Best Small Dehumidifiers 2023

Dampness can be an issue in both small and large spaces. If you’re short on square footage or have a certain spot in your home that tends to run humid, a dehumidifier can help. The best small dehumidifiers suck excess moisture from the air without making a racket—or hogging floor space. We like the Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier for its compact footprint and portability, but there are other quality options that made our list.

The best small dehumidifiers suck excess moisture from the air without making a racket—or hogging ... [+] floor space.

Dehumidification is particularly important in the summer when conditions tend to run hot and humid, says David Steckel, home expert at Thumbtack. But some homes or certain areas in homes tend to collect moisture more than others, regardless of the time of year. “A small dehumidifier is a great option for people who only need to dehumidify one or two rooms in their homes,” says Mallory Micetich, home expert at Angi. And since they aren’t as powerful as bigger models, they’re best suited for small spaces like bedrooms, closets and bathrooms.

To choose the best small dehumidifier for your home, consider elements like how much space you want to cover, the dimensions of the machine and how often you feel comfortable emptying it. Some even offer smart features to make your dehumidification process as simple as possible, whether you’re using a basement dehumidifier or placing the appliance in another room. With that in mind, here are the best small dehumidifiers to keep dampness at bay.

Amazon

Dimensions: 6.2 x 8.6 x 11.8 inches | Capacity: 52 ounces | Coverage: 250 square feet | Noise level: 33 decibels

The Pro Breeze is designed to tackle dehumidifying needs in smaller spaces, like your home office, bedroom or bathroom. The machine is petite—just 12 inches high—and has a 52-ounce water tank, making it highly portable and easy to place just about anywhere. The Pro Breeze runs at 33 decibels, which is just above the sound of a whisper. It pulls up to 18 ounces of water from your air a day and has an automatic shut-off to power down when the tank is full. While it’s not fancy, it gets the job done and covers the needs of most small spaces—at a price you can feel good about.

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The Home Depot

Dimensions: 10.5 x 15 x 20 inches | Capacity: 30 pints | Coverage: 1,500 square feet | Noise level: Unspecified

A little moisture in your bedroom is great for your skin, but too much can damage your furniture and flooring. This Honeywell model is designed for rooms up to 1,500 square feet, making it a great choice for just about anywhere. It features caster wheels, allowing you to move it easily from your bedroom to your home office. The smart digital control system detects moisture levels in your room and adjusts automatically, meaning there's no need to get out of bed to adjust settings. With two fan speeds, you can change the intensity as needed. Additionally, the dehumidifier comes with a 24-hour timer, so you can program it to work around your sleep schedule.

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Amazon

Dimensions: 5.5 x 9.1 x 12 inches | Capacity: 1.5 liters | Coverage: 160 square feet | Noise level: Unspecified

Bathrooms are notorious for housing humidity. If your exhaust system isn't up to snuff, a small dehumidifier can help. The Pure Enrichment PureDry Deluxe covers up to 160 square feet of space—plenty for most bathrooms—and offers high and low speeds to remove up to 20 ounces of water from the air per day. The machine includes four- and eight-hour timer settings and automatically shuts off when the water tank is full. Weighing a mere 5.5 pounds, it's easy to move around as needed. And at just 5.5 inches deep and 9 inches wide, it’s small enough to tuck into a corner and forget about it.

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Amazon

Dimensions: 11 x 15.4 x 24.3inches | Capacity: 1.6 gallons | Coverage: 3,000 square feet | Noise level: Unspecified

If you’re looking for a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from your entire house, you may want to consider a larger version. But if you live in a smaller home, the HomeLabs 35-Pint Dehumidifier is up for the task. This machine can cover up to 3,000 square feet of space, making it a good option to stash in your living room or other expansive area in your home. It allows you to set your ideal moisture setting and can run continuously until the tank is full—automatically shutting itself off. The machine’s digital control display is easy to operate, while the six foot cord gives you a little freedom to move it away from the wall.

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Amazon

Dimensions: 14.8 x 14.5 x 14.6 inches | Capacity: 35 pints | Coverage: 3,500 square feet | Noise level: 42 decibels

Despite its relatively compact footprint, the Midea Cube dehumidifier can cover up to 3,500 square feet of space. This handy machine syncs up with an app on your phone, allowing you to adjust the settings from anywhere you have a signal. Moreover, it connects to smart home devices, giving you the convenience to adjust the humidity level with the power of your voice. You can easily switch between low and high speeds, as well as three modes—set, max, and continuous—for optimal performance.

The timer can be adjusted in 30-minute increments up to 10 hours, as well as one-hour increments up to 24 hours, providing you with plenty of options for runtime customization. Additionally, the dehumidifier features a built-in handle, making it easy to move the device from room to room as needed.

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Amazon

Dimensions: 6.8 x 10.6 x 17.3 inches | Capacity: 13 pints | Coverage: 270 square feet | Noise level: Unspecified

Desiccant dehumidifiers are known to be more efficient at lower temperatures. If you have a room that runs particularly chilly, it’s worth considering this style of dehumidifier. This Ivation model can handle up to 270 square feet, making it a good choice for a bathroom or particularly damp area in your basement. The machine’s digital display panel makes it easy to see elements like temperature and target humidity level, along with the current fan speed (there are two). The Ivation dehumidifier easily operates between 33 to 104 degrees, giving you a wide range to work with.

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The Home Depot

Dimensions: 9.9 x 13.2 x 19.4 inches | Capacity: 22 pints | Coverage: 1,500 square feet | Noise level: 45 decibels

There’s a definite value in having a dehumidifier you set and forget—and this GE model allows you to do just that. The machine features Smart Dry technology, which compares the humidity level you set with the moisture in the room and adjusts the fan speed to achieve the desired levels. (You also have the option to manually flip through three fan speeds when the mood strikes.) The dehumidifier handles up to 1,500 square feet of space and has pocket handles and wheels, making it easy to move from room to room. Additionally, there’s a two- and four-hour timer, allowing you to customize your run time. Operating at 45 decibels, this device produces sound similar to that of a light rain.

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Appliancesconnection

Dimensions: 10 x 14 x 20 inches | Capacity: 20 pints | Coverage: 1,500 square feet | Noise level: Unspecified

If you have humidity issues in several areas of your home and don’t feel like shelling out for multiple machines, a portable version is a must. The Ivation IVAESDH30P has large caster wheels to help you move it from room to room, along with a portable tank so you’re not tethered to a drain. This model features a built-in humidity sensor, allowing you to set the level you want and let it get to work. It also shuts off automatically when the tank is full, preventing overflow issues. A 24-hour timer and two fan speeds give you options for when and how you want to run your machine.

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The Home Depot

Dimensions: 11.3 x 15.5 x 19.7 inches | Capacity: 22 pints | Coverage: 330 square feet | Noise Level: 43 decibels

This handy device does the work of a dehumidifier and air purifier in one. It helps pull in dust from your air to create a cleaner breathing environment while sucking out moisture in one go. The Frigidaire dehumidifier has a washable filter that’s easy to clean, so you don’t need to stress about having replacements on hand. The machine has a front-loading bucket with a carrying handle and splash guard for easy access and emptying. It also features custom humidity control to help you dictate the moisture levels, while three different fan speeds give you options. An automatic shut off feature powers down the machine when the bucket is full.

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There is no official size restriction for small dehumidifiers. However, these units are generally smaller in stature and capacity than their regular-sized counterparts. For instance, some dehumidifiers like our top choice, the Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier, can perch on a desktop or counter. While others are better suited for the floor. As for weight, these models are fairly lightweight and tend to usually weigh under 40 pounds.

Every dehumidifier, whether small or a conventional size, is designed to work up to a certain room size. Dehumidifiers designed for smaller rooms—such as the Pure Enrichment PureDry Deluxe Dehumidifier, for example—offer coverage of just 160 square feet, making it a good option for a bathroom or home office. By contrast, the HomeLabs 35-Pint Dehumidifier can cover up to 3,000 square feet, allowing it to pull excess moisture out of an entire house. Consider the size of the room you want to dehumidify before investing in a specific machine.

A dehumidifier’s capacity is the amount of water it can pull from the air. Technically a dehumidifier pulls out more moisture from the air than its capacity states—you’ll just need to empty the bucket more often. Capacity can vary from a few ounces to 35 or so pints. If you have a particularly humid space, you’ll want to consider a machine with a higher capacity. If you’re just looking to slightly lower excess moisture levels, a smaller capacity should do just fine.

Certain small dehumidifiers perform better in particular spaces. The large-capacity HomeLabs 35-Pint Dehumidifier can cover up to 3,000 square feet of space, making it an unnecessary choice for a smaller space like a bathroom. However, machines like the Honeywell 20 Pint Energy Star Dehumidifier—which has a 1,500-square-foot capacity—are better suited for bedrooms and living rooms. Determining in advance where you plan to use your small dehumidifier will help you save time and money.

It depends on a few factors. If you have an air conditioner, you may not need a dehumidifier—or may only need one in select areas of your home, says Steckel. “If you have an air conditioner, it naturally dehumidifies to a degree,” he says. But a small dehumidifier can help with certain rooms that have excess moisture, like a bathroom, laundry room or damp corner in your basement. Plus, a small dehumidifier can help protect your home and furniture. “If you have a house with hardwood, you need to keep the humidity between 35% to 55%,” he points out. “Otherwise, the boards will expand, cap or crown. If you have a basement, you might also need extra dehumidification, or moisture might build up.”

A lot depends on your home. “Depending on your needs, one large dehumidifier may work better for your home,” Micetich says. “If you only need to dehumidify one or two rooms in your home, a couple of small dehumidifiers may do the trick.” Meaning, if your bathroom and area around your laundry set-up are overly moist, a small dehumidifier should help. But if excess moisture is an issue in your entire house, you’ll likely need a larger option. “If you need to dehumidify larger areas, it may be a good idea to choose a larger dehumidifying unit or even a whole-house dehumidifier,” Micetich says.

“Generally, small dehumidifiers are quieter than larger ones,” says Micetich. “However, two small dehumidifiers may be louder than one large unit.” Some—but not all—dehumidifiers list their noise outputs online (in terms of decibels). For the ones that don’t, it’s a good idea to consult the reviews to see what real owners say in terms of noise output. “I recommend doing some research to try to find a quiet unit if noise levels are a concern for you,” she notes. As for cleaning, small units may need more maintenance than larger options. “Small portable dehumidifiers collect water in trays that need to be emptied on a regular basis,” she adds. “If you have a dehumidifier that is too small for your space, you may have to empty the trays