VonHaus 20L Portable Dehumidifier review: wake up to dry washing

RRP at time of testing: £140 | Check price at Argos, B&Q or Vonhaus directly

Our verdict

They say patience is a virtue, but waiting two or three days for a load of washing to dry is enough to test anyone’s. Mumsnet tester Sophie regularly dries several loads indoors in her small flat, where the airer can stay up for days and add even more moisture to the room.

That made her a good person to put the VonHaus 20L Portable Dehumidifier through its paces. Alongside tackling humidity in her bedroom, she wanted to find out whether its dedicated Laundry mode could help clear the airer more quickly.

It did. Sophie dried two washing-machine loads together on five occasions and also tested it with three loads. Each time, everything was dry within 24 hours rather than the usual two or three days.

Heavier clothes needed moving closer to the dehumidifier once everything else was dry, but they only required another couple of hours. Sophie explained: “After checking my washing, there are always a few items such as hoodies and joggers that take a little bit longer to dry. What I did with those was once most of the washing had dried, reloading the airer with the heavier items nearest to the dehumidifier”.

As a mum of four, this is the result that would persuade me to find room for another appliance. I’m often waiting for one laundry load to dry while the next is already finished in the washing machine. Cutting a day or two from the process could mean putting the airer away occasionally, rather than accepting it as a permanent piece of furniture.

The VonHaus 20l dehumidifier helped dry our tester's laundry in under 24 hours, compared to several days

The VonHaus also helped with the damp feeling in Sophie’s rooms. In the bedroom, the displayed humidity typically fell from the high 60s or low 70s to the high 30s. In the living room, it dropped from around 65% to 67% into the high 30s or low 40s. “I felt the difference,” she said. “I also noticed the room felt warmer.”

Despite its size and 20L extraction rating, Sophie didn’t find it noisy. She could work, watch television and hold a conversation while it ran, and neither she nor her partner was disturbed when she used the lower setting near the bedroom. Noise-wise, it's not much louder than a heated airer. The 4.5-litre tank lasted around 14 hours in Laundry mode, so she could switch it on beside the airer, go to bed and empty it in the morning.

Unfortunately, that tank was also the one part Sophie didn’t get on with. Water splashed out easily when she carried it, and the machine occasionally continued dripping after she removed the full tank. She said: “This is the only major downside to the dehumidifier - water spills very easily”. For an appliance designed to collect several litres of water, it needs some design improvements to help users reach the sink without messing up their floors.

Spills aside, Sophie would recommend the VonHaus and buy it with her own money. It got substantial amounts of washing dry far more quickly, made both rooms feel more comfortable and stayed quiet enough for everyday use. At around £135, it makes most sense for flats and family homes where washing is regularly dried indoors. Just keep a cloth nearby when it’s time to empty the tank.

How we've tested

Mumsnet tester Sophie used the VonHaus continuously over nine days in her small living room and double bedroom. She kept the doors and windows closed, ran ordinary sessions for around four to six hours and left Laundry mode working overnight. Across five tests she dried two washing-machine loads at once, then tested it once with three loads.

Sophie recorded the humidity shown on the machine, checked how quickly it fell, watched how much water collected and compared laundry times with her usual two or three days. She also tried Auto, Laundry and Sleep modes, both fan speeds, the timer, child lock, tank, filter, wheels and handles.

What’s in the box?

The VonHaus arrives with:

• VonHaus 20L Portable Dehumidifier

• Removable 4.5-litre water tank

• Continuous-drainage hose

• Instructions

The VonHaus 20l dehumidifer arrived in one piece, making set up simple

Everything was present and well protected. Sophie said: “Packaging was simple but secure - I opened the cardboard box and the dehumidifier was surrounded top and bottom by polystyrene and wrapped in a plastic bag”.

The power cable was tucked inside the water tank for delivery, rather than trailing around in the box. Sophie’s first impression was that the dehumidifier looked neat and sleek, particularly once the cable had been removed from its storage compartment.

How easy is the VonHaus 20L dehumidifier to set up?

The VonHaus 20l dehumidifer has a sleek design and can be wheeled from room to room

There is no real assembly, but bear in mind you can’t use it immediately after taking out of the box. A tag instructed Sophie to leave it upright for 24 hours before use, allowing the refrigerant to settle after transport. Once that wait was over, she had it running in under five minutes. There was nothing to assemble beyond removing the power cable from its storage inside the water tank. 

Finding somewhere suitable to put it wasn’t a problem either. VonHaus advises leaving clear space around the machine for air to circulate, but even in Sophie’s small flat, she said it was “very easy” to find an appropriate spot.

The controls were straightforward once the machine was running. Sophie described the buttons as “very responsive” and said the dehumidifier reacted immediately when she pressed them. She liked how the large humidity reading used clear white text, which she could see easily from across the room. She also praised d the colour-coded indicator, which VonHaus says turns blue below 45% humidity, green between 45% and 65%, and red above 65%. It saves you from walking over every five minutes to check whether the number has changed.

The child lock was easy to activate and stayed on reliably during Sophie’s test. She didn’t need it in everyday use, but as a mum of four, I appreciate a setting that stops curious fingers from changing the controls.

Sleep mode was the only feature that wasn’t immediately obvious. Sophie could move between Auto and Laundry modes easily, but initially couldn’t find the nighttime setting. This meant she had to turn to the internet for help. “A quick Google told me I needed to hold down for 10 seconds to activate night mode,” she added. Once she knew this knack, it worked as expected.

Read next: Best budget dehumidifiers

Is the VonHaus 20L easy to move and store?

At 13.8kg, the VonHaus isn’t particularly light, but Sophie had no trouble moving it around her flat. She found the four castors rolled smoothly between rooms, while the recessed handles gave her a firm grip whenever she needed to lift it over a threshold. “The handles on either side make it really easy to move, along with the smooth wheels,” she said.

Sophie even carried the boxed machine up two flights of stairs. She found the weight manageable for short periods, although I wouldn’t fancy lugging it up and down every day. Thankfully, once it’s on the right floor, you can leave the castors to do most of the work.

The 1.5-metre cable reached everywhere Sophie needed it to, and the built-in storage kept the lead neatly tucked away when the machine wasn’t running. 

I’m always suspicious of appliances described as “portable” when moving them feels like a workout, but this one sounds genuinely manageable around the home. You’ll still need to find a proper cupboard or wardrobe space for it between seasons, though. It’s a 20l dehumidifier, not a mini one, and far too substantial to disappear into a convenient little gap.

Performance: Does the VonHaus 20L dehumidifier reduce humidity?

Our tester was impressed by how fast humidity levels fell

This portable but powerful dehumidifier made a noticeable difference in both rooms Sophie tested. In the living room, where she dried washing, the reading usually started at 65% to 67% and finished in the high 30s or low 40s. Her bedroom was damper, often beginning in the high 60s or low 70s, but this also dropped to the high 30s. On the highest setting, Sophie watched the humidity fall by around five to 10 percentage points an hour.

Those numbers are encouraging, but I’m more interested in whether you can actually feel a difference without hovering over the display. Sophie could. As the humidity fell, she found that the rooms felt more comfortable and said “the room felt warmer”.

A dehumidifier isn’t a replacement for central heating, of course, but removing that cold, clammy feeling can make a room much nicer to spend time in. When the temperature drops, I’ll happily take anything that makes me less tempted to nudge the thermostat upwards.

Auto mode also worked towards Sophie’s chosen humidity level without her having to keep adjusting it. There were no error messages or unexplained stops during testing, even in the damper bedroom. If condensation and slightly clammy rooms are familiar problems in your home, Sophie’s results suggest this VonHaus is powerful enough to make a difference you can feel as well as see on the screen.

Is the VonHaus 20L dehumidifier good for drying laundry?

This was the strongest part of Sophie’s test. Laundry mode keeps the machine running instead of stopping when it reaches a chosen humidity level, so it continues pulling moisture from the air around the washing. Sophie followed the included instructions and positioned it safely beside the airer rather than directly underneath wet clothes.

Positioned directly behind an airer, the VonHaus 20l dehumidifier made a noticeable difference to drying time

She tested it with two full washing-machine loads on around five occasions, then pushed it further by drying three loads at once. Everything was dry within 24 hours, compared with the two or three days it would usually take in her flat. She also felt the room itself was more pleasant while the airer was up, saying: “I noticed it was less humid”. If you are weighing it against one of the best heated clothes airers, the dehumidifier has the added benefit of removing moisture from the room rather than simply warming the clothes.

However, thicker items on the airer needed a little extra help. Hoodies, joggers, seams and waistbands were the last things to dry, so Sophie moved them nearer the dehumidifier once the lighter clothes were ready. It isn’t quite as effortless as emptying a tumble dryer, but it’s hardly a major job, particularly when it saves another day or two of waiting.

The 4.5-litre tank filled after around 13 to 14 hours of continuous Laundry mode. Sophie found that manageable, saying: “It was definitely practical - I typically went to bed with the machine still on by the washing, and when I woke up I emptied the full tank and readjusted the heavier ,thicker items. These would then be dry within a couple of hours”.

How noisy is the VonHaus 20l dehumidifier?

VonHaus claims a noise level of 41dB, but the more useful question is what that sounds like in an actual home. For Sophie, the low fan faded into the usual background noise of her flat, while the higher setting produced what she described as “a very low buzz”. She could work, watch television and hold a conversation without needing to switch it off or raise her voice.

As a mum, that matters to me far more than a decibel figure. An appliance can work brilliantly, but if it competes with the television, disrupts homework or risks waking a child you’ve only just got to sleep, you’ll quickly become reluctant to use it. Sophie’s experience suggests this one can run in the background without taking over the room.

Sleep mode reduces the fan speed and switches off the main display after around 10 seconds. Sophie found the bedroom dark enough and slept comfortably with the machine running on low. She could hear the compressor working, but neither she nor her partner found it disturbing.

What are the tank and maintenance like to use?

The 4.5-litre tank allowed the VonHaus to run for a good stretch without Sophie repeatedly emptying it. In Laundry mode, it filled after around 13 to 14 hours of continuous use. During ordinary dehumidifying sessions of six or seven hours a day, it lasted for roughly two days.

This meant Sophie could leave it working beside the airer overnight. In the morning, she emptied the full tank, moved the remaining hoodies and other thicker clothes closer to the machine and switched it back on for another couple of hours. It still requires some attention during a 24-hour laundry session, but the larger tank makes that far less frequent than it would be with a compact dehumidifier.

A 4.5l tank makes for a longer running time, but a more treacherous journey to empty it

As with most dehumidifiers, the VonHaus automatically stops when the tank is full, preventing the water from overflowing. Once you’ve emptied the tank and fitted it back into place, the machine can continue working.

Unfortunately, getting a full tank to the sink was more awkward than it should have been. Sophie found that “water spills very easily”, particularly if she moved the machine or tank too quickly. On one or two occasions, water continued dripping from inside the unit after she removed the tank, leaving a small puddle on the runners. The tank was easy to carry and replace, but I’d remove it slowly and keep a cloth nearby.

The included hose offers a way around all that sloshing. It allows the collected water to drain continuously into a suitable outlet, so you don’t have to empty the tank yourself. However, the machine needs to sit above the drainage point because the water relies on gravity to flow down the hose. Sophie couldn’t test this arrangement in her flat, so I wouldn’t assume it will be practical until you’ve checked where your nearest drain is.

Routine filter care was much easier. The removable filter clicked out and back into place without any fiddling, and it had collected very little visible dust by the end of Sophie’s test. 

The VonHaus filter was easy to wipe down

What does the VonHaus 20L dehumidifier cost to run?

VonHaus rates this model at 280W. Based on Ofgem’s average electricity rate of 26.11p per kWh from 1 July to 30 September 2026, it would cost around 7.3p an hour if it continuously drew its full rated power. That works out at approximately 44p for six hours or £1.02 for a 14-hour session.

By comparison, a heated airer such as Lakeland’s three-tier Dry:Soon costs around 9p an hour to run. A modern heat-pump tumble dryer may cost approximately 44p to 57p for a standard cycle, while an older or less efficient model could cost considerably more.

The VonHaus is therefore slightly cheaper per hour than that particular heated clothes airer, but it runs for longer than a typical tumble-dryer cycle. However, it's more efficient over several loads. Sophie dried two or even three loads together, so the estimated £1.02 covered considerably more washing than you would usually fit into one tumble-dryer cycle.

Sophie checked her household energy monitor rather than measuring the dehumidifier separately with a plug-in meter, so she couldn’t provide a precise figure. However, she said: “I barely noticed an uplift in the electricity use on the energy monitor.”

VonHaus 20L dehumidifier: quality and value for money?

At £135, I think the VonHaus offers good value if drying washing indoors is a regular part of your routine. Sophie used it with two loads at a time on several occasions and even tested it with three loads, yet its 4.5-litre tank could keep running overnight before it needed emptying. It also lowered the humidity in her bedroom, so it shouldn’t spend the non-laundry days gathering dust in a cupboard.

It is possible to by a smaller budget dehumidifier for less, and that may be all you need for a compact room or the occasional airer load. However, if your washing machine is rarely off and you want a machine that can run overnight without repeated tank empties, paying more for the larger capacity makes sense. Our best dehumidifiers guide explains the sizes and features worth comparing.

For Sophie’s combination of a damp bedroom and washing that previously took two or three days to dry, the bigger tank and continuous Laundry mode justified the extra cost.

How does the VonHaus 20L compare with other dehumidifiers?

The VonHaus sits between a compact budget machine and a premium 20l model.

Final verdict: is this the right dehumidifier for you?

When damp washing hangs around for days, anything that gets the airer down sooner has immediate appeal. In Sophie’s tests, the VonHaus 20l dehumidifier reduced drying time, with two loads dried within 24 hours instead of two or three days with the bonus of making the living room feel less humid.

It also worked well as an everyday dehumidifier. The bedroom reading dropped from around 70% to the high 30s, the room felt warmer and Sleep mode was quiet enough for Sophie and her partner. The 4.5-litre tank, smooth wheels and clear display all suit a home where the machine needs to move between laundry and damp rooms.

The messy tank lets it down a little, as having water splashing on the way to the sink is an inconvenience. I’d keep a cloth nearby or try and use the included hose.

However, £135 is good value for a 20l dehumidifier and if you regularly dry several loads indoors or have damp rooms, it could significantly improve your living conditions. Smaller households with only occasional washing may manage with a more slimline model like the VonHaus 10l slimline dehumidifier, but this 20l option is a good buy for anyone who wants to put their airer down occasionally.

About the editor

Zoe Griffin is a mum of four and content writer at Mumsnet, specialising in home essentials and appliances. She’s been a journalist for 15 years and has written for The Daily Telegraph, Mail Online, Sunday Mirror and The Independent. Originally a showbiz journalist and an original 3am gossip column girl, Zoe made the switch to parenting and lifestyle content when she had her first son in 2016.

On a mission to simplify household chores so she can spend more time doing things she enjoys, Zoe loves to test household products that make life easier (and laundry piles smaller). When she’s not writing, she’s practicing karate with her seven year old daughter, cheering on Brentford FC, or squeezing in an early morning run or gym session.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after weeks of research and intensive testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. We sometimes earn revenue through affiliate links in our articles, which helps us to fund Mumsnet's free services.

All prices are correct at time of writing.

Read next:

• Best tumble dryers

• Best dehumidifiers

• Best rotary washing lines