Sized by Room, Dampness and Drain
5 picks compared · prices, ratings and stock checked October 11, 2026
Our Top Pick
For most rooms and apartments, the Kesnos 30 Pint: the strongest buyer record among the mid-size units, a 36 dB noise claim and memory restart after a power cut. For a whole basement or a very damp space, the AEOCKY RHEA-001; for the most efficient mid-size unit, the Waykar 34 Pint.
4.5 on Amazon · 4,217 ratings
Quick answer
For most homes, the right dehumidifier is a mid-size ENERGY STAR compressor unit of about 30 to 35 pints on its label, with a hose outlet so it can drain without a tank to empty. The Kesnos 30 Pint is the default pick, rated 4.5 stars across 4,217 Amazon ratings, quoted at 36 dB and built to restart itself after a power cut. Step up to an 80-pint unit such as the AEOCKY RHEA-001 for a whole basement or a space with wet walls, and down to a 22-pint unit for one damp room. Set any of them to hold 30–50% humidity.
Every pick below is currently stocked — ratings and stock read from Amazon on 11 October 2026.
Best for: A living area, home office, apartment or mildly damp basement room with a drain within reach of the hose
Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
Best for: A room or apartment where the unit will run for months and running cost matters as much as the purchase
Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
Best for: A whole basement, an open-plan floor or a space with condensation on walls and windows
Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
Best for: A room with no drain nearby, where a tank that lasts about a day matters more than anything else
Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
Best for: One damp room of a few hundred square feet, such as a bedroom, laundry room or small basement den
Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
How this page was made: we compare the current Amazon listings, the makers' published specs and what verified buyers report, then rank by fit for the job. Ratings, review counts and stock are read from Amazon and dated. We earn a commission on purchases through our links; it does not change the order. Reviewed by Marcus Reed, IICRC-certified Water Restoration Technician.
Full Reviews
Each pick in detail: what the listing states, what buyers report, and where it falls short.
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Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
See it on Amazon ↗Best Overall
Quick Verdict
The default mid-size home dehumidifier: 36 dB claimed, memory restart and a hose in the box — run it on the hose, because the tank is tiny.
Key Specs
Capacity (stated)
30 pints/day at 95°F, 90% RH
Coverage (claimed)
Up to 2,500 sq ft
Efficiency
2025 ENERGY STAR certified; ETL, CEC and DOE listed
Drainage
0.39 gal tank with auto shut-off and full indicator, or the included 3.3 ft hose (extends with a 1/2 in garden hose, not included)
Humidity and modes
Built to bring a room down to 30% RH; Comfort, Dry, Continuous and Turbo modes
Noise (claimed)
36 dB (mode and distance not stated)
Pros
Cons
Suited to
A living area, home office, apartment or mildly damp basement room with a drain within reach of the hose
Our take
This is the size most homes need: a compact compressor unit for a living area, a home office, an apartment or a mildly damp basement room. Read its numbers with care. The 30 pints is measured at 95°F and 90% relative humidity, far warmer and wetter than any living room, so it will pull less than that from your house, and the listing gives no figure at the cooler DOE test point. The tank is the other catch: 0.39 gallons is a little over 3 pints, so in a genuinely damp room it fills within hours. Run the included hose to a floor drain or anywhere lower than the outlet and it keeps going indefinitely, restarting itself after a power cut.
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These open a search for this model. We quote prices only where we can verify them — Amazon, Sylvane and eBay.
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Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
See it on Amazon ↗Most Efficient Mid-Size
Quick Verdict
The efficient mid-size choice: ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2025, a 30–80% humidity setting and power outage memory.
Key Specs
Capacity (stated)
34 pints/day at 95°F, 90% RH
Coverage (claimed)
Up to 2,000 sq ft
Efficiency
Listed as 2025 ENERGY STAR Most Efficient; DOE and TUV listed
Humidity setting
30% to 80%
Drainage
0.62 gal tank with auto shut-off, or the included 3.3 ft hose
Noise (claimed)
As low as 38 dB on the low fan speed; 2 fan speeds
Pros
Cons
Suited to
A room or apartment where the unit will run for months and running cost matters as much as the purchase
Our take
The certification is the reason to pick this over the Kesnos. ENERGY STAR Most Efficient goes to the top tier of certified models each year, and a dehumidifier that runs through a humid summer piles up its running cost hour by hour, so efficiency is the specification that keeps paying. It also gives you a humidity setting from 30% to 80% and two fan speeds, with the low speed quoted at 38 dB. Treat the savings figures on the listing as the maker's estimate rather than a planning number. One practical note from the listing itself: when you use the tank instead of the hose, the drain-pipe switch has to be tightened, or water can leak from the outlet.
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Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
See it on Amazon ↗Best for Large or Very Damp Spaces
Quick Verdict
The large-space pick: 56 pints a day at 86°F, ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2025 and power-off memory — confirm the drain setup.
Key Specs
Capacity (stated)
80 pints/day at 95°F, 95% RH; 56 pints/day at 86°F, 80% RH
Coverage (claimed)
Up to 5,500 sq ft
Efficiency
Listed as ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2025
Noise (claimed)
44 dB at the lowest fan speed
Restart
Power-off memory; resumes after power returns
Cold-room operation
Defrost sensors for running in cooler spaces
Pros
Cons
Suited to
A whole basement, an open-plan floor or a space with condensation on walls and windows
Our take
For a whole basement, an open-plan ground floor or any space with condensation on the walls, a mid-size unit will run flat out without catching up, and this is the step up. Its listing gives two capacity figures: 80 pints a day at 95°F and 95% RH, and 56 pints at 86°F and 80% RH. The second is the more useful one, and even that is warmer than a basement, where any compressor unit pulls less. It is listed as ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2025, quotes 44 dB on its lowest fan speed and resumes after a power cut. What the bullets do not give is the tank size or a hose length, so check the drain arrangement on the product page before relying on it to run unattended.
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Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
See it on Amazon ↗Quick Verdict
The bucket you empty about once a day instead of several times, with a rating on the current DOE test — noise and auto-restart not stated.
Key Specs
Capacity (stated)
35 pints/day, described as similar to 50 pints under the 2012 DOE test
Coverage (claimed)
Up to 3,500 sq ft
Humidity setting
35% to 85%
Bucket
4.2 gal (15.9 L), removable
Drainage
Included drain hose for continuous drainage (length not stated)
Controls
Wi-Fi app; Alexa and Google Assistant voice control
Pros
Cons
Suited to
A room with no drain nearby, where a tank that lasts about a day matters more than anything else
Our take
Two details set this listing apart. The first is the rating: it gives 35 pints a day and says that is similar to 50 pints under the 2012 DOE test, which places the 35 on the current, cooler DOE test rather than a saturation point. Compared like for like, it is a larger machine than its label suggests. The second is the bucket. At 4.2 gallons, about 33 pints, it holds roughly a full day of the unit's rated output, where most portable units need emptying within hours. That makes it the pick for a room with no drain. What the listing leaves out is a noise figure and any mention of restarting after an outage, so confirm both if they matter to you.
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Listing verified 13 Oct 2026
See it on Amazon ↗Best for a Single Room
Quick Verdict
An honest single-room unit: 280 sq ft under the 2019 DOE standard, a hose in the box and an audible full alert.
Key Specs
Capacity (stated)
Up to 22.27 pints per 24 hours (test conditions not stated on the listing)
Coverage (stated)
Up to 1,500 sq ft under the 2012 DOE standard; 280 sq ft under the 2019 DOE standard
Bucket
6.8 pints, detachable
Hose
3.2 ft, included, for continuous drainage
Efficiency
Listed as ENERGY STAR and UL certified; R32 refrigerant
Full-tank protection
Overflow shut-off with indicator light and audible alert
Pros
Cons
Suited to
One damp room of a few hundred square feet, such as a bedroom, laundry room or small basement den
Our take
This listing makes the clearest case on the page for reading coverage claims with care. It states that the same machine covers up to 1,500 square feet under the 2012 DOE standard and 280 square feet under the 2019 one: one unit, two tests, more than a fivefold difference. The 280 is the number to plan with, and it describes what this is, a single-room dehumidifier for a damp bedroom, a laundry room or a small finished basement space. It includes a 3.2 ft drain hose and a 6.8-pint bucket that shuts the unit off and sounds an alert when full, and it is listed as ENERGY STAR certified. Noise and auto-restart are the gaps.
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What to know before you buy.
Start with two questions: how big is the space, and how wet is it. A single room that feels clammy is a small job, and a 22-pint unit such as the BLACK+DECKER covers it. A living area, an apartment or one basement room with a musty smell is a medium job, suited to a 30- to 35-pint unit like the Kesnos, Waykar or Midea Cube. A whole basement, an open-plan floor or any space with condensation on the walls, damp carpet or water on the windows each morning is a large job, and that is where an 80-pint unit like the AEOCKY earns its size. Before buying, leave a digital hygrometer in the space for a day. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%; the further above that the reading sits, the bigger the machine you need.
The pint figure on a dehumidifier box is only comparable when you know the test behind it. Since 2019 the Department of Energy has rated capacity at 65°F and 60% relative humidity, cooler than the 80°F of the earlier test, so the same machine now earns a smaller number. The Midea Cube says as much: its 35 pints are similar to 50 under the 2012 test. Many listings instead quote a saturation figure, such as 95°F and 90% RH for the Kesnos and Waykar, which makes a unit look larger. BLACK+DECKER shows how far apart the standards sit, quoting 1,500 square feet under the 2012 test and 280 under the 2019 one for the same unit. Compare like with like, and when a listing names no test point, treat its figure as a maximum.
A dehumidifier can run most of the day for months at a time, so efficiency matters more than it does for most appliances. ENERGY STAR certification sets a minimum efficiency, measured in liters of water removed per kilowatt-hour on the DOE test. ENERGY STAR Most Efficient goes further and recognizes the top tier of certified models in a given year; the Waykar 34 Pint and the AEOCKY RHEA-001 are both listed as Most Efficient 2025. Kesnos, Midea and BLACK+DECKER list standard ENERGY STAR certification. The savings percentages printed on listings are the makers' own estimates and vary widely, so judge on the certification itself, which the ENERGY STAR website lets you look up by brand and model number.
How the water leaves decides how often you have to think about the machine. Tanks on this page range from 0.39 gallons on the Kesnos, about 3 pints, to 4.2 gallons on the Midea Cube, about 33 pints. A small tank in a damp room means emptying it several times a day, and a full tank stops the unit. A drain hose fixes that, but only by gravity: it needs a floor drain, sump or utility sink lower than the unit's outlet. Four of the five picks include a hose in the box; the AEOCKY's bullets do not describe its drainage. If the only drain is higher than the floor, such as a laundry sink rim or a window, you need a model with a built-in pump, which has its own buying guide.
Noise figures on listings are makers' numbers with no stated distance or mode, so treat a few decibels as a tie; Kesnos quotes 36 dB, Waykar 38 dB on low and AEOCKY 44 dB on its lowest fan. A compressor unit also cycles on and off as it reaches its set point, which some people notice more than a steady hum. The built-in humidistat reads the air at the unit's own intake, which can differ from the far side of the room, so check the display once against a separate hygrometer and adjust the set point to match. Auto-restart matters more than it sounds: after a storm knocks the power out, a unit without it stays off until someone notices. Kesnos, Waykar and AEOCKY state it; the Midea Cube 35 and BLACK+DECKER listings do not.
A general-purpose unit covers most rooms, but some spaces have their own demands. A cold basement or an unheated garage needs a unit that defrosts and keeps working as the temperature falls, because compressor coils frost as a room cools. A bedroom needs low noise and a light that goes fully dark. In a bathroom, the EPA's first advice is to vent moisture outside with an exhaust fan, with a compact unit for what the fan cannot clear. A home where every floor runs damp may be better served by a ducted whole-house dehumidifier tied into the HVAC system. And where mold has already grown, a dehumidifier helps stop it coming back but does not remove it; fix the moisture source and clean the growth first. Each of these has its own buying guide among the related reviews on this page.
Match it to the space and how damp it is, using a figure from a known test. For one damp room, a small unit such as the 22-pint BLACK+DECKER, rated for 280 square feet under the 2019 DOE standard, is enough. A living area or apartment suits a 30- to 35-pint unit.
A whole basement or a space with wet walls needs a large unit; the AEOCKY quotes 56 pints a day at 86°F and 80% RH. If a unit runs constantly and the hygrometer still sits above 50%, it is too small for the space.
In the dampest space, as close as practical to where the moisture comes from, with the doors and windows to that space closed. Stand it on a hard, level floor in an open spot, with the intake and outlet clear of walls, curtains and furniture so air can reach it from every side.
If you are running a hose, place it beside a floor drain or sump so the water runs downhill, and check the hose end after the first day.
Between 40% and 50% relative humidity for most of the year. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%, and below 60% at most, because mold can establish on damp surfaces above that level.
Pushing a house much below 40% adds running time without a real benefit and can leave the air feeling dry. If your unit has no numbered setting, use its continuous or auto mode and watch a separate hygrometer instead.
It dependsOn the size of the space, how much moisture is stored in carpet, drywall and furniture, and how much is still coming in.
In the first days the tank tends to fill fastest while the reading falls slowly, because the unit is pulling stored moisture out of materials as well as the air. Track it with a hygrometer: a steady fall toward 50% over the first week means the unit suits the space, and no movement means it is too small or water is still getting in.
A portable unit dries the space it sits in and the rooms that share open air with it; it does little for rooms behind closed doors or on another floor. In an open-plan single-story home a large unit can cover a lot of ground.
In a multi-story house with closed rooms, use a unit in each problem area or consider a ducted whole-house dehumidifier that works through the HVAC system. Coverage claims on portable listings, such as 5,500 square feet, describe a ceiling rather than a promise.
NoSingle brand wins on every point, so choose on stated figures and buyer record rather than the name.
On this page Kesnos has the strongest buyer record among the mid-size units, Waykar and AEOCKY carry ENERGY STAR Most Efficient 2025 listings, Midea gives a rating tied to the DOE test with the largest bucket, and BLACK+DECKER states its coverage under both DOE standards. Whichever brand you pick, confirm ENERGY STAR certification, a hose outlet and a capacity figure with its test conditions.
Call (888) 840-6512. The line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and connects you with an IICRC-certified water damage restoration company that serves your area. A recorded menu picks up first: choose water damage or mold, key in your 5-digit ZIP code, and hold through the short silence while the call is passed to the company.
Describe what you can see — where the water is coming from, how long it has been there, and whether it smells — the more specific you are, the faster the right company is on the line. If the source is a pipe or an appliance, shut the main water valve first. Have four things ready and the call goes quickly: the address, when the water started, what is wet now, and whether you have filed an insurance claim.
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Most basement dehumidifier disappointment comes from two numbers nobody reads properly: the pint rating, measured at warm test conditions a 60°F basement never reaches, and the drainage method. Five units are compared here on those two points first, from a garden-hose drain to a built-in pump with a stated 15 ft lift.
Read the comparisonA bedroom dehumidifier has to be quiet enough to sleep beside, and five of the six picks here are thermoelectric units that remove ounces of water a day rather than pints. That is enough for a stuffy bedroom, closet or studio apartment; for a room with wet windows every morning, the sixth pick is a small compressor unit rated in pints.
Read the comparisonAn exhaust fan ducted outdoors is the real fix for a steamy bathroom, and a plug-in dehumidifier is what you add when there is no fan or the one you have barely pulls. The units small enough for a bathroom remove ounces of water a day, so their job is drying the walls, ceiling and grout sooner after the steam clears, not clearing the steam.
Read the comparisonA built-in pump is the answer when the only drain is above the dehumidifier: a laundry sink, a standpipe or a window. It is only an answer if it can lift water that high, and two of the four listings here state a lift height while two do not.
Read the comparisonA whole house dehumidifier is installed, drains itself and, in most homes, is ducted into the heating and cooling system so it dries every room the air reaches. Three AprilAire E-series units carry the strongest buyer record in a category with far fewer ratings than portables, and one large portable is here for the open basement that does not need ducts.
Read the comparisonA dehumidifier stops mold by taking away the damp it needs, and the musty smell usually leaves with the damp. It does not kill mold that is already growing, so these picks are judged on the job they can do: holding a basement, a room or a closet below 50% humidity, day after day.
Read the comparisonA garage is the hardest space in a house to dehumidify: it runs cold, it leaks air and it rarely has a drain. These four picks are judged on the specifications that decide whether a unit keeps working there, from a capacity stated at cool conditions and auto defrost to a desiccant option for winter and a hose that reaches a drain.
Read the comparisonA dehumidifier and a humidifier are opposites: one pulls water out of air that is too damp, the other adds it to air that is too dry. A hygrometer reading tells you which one your home needs, and getting it wrong, such as running a humidifier in a damp room, can grow the mold you were trying to avoid.
Read the comparisonA closed closet trades very little air with the rest of the house, so a hanging absorber or a mini dehumidifier can keep up with it where it could never dry a room. The picks here are sorted by the closet you have: no outlet, an outlet, or a walk-in beside a damp wall or a bathroom.
Read the comparisonA camper packs cooking, showers and sleeping into a few hundred square feet of thin, often cold shell, which is why windows stream and cabinets smell musty. These five picks are matched to how the RV is used, from a compact compressor on shore power and a low-watt unit for battery and inverter to cordless and disposable absorbers for the months it sits in storage.
Read the comparisonA laundry room collects moisture from the washer, from clothes dried on racks and from any dryer vent that leaks, and it is often the smallest, least ventilated room in the house. These five compressor dehumidifiers are judged on what that job needs: a clothes-drying or continuous mode, enough capacity for wet loads, and a drain hose that reaches a floor drain or utility sink.
Read the comparisonA hygrometer is the small, inexpensive instrument that tells you whether a room needs a dehumidifier, a humidifier or nothing at all. These picks are judged on the accuracy each listing states, how easily you can read them, and whether they can warn you about a damp basement before you smell it.
Read the comparisonThe Midea Cube's selling point is a big tank under the machine, so you empty it less often than a typical portable dehumidifier. This comparison is built from Midea's listings, published specs and buyer ratings, not from running the machines, and covers both Cube sizes plus the standard Midea models with a pump or a quieter stated noise figure.
Read the comparisonFrigidaire sells dehumidifiers in 22, 35 and 50 pint sizes on Amazon, and its listings say less than most about test conditions, tanks and drainage. This comparison is built from those listings, published specs and buyer ratings, with ENERGY STAR's sizing chart, the details to check before you order, and a larger non-Frigidaire unit for big, wet basements.
Read the comparisonHisense sells 25, 35 and 50-pint dehumidifiers on Amazon, including a lift-up model with a built-in pump. This review compares the current models from their listings, published specs and buyer ratings, and points out what each listing leaves out: test conditions, pump lift and drain options.
Read the comparisonThis GE dehumidifier review compares GE's current 25, 35 and 50-pint models using their Amazon listings, published specs and buyer ratings rather than our own use of the machines. It covers which size fits which room by ENERGY STAR's sizing chart, what each listing leaves unstated, and the Midea and Waykar models to look at where GE's own options fall short.
Read the comparisonHoneywell-branded portable dehumidifiers have become hard to find on Amazon, and Honeywell's own support page says a former licensee of the brand, Airtek International/Jmatek, is no longer in business. This review compares the one Honeywell still listed, the TP-Fit 32 Pint, with the Midea and Waykar machines that do the same jobs, built from the listings, published specs and buyer ratings read on 12 Oct 2026.
Read the comparisonhOmeLabs sells dehumidifiers from 8 to 50 pints, with and without a pump, and the right one depends more on where the water drains than on the pint figure. This review compares four current models from their listings, the conditions behind each capacity number and ENERGY STAR's sizing guidance, rather than from use.
Read the comparisonA portable dehumidifier can be a 2.6 lb closet unit or a 31 lb basement machine, and the right one depends on how much water the space gives off and how often you will move it. These five picks are compared from their listings on wheels, weight, tank, hose and the conditions behind each capacity figure.
Read the comparisonMost apartments need a small compressor dehumidifier, not a mini thermoelectric unit, and the real questions for a renter are noise, floor space and where the water goes without a floor drain. These picks are compared on what each listing states, alongside EPA's advice on reporting leaks and moisture to the building owner and ENERGY STAR's room sizing table.
Read the comparisonA '50 pint' label means different things depending on the test behind it: the federal test has run at 65°F since 2019, while many listings quote output in 95°F air. This page explains the difference, checks each brand's rating against ENERGY STAR's certified list, and ranks the units that are 50-pint machines on the current scale.
Read the comparison