Best Dehumidifiers Under $250
Snag a well-rated model from Consumer Reports' tests
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Dehumidifiers do a whole lot more than just draw excess moisture from the air.
They can help prevent the proliferation of dust mites and various other allergy triggers that can be found around the home. And a dehumidifier can rid a space of musty odors while also deterring a host of potential health problems that can arise from high levels of humidity.
When shopping for a dehumidifier, the square footage of the room it will live in should serve as a guide. In our lab tests, we break it down into three categories based on the capacity of each dehumidifier and how much water each model is supposed to remove from the air.
For example, a small-capacity dehumidifier can remove up to 30 pints of moisture per day and a large model can handle 40 or more pints per day.
To help you get started on your search, we rounded up well-rated dehumidifiers from our tests, all available for under $250, which proves that you don’t have to spend a lot for a quality product.
For more options, see our review of the best dehumidifiers at a range of prices.
Large-Capacity Dehumidifiers
According to data from our member survey, this large-capacity Midea earns excellent ratings for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction, making it a compelling option. In the lab, it earns top scores for water removal and humidistat accuracy as well. The tank size is 15 pints, and there’s no clean-filter alert.
The large-capacity TCL TDW40E20 can remove 40 pints of moisture from the air per day and is fairly quiet. It has a tank size of 14.3 pints and features a digital display, a timer, and frost control. It earns an excellent rating for energy efficiency, which is measured by the number of kilowatts it takes to remove a pint of water from the air.
The Whirlpool WHAD40PCW receives top marks in water removal and energy efficiency. While it lacks built-in cord storage, it more than makes up for it with its nearly 15-pint tank capacity, a built-in pump, and added drain hose. Those last two features are helpful if you want to drain the unit into a sink that’s higher.
Medium-Capacity Dehumidifiers
The Danby DDR030BJWDB is the lone medium-capacity model in our ratings that offers decent performance and solid predicted reliability. This model should be all you need for a typical room because it pulls more than 30 pints of water per day, earning a rating of excellent for water removal.
The midsized hOmeLabs HME020006N can remove 35 pints of moisture from the air per day and is one of the quietest in this category, garnering an excellent rating in our noise tests. The tank holds 12 pints of water, and like most models we’ve tested, there’s a timer and an auto-restart feature, handy if there’s a power outage. There’s a clean-filter alert, too. According to data from our member survey, scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction are strong.
The Midea MAD35C1ZWS can remove the amount of water from the air that the manufacturer says it can—35 pints per day—snagging an excellent rating in our water-removal tests. And the 15-pint tank is much larger than most in this category. But the humidistat isn’t as accurate as the one in the model above, so consider buying a hygrometer (it costs about $10) to monitor your room’s humidity levels. According to data from our member survey, predicted reliability is rated high.
The medium-capacity Midea MAD35S1QWT can remove 35 pints of moisture from the air per day. It earns top marks for noise, making it one of the quietest in this category, and it aces our water removal, energy efficiency, and convenience tests. This model is equipped with a digital display, a built-in water pump, an auto-restart feature, and a timer.
Small-Capacity Dehumidifiers
The Frigidaire FFAD2233W1 can remove 22 pints of water from the air per day, and the tank holds 12 pints, almost twice the amount of most dehumidifiers we’ve tested in this category. It gets the job done, but the humidistat is the least accurate of the small-capacity models we’ve tested. For that reason, consider buying a hygrometer—it costs about $10—to monitor your room’s humidity levels. This is a basic model and doesn’t have an auto-restart feature or a clean-filter alert.
The small-capacity HOmeLabs HME020030N can tackle roughly 22 pints of water a day with a tank size that holds 7 pints of water. Among its many features are a digital display that’s coupled with a timer, frost control, built-in cord storage, and an alert for when its filter needs cleaning. It earns an excellent rating in our tests when it comes to water removal and humidistat accuracy, showing no discernible flaws in performance. According to data from our member survey, predicted reliability is rated excellent.
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