Even though I’ve spent the better part of my life living in humid New York City, I’ve never owned a dehumidifier. I never had a basement, and I was ignorant of the benefits of a portable dehumidifier.
I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t had or at least known about a mold issue where I live. I use AC in the hotter months, and that mitigates the moisture to some degree. But last spring I found myself on dehumidifier TikTok and decided to take my indoor air quality up a notch.
This past summer I lived in a damp cabin in Maine where the humidity level was often at 80 percent, according to my air quality monitors. It was time for a dehumidifier. I wanted good air by all metrics—not just looking at PM 2.5 or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but low moisture, too. I also wanted a good hair day.
For more ways to improve your indoor quality, check out our guides to Best Air Purifiers, Best Air Quality Monitors, Window Air Conditioners, and Best Fans.
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Things to Know Before Buying
The first thing to think about is how you’re going to drain the water from the dehumidifier. In the basement, the best thing you can do is to use the dehumidifier’s continuous water drain tube to either the sump pump or a drain. If those options are not available, you might be emptying the tank multiple times a day. The first time I put a dehumidifier in the basement, the tank was filled in three hours’ time. It’s all about the drainage. Also, knowing how to read a label. If a dehumidifier is listed as “50 pints,” that means the appliance can remove 50 pints of water from the air in a 24-hour period; it’s not the internal tank capacity. Also, look for the maximum area coverage. For example, the Honeywell Smart 50 pint can remove 50 pints of water from a 4,000-square-foot area in 24 hours.
If you, like me, also need a dehumidifier in your city apartment, then consider buying one that’s easy to move around with wheels and a handle. Some of these machines are heavy. Also, a small dehumidifier in the bathroom is a good idea to keep the dampness at bay, especially if you have mold growing on your grout.
Lastly, do not drink the water collected in your dehumidifier tank. That water is not potable. Pour it down the drain. A dehumidifier is not creating distilled water; that’s a different process and appliance.
Dehumidifying your home is one of the nine foundations for a healthy home, according to Harvard’s TH Chan School for Public Health’s Healthy Buildings for Health initiative. Moisture can cause mold to grow. And most of my air quality monitors, like the Awair Element and QP Pro, have a moisture or humidity reading. As someone who has a mold allergy—or at least that is what the allergist’s test confirmed—a dehumidifier is something I should have purchased years ago. And while dry air can be a culprit for itchy eyes and respiratory issues, according to several studies, there are many benefits for lower humidity in the home. The EPA recommends keeping humidity below 60 percent and ideally between 30 and 50 percent.
It’s worth noting that there are many studies about how low humidity—or low RH (relative humidity), the amount of water vapor in the air—affects the viability of certain viruses. One example was the SARS coronavirus (not Covid-19), which had stability in low-temperature and low-humidity environments that facilitated transmission, while high-temperature and high-humidity such as tropical locales did not. I’m focusing on the unhealthy effects of high humidity, as it can spur mold growth.
