The dehumidifier has also been fantastic at banishing window condensation, leading to less mould growth
Autumn and winter bring many cosy comforts. From Christmas to candles, it can be a relaxing and enjoyable time of year, but one thing that I detest is drying clothes over the colder months.
The sight of having laundry draped over radiators really frustrates me, while running the tumble dryer costs an arm and a leg – so much so that consumer expert Martin Lewis has previously branded them a “demon appliance”. But I bought a magic appliance in the Black Friday sales last year, and it has been a total game changer.
The product in question was the Russell Hobbs 10L dehumidifier (£129 at Dunelm or £118.95 on Amazon). Like many people, I’d heard of dehumidifiers and liked the look of them, but wasn’t sure they were really worth the outlay.
Read more: Martin Lewis says ‘demon appliance’ tumble dryers can be ditched for cheaper alternative
Read more: Dehumidifier with more than 14,000 five-star reviews is ‘affordable and easy to use’
It turns out I was wrong, and they’re so good I now want another. In the times of high energy prices, they really are like magic given how little they cost to run.
The dehumidifier has been incredible when it comes to drying clothes and generally banishing condensation on windows. They cost pence per hour, an absolute fraction of the price of a tumble dryer.
Previously, I used a window vac to get rid of the excess moisture, but it was quite a chore and somewhat inconvenient constantly adjusting blinds and remembering to charge the battery and empty it. So when I noticed that dehumidifiers were part of the Black Friday deals, I decided to take the plunge – and almost a year later, it’s proven to be a fantastic decision.
The device immediately made a noticeable difference. It not only got rid of the overnight window condensation, but it now allows me to dry clothes on an airer on rainy days, without having to switch on the heating.
You simply turn it on, close the door of the room it’s in and it starts working. It takes quite a few hours, especially with thicker items like towels, but it’s nice to have the option to save some money while energy costs are still high.
If any thick items are really wet, I just get the remaining moisture out in the tumble dryer, but it takes much less time and saves a lot of electricity. You might be wondering about the drawbacks. Well, dehumidifiers aren’t exactly a steal and this specific model is somewhat loud.
It does have a ‘silent’ button which lessens the noise, but labelling it ‘silent’ seems a bit of a stretch as it’s far from noiseless. A more fitting description for that mode would be ‘quiet’, as it does diminish the noise but doesn’t completely silence it.
Personally, I’m not too fussed by the noise. I sleep with a fan on in the summer and don’t mind the white noise, so it’s not vastly different to that. However, if you’re looking to reduce condensation in a bedroom and a humming sound would disturb your sleep, then this one might not be the best option.
Overall I’ve been really pleased with it and want to buy another one so I can keep one upstairs and one downstairs. There are plenty of other choices out there, including the Challenge 12 Litre Dehumidifier sold at Argos, which is ideal for larger rooms up to 35m2, extracting up to 12L of moisture per day.
But at £165 it’s a tad pricier. There are also loads of cheaper ones available, but a common drawback is that many have smaller water tanks, meaning you’ll need to empty the water more frequently.
This won’t likely be a problem if you plan to use it in a small room, or can empty the tank every few hours. The Pro Breeze Dehumidifier, up for grabs on Amazon for £34.99, is a lightweight and portable device with a 0.5L capacity, ideal for homes that need to shift it around during the day. However, potential buyers should note that 12% of reviewers gave this product a one-star rating, with some claiming it broke after just a few weeks.
On the flip side, over half of the customers awarded it a five-star rating, indicating a high level of satisfaction with the product. For more options you can read our shopping teams’ recommendations – all of which we use in our own homes. ‘Five dehumidifiers our shopping team recommends for banishing damp, mould and drying clothes’.
