EcoAir Piccola Desiccant Dehumidifier review: "it's very impressive for its size"

Price on writing: £223 | Buy now from Amazon

EcoAir Piccola Dessicant Dehumidifier: our verdict

While compressor dehumidifiers are the most popular type among Mumsnet users, a dessicant model is the best choice in certain situations. Put simply, if the room you want to use the dehumidifier in is colder than 15°C, a dessicant model is best. If it's usually above 15°C, a compressor is your best bet.

EcoAir specialise in dessicant dehumidifiers, which use a dessicant wheel to attract moist air and remove the moisture like a sponge - in a similar way to a moisture absorber. As they have an internal heating element, their performance is not affected by the temperature of the room they're in, and they actually slightly warm the room by expelling warm air.

The Piccola (Italian for 'small') is a lot smaller than the 12L Meaco Arete One I use in my home, and its compact design makes it perfect for awkward or small spaces. What's more, it can be mounted onto a wall for a neat and space-saving solution.

Having tested a small dehumidifier before - the Pro Breeze 1500ml - I was really impressed with how quickly and effectively the Piccola collected water from the air.

I placed the dehumidifier next to my heated airer and was pleased with how well it sped up the drying process. I don't have a tumble dryer or washer dryer, so a dehumidifier is a real essential during the colder months (and wetter days) to help my laundry get dry without causing a damp problem.

While effective dehumidifiers are quite large units, this one is small but mighty, and well suited to small spaces. It's designed for rooms up to 45m² and frankly, I don't want a hulking great dehumidifier in every room. The Piccola can fit discreetly in a corner and does its job brilliantly well, all while taking the edge off the chill too - I was thoroughly impressed.

Related: Best quiet dehumidifiers

Is the EcoAir Piccola Dessicant Dehumidifier good for drying laundry?

With a smaller tank than most compressor dehumidifiers, the Piccola does get filled up quicker than my Meaco. However, it can certainly hold its own in terms of powerful moisture absorption. The warm air pushed out by a dessicant dehumidifier makes them marginally better than a compressor for drying laundry, plus the Piccola has a 'louvre' flap you can use to direct the air towards your washing. I set it on high next to a small load of laundry overnight and woke up to dry washing and a full water tank.

The water tank is 1.5L, so next to a full load of washing it does need emptying after a few hours on full power. If you want to dry washing overnight, the Piccola would make light work of a small load, but more than that it would switch off before the laundry could be completely dried - unless you set up the continuous drainage pipe.

Read next: Best budget dehumidifiers

What's the EcoAir Piccola Dessicant Dehumidifier like to use day-to-day?

The Piccola has three humidity settings and two fan speeds, so you can adjust according to your needs and preferences with regards to noise and humidity levels. It doesn't have a remote control or an app, so you do need to come down to the dehumidifier's level in order to operate it. The buttons are clear and easy to understand.

While there's no dedicated laundry or night mode, setting a target humidity does the job for laundry, and choosing the lower fan speed makes the dehumidifier quiet enough, at 33dB, for use at night.

The water tank is simple and easy to remove, empty and replace. However, there's a little stopper that could easily be misplaced, so make sure you don't lose it!

I found the EcoAir Piccola to be an unobtrusive, quiet and useful dehumidifier to have around the house. While it doesn't shift the ml like a larger dehumidifier, for small loads of laundry and keeping on top of damp, it's very impressive for its size.

Related: Best moisture absorbers

Does the EcoAir Piccola Dessicant Dehumidifier offer good value for money?

At £223, the EcoAir Piccola is an expensive dehumidifier. For context, Mumsnet's most-recommend dehumidifier, the Meaco Arete, retails from £160 for a 10L model - that's twice the extraction volume per day of the Piccola. However, the Meaco Arete is much bigger and, at over 10kg, lots heavier than the Piccola.

Dessicant dehumidifiers tend to be more expensive than compressor models, and they can be used at any temperature, so for chilly homes that regularly drop below 15°C, they're the best type to buy.

All in all, the Piccola is a compact and versatile dehumidifier that draws moisture out of the air very effectively, helping to speed up laundry drying and keep on top of mould, damp and condensation. While it's on the pricy side, it's a great quality dehumidifier for those with a bigger budget but not a lot of space to spare.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials, laundry and fans. From a highly-recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.

With an MA in Creative Writing and a PGCert in Lifestyle Journalism, Poppy's written about parenting topics for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Mirror and The Sun. She's a best-selling, award-winning author, and her books for children and parents have been translated into 12 languages.

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