Best quiet dehumidifiers for discreetly drying clothes and minimising damp

Tested by Mumsnet editor Poppy O’Neill: Read our full Meaco MeacoDry Arete One review

When users ask for the best dehumidifier in the Mumsnet forums, Meaco is a brand that is recommended time and time again, praised by Mumsnet users for its high quality, portable designs that offer low running volumes and impressive performance.

I spoke to Meaco Founder Chris Michael about the Arete One. "Feedback from customers was collected over several years and it became clear that dehumidifiers are often used in and around bedrooms where noise is super important," he says, "The Night Mode on arete ensures that the machine runs as quiet as possible with no lights and bleeps to disturb your peace and quiet."

While it certainly doesn’t come cheap, you get what you pay for with the MeacoDry Arete One, with an industry-leading 5-year warranty providing excellent peace of mind on your investment. Built in response to feedback from over 2000 customers, I was really impressed with the whisper-quiet running volume of just 30dB, making it an unobtrusive choice for bedrooms and living spaces. 

With a 2.5-litre water tank, it can collect a respectable amount of water, and made a huge difference when running in the middle of my three-bedroom house. With convenient castor wheels it was easy to move around my living space, and I loved the laundry mode, which switches off when the target humidity level is reached. It can collect up to 12 litres of moisture a day - ideal to speed up drying washing indoors if you don't have a tumble dryer. For larger homes, the Arete One is also available in 20-litre and 25-litre models.

Costing just 5p per hour to run, I didn't worry about causing a spike in my energy bills when using the dehumidifier. The dual-purpose design also makes a great addition for allergy sufferers, with an air-purifying HEPA filter to help remove odours, allergens and pollutants such as dust, mould and viruses from your surroundings. 

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Tested by Mumsnet writer Laura Cooke: Read our full Russell Hobbs Mini Dehumidifier review

If you’re working with a smaller budget but want to remove dampness, humidity and moisture from smaller spaces such as utility rooms or home offices measuring up to 15m2, this budget-friendly mini dehumidifier from Russell Hobbs could be the ideal choice. Setting you back less than £50, it has a stylish and lightweight design that didn't look out of place in my living room.  

While the easily accessible 600ml tank needed emptying fairly regularly, this compact and portable dehumidifier runs really quietly - with volumes of just 35dBA. It also comes with a helpful auto shut-off function, which stops the power automatically once the tank is full. 

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Reviewed by Poppy O’Neill: Read our in-depth Meaco Arete Two review

The newer, upgraded version of the MeacoDry Arete One, the MeacoDry Arete Two is a smart dehumidifier with all mod cons, including app and smart home connectivitity. It tackles damp rooms and humid environments easily - an absolute blessing for rooms with poor insulation or windows covered in condensation. 

I asked Meaco Founder Chris Michael what the Arete Two's upgrades meant for noise levels. "It uses a DC fan motor which makes the noise softer and quieter in the low fan speeds that you might want to use at night in the home and a much greater upper fan speed to dry laundry faster and cheaper."

We found the Meaco Arete Two really easy to set up and operate, with simple intuitive controls both on the upgraded control panel and via the app. As well as a timer to turn off automatically after a set period, there's a humidity sensor that turns off the motor once a target humidity level is reached - one of the most time- and energy-efficient ways to dry clothes without a tumble dryer or outdoor washing line.

With QuietMark certification, this low-noise appliance runs at just 35dB, so it won’t disturb the peace when running overnight or while you’re working from home. 

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Tested by Mumsnet editor Poppy O’Neill: Read our full EcoAir Piccola review

If you're looking for a way of keeping on top of drying laundry or reducing moisture in a smallish room, but don't love the prospect of a great big white box in your home, this compact dehumidifier could be the solution. It even comes with a kit to mount it on the wall.

The EcoAir Piccola is a desiccant dehumidifier, and very effective. Taking up a fraction of the space larger dehumidifiers like the Meaco Arete occupy, it still holds its own against a load of wet washing or a damp corner.

Quiet, discreet and effective, the tank is easy to empty, if on the small side. If you're drying large loads, setting up continuous drainage will allow the dehumidifier to run without its tank needing to be emptied. As a desiccant, it also pushes out warm air, which is always a welcome side effect in the winter months.

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Reviewed by Rebecca Roberts: Read our full Silentnight Airmax 300 Dehumidifier review

Once the temperature starts to drop, it’s quite common to experience some condensation on your bedroom windows, largely due to the amount of sweat and warm air we breathe out as we sleep (gross right?). While a dehumidifier can be helpful to remove excess moisture, some compressor models can be noisy. The Silentnight dehumidifier is a quiet alternative using energy-efficient Pelitier technology, it’s made specifically for a bedroom environment.

I loved the easy-to-use, one-press control panel, although it was a little more tricky to use in the dark. While I wasn't completely sold on the noticeable ‘night light’ glow from the unit, the Silentnight Dehumidifier runs at just 35dB, making it quiet enough to run as I slept. 

Capable of collecting up to 300ml of water, the light visually changes colour when it's time to empty the tank, while a built-in safety feature will prevent it from overflowing by automatically shutting off the power when the tank is full. 

If you’re dealing with larger damp problems, significant moisture levels or a home that struggles with significant condensation in winter months, some of the smaller dehumidifiers just won’t cut it. The substantial size of the EcoAir DD3 Classic makes it well suited to larger room sizes, with a desiccant design that also conveniently expels warm air during use.

We love the large 4.3-litre tank capacity and the anti-bacterial filter, while the built-in hygrometer on the LED display is a great addition, visually showing your room’s humidity so you can keep an eye on your surroundings.

Another quiet choice at just 36dB, you can use this anywhere around the home without experiencing any disruption, however it's worth noting that there are no wheels or convenient carry handles on this model, making it a little trickier to move around the home. 

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Reviewed by Mumsnet editor Poppy O'Neill: Read our full Unibond Aero 360 Moisture Absorber review

While it's not technically a dehumidifier, this refillable moisture absorber is brilliant for damp corners and small spaces, where you might otherwise need to have a dehumidifier running 24/7 to keep on top of the problem. Drawing in moisture effectively, I've found the Unibond Aero makes a difference in the damp corner of my sitting room.

The best bit? It doesn't make a peep. As there's no motor or electrical element to the Unibond Aero, it's totally silent. The drawback of this is that it's much more of a slow burn than a dehumidifier, which actively rid the air in your home of moisture. It's no good for drying laundry but if you have a musty cupboard or a problem window, placing one of these nearby can help tackle the issue.

Refills are available in multipacks, working out around £3 per refill, which is a pretty good price, especially as other moisture absorbers are single-use. It also means you're not chucking away plastic every time the moisture absorber gets full up. Simply pour the blue liquid down the sink, pop a new doughnut-shaped refill in and you're good to go.