The best dehumidifiers for mold

What a dehumidifier does about mold, and what it does not

This is the part most pages in this category skip, and it is the part that decides whether the purchase works.

• It does not kill mold. There is no biocide in a dehumidifier. Growth already on a wall is unaffected by the machine running next to it.
• It does not clean anything. Spores settled on a surface stay there.
• It does not stop water coming in. A leak, a failed gutter, a slab with no vapor barrier - the machine will run against all of them forever and lose.
• What it does do is remove the condition. Mold needs moisture. Hold the air below the EPA's 60 percent threshold and existing growth stops advancing and new growth does not start. That is the entire mechanism, and it is genuinely worth having.

So the honest sequence is: stop the water, clean what is there, then run a dehumidifier to keep the conditions from coming back. A machine bought for step three while steps one and two are skipped is an expensive way to keep a wall damp.

The five things that matter, in order

A mold roundup ranks differently from every other roundup on this site, because the job is different. You are not drying a room once. You are holding a number down for months while nobody looks at the machine.

The number to hold, and why 60 is the line

The EPA's guidance is to keep indoor relative humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent. Sixty is the line because that is roughly where mold and dust mites stop being able to thrive - below it, the biology does not have what it needs.

In practice, set 45 to 50 percent. It is comfortably inside the recommended band, it is well clear of 60 with margin for a humid week, and it is materially cheaper to hold than 40 percent - drier air yields less water for each unit of energy spent chilling the coil, so run time climbs steeply as the target falls. The full argument on settings.

The exception is drying a space out after a leak or a flood. There, going to 30 or 35 percent for a few days genuinely helps, and it is why the two Waykar units on this page - the only ones here whose humidistats reach 30 percent - earn their place.

Quick picks

#	Product	Best for	Draw	Price
1	Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier with PumpSame machine as the Cube above with a condensate pump added, which is the difference between a hose you can run and a hose you cannot.	A basement whose only drain is upstairs	487 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
2	Waykar 34 Pint ENERGY STAR DehumidifierOne of the few units at any size that will set below the usual 40% floor, which is the difference between a dry basement and a merely less-damp one.	Drying below 40% relative humidity	Not published	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
3	AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Crawl Space DehumidifierThe clearest example on this site of why the number on the box is not the number that matters: sold as 113 pints, certified at 36.33.	A crawl space you cannot stand up in	344 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
4	Waykar 80 Pint ENERGY STAR DehumidifierSold on an 80-pint headline that is a saturation figure; the DOE rating behind it is in the same 50-pint class as everything else on this page.	A large open basement or a shop floor	Not published	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
5	hOmeLabs 32 Pint DehumidifierThe one hOmeLabs unit with a named entry in the ENERGY STAR list, so it is the one where the running cost is a published figure rather than a class estimate.	A bedroom that is damp but not wet	318 W	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded
6	Ivation 19 Pint Desiccant DehumidifierThe only technology here that does not lose to the cold, which makes it the right answer in exactly the rooms where a compressor is the wrong one.	An unheated garage in winter	Not published	Check price on Amazon #ad How we are funded

1

Midea

Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump

Best for: A basement whose only drain is upstairs

Same machine as the Cube above with a condensate pump added, which is the difference between a hose you can run and a hose you cannot.

Average draw

487 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry for Midea MAD50PS1QWT-A, the pump variant of the same platform: 49.67 pt/day at IEF 2.01 L/kWh. The current retail revision is the -B; every Midea 50-pint Cube revision in the certified list, pump or not, computes to 487-490 W, so the pump does not move the number meaningfully. The pump itself only runs in bursts.

What is good

• +Pump means the destination can be higher than the machine - a laundry sink, a window, a stack
• +Identical DOE capacity and IEF to the non-pump Cube, so the pump costs you nothing in efficiency
• +The split body still works, so you can also run it on gravity and keep the pump as the backup
• +Certified 49.67 pt/day, an honest 50-pint rating

What is not

• -Costs more than the identical machine without the pump
• -A pump is one more thing that can fail, and when it does the unit stops rather than overflows
• -No published wattage from Midea - the figure above is computed

Who it is for

Anyone whose drain is above the floor. That is most finished basements and nearly every crawl space.

Skip it if

Skip it if you already have a floor drain within hose reach and below the machine. You would be paying for a pump you will never switch on.

2

Waykar

Waykar 34 Pint ENERGY STAR Dehumidifier

Best for: Drying below 40% relative humidity

One of the few units at any size that will set below the usual 40% floor, which is the difference between a dry basement and a merely less-damp one.

Average draw

Not published

Waykar publishes no wattage and sells this capacity under several certified model numbers rather than one. Its certified 35-pint entries - JD025CE-120, CHWA120A/B/E and the YD-120 family - compute to between 342 W and 362 W, clustering at 345 W. That band is the honest figure; picking one of those model numbers to print under this listing would be a guess.

What is good

• +Sets down to 30% RH where most units stop at 40%, which matters for storage and post-flood drying
• +Automatic defrost, so it keeps working as the room cools
• +Drain hose in the box rather than a separate purchase
• +A 2,000 sq ft coverage claim that is at least in the same universe as its capacity

What is not

• -No wattage published and no single certified model number to map to
• -0.66 gallon tank is small - on bucket duty in a damp room this is a twice-a-day machine
• -Gravity drainage only

Who it is for

Storage rooms, workshops and basements where 40% is not dry enough and you have somewhere for the hose to go.

Skip it if

Skip it if you plan to empty a bucket. At 0.66 gallons and 34 pints a day, a full tank is roughly four hours of work.

3

AlorAir

AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Crawl Space Dehumidifier

Best for: A crawl space you cannot stand up in

The clearest example on this site of why the number on the box is not the number that matters: sold as 113 pints, certified at 36.33.

Average draw

344 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry ALORAIR Sentinel HD55S: 36.33 pt/day at IEF 2.08 L/kWh, 379 kWh a year. The retail listing is the HD55; the certified entry carries the S suffix. At IEF 2.08 it is more efficient than the median 50-pint portable while removing about three quarters as much water.

What is good

• +Built low and flat to fit between floor joists, which no portable unit does
• +Auto defrost and low-temperature operation, both essential in an unheated crawl space
• +IEF 2.08 is above the 50-pint class median of 2.01 despite the smaller capacity
• +No tank at all, so there is nothing to forget to empty

What is not

• -The 113-pint headline is a saturation figure at 95F and 90% RH; the DOE-condition rating is 36.33
• -1,200 sq ft coverage, less than most 50-pint portables claim, for considerably more money
• -Needs a drain or a condensate pump - there is no bucket fallback

Who it is for

Crawl spaces, low-clearance basements and unheated storage where a standing portable will not fit or will freeze.

Skip it if

Skip it for a normal basement. A 50-pint portable removes more water at the DOE condition for less money; you are paying for the form factor and the temperature range.

4

Waykar

Waykar 80 Pint ENERGY STAR Dehumidifier

Best for: A large open basement or a shop floor

Sold on an 80-pint headline that is a saturation figure; the DOE rating behind it is in the same 50-pint class as everything else on this page.

Average draw

Not published

No published wattage. Waykar's certified 50-pint entries - JD026CE-150, CHWA150A/B/E, CTH150A/B and the YD-150 family - compute to between 443 W and 488 W. The identity of the exact certified model behind this listing is not stated, so the band stands in for a number.

What is good

• +Sets to 30% RH, lower than most units will go
• +90-degree auto swing louvre, which genuinely helps in a long open basement
• +Continuous drainage support and a larger tank than Waykar's smaller units
• +Auto defrost for cold running

What is not

• -The 80-pint headline is not a DOE rating and should not be compared against one
• -No published wattage and no single certified model to map to
• -5,000 sq ft is the second-highest coverage claim in this registry

Who it is for

A large, open, genuinely wet basement or shop, where air movement matters as much as extraction.

Skip it if

Skip it if you are comparing it against a 50-pint unit on the strength of the 80. They are the same class of machine - the numbers are measured differently.

5

hOmeLabs

hOmeLabs 32 Pint Dehumidifier

Best for: A bedroom that is damp but not wet

The one hOmeLabs unit with a named entry in the ENERGY STAR list, so it is the one where the running cost is a published figure rather than a class estimate.

Average draw

318 W

Computed from the ENERGY STAR certified entry hOmeLabs HME0089: 32.46 pt/day at IEF 2.01 L/kWh. This is the only hOmeLabs capacity in this registry with a named certified entry, which is why it is the only one carrying a number rather than a band.

What is good

• +318 W against the 50-pint class median of 488 W - about 35% less to run, hour for hour
• +Named in the ENERGY STAR certified list, so its IEF is public
• +Quiet enough for a bedroom in a way that a 50-pint compressor generally is not
• +Wi-Fi and auto shut-off at a small-unit price

What is not

• -32 DOE pints is genuinely less water than 50 - undersizing a wet basement costs more than the machine saved
• -Gravity drainage only
• -4,500 sq ft coverage for 32 pints is another claim to ignore

Who it is for

A bedroom, a home office, or a small basement that is humid rather than actively wet.

Skip it if

Skip it if the floor is ever damp to the touch or the walls sweat. That is a 50-pint problem, and a 32-pint machine will run continuously and still lose.

6

Ivation

Ivation 19 Pint Desiccant Dehumidifier

Best for: An unheated garage in winter

The only technology here that does not lose to the cold, which makes it the right answer in exactly the rooms where a compressor is the wrong one.

Average draw

Not published

Not published, and desiccant units are not represented in the ENERGY STAR certified dehumidifier list, which covers compressor portables and whole-home units. Desiccant machines use a resistive heater to regenerate the rotor, so their draw is roughly flat with temperature rather than falling off with it - the opposite trade to a compressor. We will not print a number for this one without a published source.

What is good

• +Keeps extracting at temperatures where a compressor's coil ices and its output collapses
• +No compressor, so it is quieter and lighter than any refrigerant unit here
• +Continuous drain hose included
• +Warm, dry exhaust, which is useful in a cold room and a nuisance in a warm one

What is not

• -No published wattage, and desiccant units are generally less efficient than compressors at normal room temperature
• -410 sq ft coverage - this is a small-space machine
• -It heats the room, which is the last thing a summer basement needs

Who it is for

Unheated garages, boats, sheds and crawl spaces in winter, where a compressor unit spends its time defrosting.

Skip it if

Skip it for a warm summer basement. Above roughly 65F a compressor removes more water per kWh, and the desiccant's waste heat works against you.

What it costs to hold the line

Mold work is unattended work, so the running-cost question is not "what does an hour cost" but "what does a season cost". A 50-pint unit averages 487 W:

That is the cost of a correctly sized machine reaching its target and idling. An undersized one never gets there, so it never idles - it runs flat out around the clock, costs roughly double, and the humidity stays where it was. That is the most expensive mistake available here, and it is why capacity comes before price. Work out your own number.

Where mold actually grows, and which machine suits each

The cold-room problem, which is where most mold lives

There is an awkward overlap in this category that almost nobody states: mold prefers cool damp spaces, and compressor dehumidifiers are worst in exactly those conditions.

A compressor works by chilling a coil below the air's dew point. As the room gets colder the coil has to run colder still, and below roughly 41F it ices faster than the defrost cycle can clear it. Ivation's own published comparison puts a desiccant rotor at 11.8 pints a day at 41F against a compressor's 2.9 - a four-fold difference in the conditions an unheated basement or garage actually sits at through winter.

For a heated or partly heated basement in summer, ignore this - a compressor is more efficient and higher capacity, and that is the season the moisture arrives anyway. For an unheated space you need dry year-round, a desiccant unit is the machine that keeps working. The full comparison.

One thing a dehumidifier will not fix, and one it might

It will not fix a smell coming from inside the machine. Standing condensate in a warm tank grows biofilm, and a unit run on its bucket in a damp room can end up producing exactly the musty smell you bought it to remove. Rinse the tank when you empty it, or run a hose and let the tank sit dry - one of several quiet arguments for continuous drainage. Maintenance.

It might fix the smell in the room, and this is the honest version of what buyers usually mean by "mold smell". A musty basement that has no visible growth is usually damp materials - cardboard, paper, fabric, timber - holding moisture and off-gassing. Hold the air at 45 to 50 percent for a few weeks and those materials give up their moisture and the smell goes. That is a real result and it is the most common good outcome from a purchase on this page.