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The Dry Index

An index of dehumidifiers, exhaustively

The pint number
on the box changed
meaning in 2019

The US Department of Energy moved the test from 80F to 65F and capacity ratings fell about a quarter on hardware that did not change. This is the trusted reference for what the number means now, what a unit will actually cost you to run, and where the water goes.

Certified models measured
527
Wattages we can source
7/21
Prices last verified
Not yet
An unfinished basement wall of concrete block in hard directional light
Calculate what yours costs to run - every default shown and sourced

Top pick from every roundup

What we would buy, by category

An empty unfinished basement with exposed floor joists overhead

Best for basements

Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier

The only unit here that solves the real basement problem, which is not capacity but where the water goes when you are not standing next to it.

An industrial pump and hose assembly against a plain background

Best with a pump

Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump

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.

A printed reference table of figures under directional light

Best 50-pint

Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier

The only unit here that solves the real basement problem, which is not capacity but where the water goes when you are not standing next to it.

Rain running down an apartment window above a city street

Best 30-pint

hOmeLabs 32 Pint Dehumidifier

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.

A dark, sparsely furnished bedroom at night

Best for bedrooms

hOmeLabs 32 Pint Dehumidifier

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.

A tiled shower enclosure with steam and water on the glass

Best for bathrooms

Ivation 13 Pint Desiccant Dehumidifier

The small desiccant, for spaces that are cold and enclosed rather than large and damp.

A low crawl space beneath a house, joists and piers visible

Best for crawl spaces

AlorAir Sentinel HD55 Crawl Space Dehumidifier

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.

An empty concrete-floored garage lit from one side

Best for garages

GE ENERGY STAR 50 Pint Dehumidifier

The same 50-pint platform as the pump model with the pump removed, which makes it the cheaper choice when the water can simply run downhill.

Rain on an apartment window with a city street below

Best for apartments

Waykar 30 Pint ENERGY STAR Dehumidifier

A small-footprint unit sized for one room, and one of the cheapest ways to buy an ENERGY STAR Most Efficient claim at this capacity.

A single filament bulb glowing against a dark background

Most efficient

hOmeLabs 32 Pint Dehumidifier

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.

An audio level meter glowing in a dark room

Quietest

Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier

A thermoelectric unit that removes about one pint a day, which is roughly one fiftieth of a 50-pint machine and needs saying out loud before anyone buys one for a basement.

Seven sections

Where to start

Concrete basement stairs descending into a dim below-grade room

Hub / Best

Best

Eleven roundups, split by room and by capacity, each with a live price and a unit we would skip.

Top pick: Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier

Check price on Amazon

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A steel tape measure lying across a bare concrete floor

Hub / Sizing

Sizing

What a DOE pint rating actually measures, the old-to-new conversion table, and how to size for a real room.

A round cast-iron floor drain set into a concrete slab

Hub / Drainage

Drainage

Gravity or pump, hose sizes and adapters, pump lift and reach, and why the continuous drain stopped working.

Top pick: Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier with Pump

Check price on Amazon

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The dials of a mechanical residential electricity meter

Hub / Running cost

Running cost

Wattage by DOE class, cost per day and month at your own rate, and a calculator with every default visible.

The control panel of a white household appliance, buttons in close-up

Hub / Reviews

Reviews

Nine current models, each with certified capacity, a computed running cost and a reason to skip it.

Top pick: Midea Cube 50 Pint Dehumidifier

Check price on Amazon

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Heavy condensation beaded on the inside of a cold window pane

Hub / Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Not collecting, icing up, leaking, too loud, and the humidity setting that will not go below 60.

Two identical industrial doors side by side in a plain wall

Index / Compare

Compare

Dehumidifier against humidifier, DampRid, air conditioning, air purifiers, and desiccant against compressor.

Why trust this

What we do instead

  • Published, reproducible arithmetic

    Every wattage on this site is computed from a named model's ENERGY STAR certified capacity and Integrated Energy Factor, with the formula and the cross-check printed. Redo it yourself in three lines.

  • Primary sources, cited at the point of use

    DOE test procedure, ENERGY STAR certified product list, EIA electricity rates, EPA humidity guidance, and manufacturer documentation. Not another affiliate site's numbers restated as fact.

  • Live prices, or none

    Prices refresh daily and carry the date they were verified. Older than 48 hours and they disappear - the button reads "Check price" instead. A stale number is worse than no number.

  • A reason to skip, on every pick

    Every roundup names a unit we would not buy and why. A recommendation with no counter-case is an advertisement.

Everyone in this category says they tested twenty units. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we do instead is read every manual and specification sheet, pull each model out of the ENERGY STAR certified list, compute what it will actually cost you to run at your own electricity rate, and show the arithmetic so you can check it.

0

Units we claim to have tested

Numbers on this site you can verify yourself: all of them. Read the method.

Read these first

The four that carry the argument

A printed table of specification figures photographed under hard light

Sizing / Pillar guide

What the pint number on a dehumidifier actually means

The 2019 DOE test change, the official conversion table, and the saturation rating that is 3x the certified one.

A calculator and a pen on a dark desk surface

Running cost / Tool

Dehumidifier running cost calculator

Your own rate, your own hours, and every default value shown on screen with its source.

An empty unfinished basement with exposed floor joists overhead

Best / Roundup

The best dehumidifiers for a basement

Five basement units ranked on drainage first, with computed running costs and a unit we would not buy.

A pump and hose assembly in hard side light

Drainage / Comparison

Pump or gravity: decide this before anything else

A five-minute test that eliminates half the market, and the middle option most buyers miss.

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How this is funded

Plainly

The Dry Index is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you buy through a link here we earn a commission, at no additional cost to you.

That commission never determines a ranking. Where a cheaper unit is the better buy it goes first, and every roundup names a product to skip. We accept no payment for placement, no free products, and no sponsored positions.

Amazon is currently the only retailer we are able to link. That is the ordinary state of a site that is days old rather than a limitation on what we recommend - every buy link is a swappable configuration entry, so a better program is a one-line change with no content rewritten.

Full disclosureRead the method

#adThe Dry Index earns a commission on qualifying purchases made through links on this site, at no extra cost to you. It never changes a ranking. Full disclosure.