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A musty smell in the basement, condensation on windows and clothes that never quite dry are all signs your home holds too much moisture. Left alone, damp air feeds mold and dust mites and can warp wood floors. A dehumidifier fixes it by pulling water out of the air and holding indoor humidity at a healthy level.
We compared five popular dehumidifiers on Amazon for different jobs: a large basement, a basement with no floor drain, an unheated crawl space and a small bedroom or bathroom.
Our Picks at a Glance
- Best Overall: hOmeLabs 4,500 Sq Ft Wi-Fi Dehumidifier
- Best for Large Basements: Waykar 80-Pint 5,000 Sq Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier
- Best With a Built-In Pump: Ivation 50-Pint Dehumidifier with Pump
- Best for Cold Spaces: Eva-Dry EDV-4000H Rotary Desiccant Dehumidifier
- Best for Small Rooms: ToLife Compact Dehumidifier (95 oz)
1. hOmeLabs 4,500 Sq Ft Wi-Fi Dehumidifier — Best Overall
One of the highest-rated dehumidifiers on Amazon, with more than 11,000 ratings. It is compact for its capacity and you can check and change the humidity from your phone or by voice.
- Removes up to 32 pints a day at 80°F and 60% humidity (80 pints at the extreme test point of 95°F and 90%)
- Rated for spaces up to 4,500 sq ft
- Wi-Fi app control, timers and humidity monitoring; works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- 1-gallon tank with automatic shut-off when full, plus a drain hose for continuous drainage
- Automatic defrost, automatic restart after a power cut and a washable filter; Amazon rating 4.6/5 (11,000+ ratings)
Pros: top-rated by a huge number of buyers, smart controls, restarts by itself after an outage, compact.
Cons: no built-in pump, so continuous drainage needs a floor drain lower than the unit; the 1-gallon tank fills quickly in a very wet basement.
Best for: most basements, bedrooms and living areas.
2. Waykar 80-Pint 5,000 Sq Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier — Best for Large Basements
A best seller with more than 22,000 ratings, built for large, damp spaces. A swinging louver spreads dry air around the room, and it can pull humidity lower than most units.
- Up to 80 pints a day (at 95°F and 90% humidity), rated for up to 5,000 sq ft
- Humidity control from 30% to 80%, lower than the usual 40% minimum
- 90° auto-swing airflow for more even drying
- ENERGY STAR certified, auto-defrost and overload protection; listed at about 42 dB
- 1.14-gallon tank plus a 3/4-inch garden-hose drain connection; 24-hour timer; 1-year warranty plus a free extra year when you register; Amazon rating 4.3/5 (22,000+ ratings)
Pros: big capacity, very popular, wide humidity range, standard garden-hose drain.
Cons: gravity drain only, with no pump; no app or Wi-Fi control.
Best for: large or finished basements, garages and whole-floor drying.
3. Ivation 50-Pint Dehumidifier with Pump — Best With a Built-In Pump
If your basement has no floor drain, or the drain is higher than the dehumidifier, a built-in pump solves the biggest headache: it pushes the water up and out, so you are not emptying a tank every day.
- Removes 50 pints a day under the current, tougher DOE test, which Ivation says equals the old 70-pint rating
- Built-in pump sends water upward to a basement window or a sink
- Large 2.25-gallon reservoir with a water-level sensor and automatic shut-off
- LCD display with humidistat, fan speed, timer and filter alert; rolls on caster wheels
- Auto-defrost for cooler rooms, auto-restart after power outages and a washable filter; Amazon rating 4.1/5 (1,000+ ratings)
Pros: pumps water up and away, biggest tank here, rated under the tougher current test.
Cons: fewer ratings and a lower score than the hOmeLabs and Waykar; the pump hose must be routed and kept free of kinks.
Best for: basements with no floor drain or a drain above floor level.
4. Eva-Dry EDV-4000H Rotary Desiccant Dehumidifier — Best for Cold Spaces
Compressor dehumidifiers slow down or freeze up in cold air. This one uses a desiccant wheel instead, so it keeps drying in unheated crawl spaces, garages, cabins and basements through fall and winter.
- Works down to 34°F, where compressor units struggle
- Removes up to 14.81 pints a day; rated for up to 444 sq ft
- About 13 lb and 7 inches deep, small enough for many crawl-space hatches
- No compressor and no refrigerant, so no start-stop cycling; 2 fan speeds and 3 preset humidity levels
- 2-liter tank with automatic shut-off or a continuous drain hose; clothes-drying setting and ionizer; 1-year warranty; Amazon rating 4.3/5 (50+ ratings)
Pros: keeps working in cold air, compact and light, quiet with no compressor cycling.
Cons: far smaller capacity than compressor models; few ratings so far; desiccant units use more electricity per pint and slightly warm the air.
Best for: unheated crawl spaces, garages, boats and cabins.
5. ToLife Compact Dehumidifier (95 oz) — Best for Small Rooms
A small, very quiet unit for a bathroom, closet or bedroom. It uses thermoelectric (Peltier) cooling instead of a compressor, which keeps it light and almost silent.
- Thermoelectric design with a powerful mode and a sleep mode rated under 30 dB
- 95-ounce water tank with automatic shut-off when full or not seated correctly
- About 8.3 x 5.6 x 13.8 inches with a carry handle
- 7-color ambient light you can lock as a night light
- Amazon rating 4.3/5 (5,200+ ratings)
Pros: very quiet for bedrooms, small and easy to move, very popular.
Cons: thermoelectric units remove much less water than compressor models, so treat the listed 1,000 sq ft coverage with caution; you empty the tank by hand.
Best for: bathrooms, closets, small bedrooms and RVs.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| hOmeLabs Wi-Fi | Waykar 80-Pint | Ivation with Pump | Eva-Dry EDV-4000H | ToLife Compact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Compressor | Compressor | Compressor | Desiccant | Thermoelectric |
| Listed capacity | 32 pints/day (80°F) | 80 pints/day (95°F) | 50 pints/day (DOE 2019 test) | 14.8 pints/day | Not listed |
| Listed coverage | 4,500 sq ft | 5,000 sq ft | 4,500 sq ft | 444 sq ft | 1,000 sq ft |
| Tank | 1 gal | 1.14 gal | 2.25 gal | 2 L | 95 oz |
| Continuous drain | Hose (gravity) | Garden hose (gravity) | Built-in pump | Hose (gravity) | No |
| Smart / app | Wi-Fi, Alexa, Google | No | No | No | No |
| Amazon rating | 4.6 (11,000+) | 4.3 (22,000+) | 4.1 (1,000+) | 4.3 (50+) | 4.3 (5,200+) |
Pint ratings are measured under different temperatures and humidity, so they are not directly comparable: a higher test temperature gives a bigger number. From the Amazon listings, checked October 2026. Amazon ratings change daily. Prices change often, so we do not list them here.
What to Look For
- Size by dampness, not just square feet: a musty basement with wet walls needs much more capacity than a slightly humid bedroom of the same size.
- Drainage: a gravity hose needs a floor drain lower than the unit. No drain, or a drain above floor level? Choose a model with a built-in pump.
- Cold rooms: below about 60°F, look for auto-defrost. In unheated spaces near freezing, a desiccant dehumidifier keeps working.
- A built-in humidistat lets you set a target like 45% so the unit cycles on and off instead of running nonstop.
- ENERGY STAR certification lowers running costs for a machine that may run for months.
- Auto-restart brings the unit back on after a power cut, important in a basement you rarely visit.
Where to Put Your Dehumidifier
- Place it in the dampest area, away from walls and furniture so air can flow around it.
- Close basement windows and doors while it runs.
- Keep it on a level surface, and check that a drain hose runs downhill with no kinks.
- Clean the filter every few weeks during heavy use.
Balance the air all year: in winter, heating can swing the other way and make bedroom air too dry, so see our picks for the best quiet humidifiers for the bedroom. Dust and allergies too? Add one of the best air purifiers. Keeping a basement office? See the best space heaters for chilly days.
How we choose: we have not lab-tested these dehumidifiers ourselves. Our picks are based on manufacturer specifications, the Amazon listings, published independent tests and recurring themes in buyer reviews, checked in October 2026. We favor products with strong ratings from large numbers of buyers and say where a product falls short.
FAQ
What humidity level should my basement be?
Aim for about 30% to 50% relative humidity, which is the range the US EPA recommends for homes. Many people set basements to 45% to stop musty smells and mold growth without over-drying the air.
Can I leave a dehumidifier running all the time?
Yes, if it has a humidistat, automatic shut-off and, ideally, continuous drainage. The humidistat turns the compressor on and off to hold your target level, so it is not running at full power around the clock.
Why is the pint rating so different between models?
Manufacturers test at different conditions. The current US DOE test uses cool, basement-like air (around 65°F), while many listings still quote the much higher figure from hot, very humid air (95°F, 90%). Compare models measured the same way when you can.
Do I need a dehumidifier with a pump?
Only if you want continuous drainage and your floor drain is higher than the unit or there is no drain at all. A pump pushes water up to a sink or out of a window. Otherwise a simple gravity hose works fine.
Will a dehumidifier work in a cold basement or crawl space?
Compressor models lose efficiency below about 60°F and need auto-defrost to avoid icing up. For unheated spaces near freezing, a desiccant model like the Eva-Dry EDV-4000H is the better fit.
Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Product details and ratings on Amazon change often, so check the current listing before you buy.