumidifiers work in much the same way as a fridge or freezer. They draw in air and cool it, condensing any moisture as it passes across a refrigerated coil. The water then drips off into a water tank below, while the air is reheated and released into the room. Compressor dehumidifiers can be noisy and may use more energy than other types, although new compressor technology and refrigerants are bringing improvements on both counts. They’re most efficient at warmer temperatures of 20°C and above, and your best bet if you need to remove lots of moisture from a larger space. The cost of one kiloWatt-hour of electricity is capped at 30p under the Energy Price Guarantee as of July 2023. Although prices do vary by region and contract (economy 7 tariffs are more expensive by day and cheaper by night, for example), we use the capped price to estimate running costs. This varies according to the design, size and extraction rate. Generally speaking, desiccant dehumidifiers use more energy per hour than a compressor model, but can also work more effectively at removing moisture, which means costs tend to even out.