The EcoAir DD1 Simple MK3 Dehumidifier can extract up to 7.5 litres of moisture per day in cold temperatures as low as 1ºc, so it's a very useful option for conservatorys, basements or garages that don't have dedicated heating, as well as unheated rooms in the home during winter months. When thinking about dehumidifiers, does an image pop into your head of a large, ugly, white box, rattling noisily away in the corner? If so, then you have clearly not encountered the Russell Hobbs Fresh Air Mini Compact Dehumidifier. Compressor dehumidifiers tend to be the most common design available in the UK. They work by drawing air into the dehumidifier via a fan, and then running the air over over cold coils to condense the moisture from it, whereby the condensed water is collected in a water tank.The coils are kept cool by refrigerant which means the unit also needs a compressor built in. The only downside of compressor dehumidifiers is that they need the air to be warm for this process to work. Most will work above 5°C, but they're most efficient at an ambient temperature of around 20°C (depending on the individual model).

The tank capacity dictates how much water the water tank of the dehumidifier can hold before it needs emptying. A larger tank capacity – such as the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier's generous 2.5L or 4.8Ltanks – means you won't be emptying it as frequently. A dehumidifier's extraction rate is an average of how much moisture it can remove from the air during a given timeframe. Most commonly this is measured in litres per day, so an extraction rate of 10L/per day means the dehumidifier should be able to extract 10 litres of moisture within 24 hours if running continuously. In practice, this also depends on the humidity levels of the room, and the ambient temperature. First up, it's worth making clear that this small dehumidifier has a low extraction rate compared to many others on our list. The ProBreeze 1500ml Mini Dehumidifier can extract just 0.5L of moisture from the air per day. For comparison, the lowest extraction rate offered within the MeacoDry Arete One range is 10L of moisture extraction per day. The Fresh Air Mini Compact Dehumidifier is not noisy at all. At 35 decibels, it is just above a whisper (which is 30dB, in case you were wondering). When I tested the laundry function on the Russell Hobbs 20L dehumidifier to dry t-shirts in a small bedroom, it definitely sped up the drying time' said our reviewer. 'The T-shirts closest to the dehumidifier dried in 3 hours, but those further away took aboutdouble that time to completely dry'. How we testIf you’re looking for a dehumidifier that can clear moisture in a larger space or deal with significant damp levels within the home, then you need a dehumidifier with a high extraction rate. Just like the MeacoDry Arete One, as well as an impressive extraction rate the Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 20L dehumidifier has some great features, including an easy-to-read LED screen that displays current humidity levels and a useful Smart mode that monitors the humidity levels for you, turning the dehumidifier on and off as soon as it rises above the recommended home humidity range between 45%~55% for more economical (and hassle-free) use. There's also auto-shut off functionality when the water tank is full. Overall, it's not the most powerful dehumidifier you can buy, and it can't cope with high moisture levels – we found it made little difference when drying wet washing for example. However, it did a great job of clearing condensation on windows and managing moisture levels in a small bedroom when left running overnight. So, if you’re after the smallest dehumidifier on the market, we think the Russell Hobbs RHDH1061G wins the accolade of best small dehumidifier, with good all round performance for its size housed in one of the smallest builds on the market – along as you don't expect too much from that 0.3L extraction rate.

This dehumidifier is designed for managing fairly low moisture levels in small rooms up to 15m² or 2200 cubic feet, so it isn't going to cope with major damp issues or be able to control humidity within an entire house like larger capacity dehumidifiers. That said, the ProBreeze 1500ml Mini dehumidifier still impressed us during testing, and as long as you don't expect too much of it, this mini dehumidifier has a lot of plus points, not least its affordability. As for energy consumption, you can find out more in our guide to ' How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier?'. However, the easiest way to find out is to compare each dehumidifier's wattage. The higher the number of Watts the appliance requires, the more expensive running costs will be. Finding the best dehumidifier for your home depends a lot on the type of moisture issue you're trying to solve, so it's always worth speaking with the customer service department of the manufacturer you're hoping to buy from to ensure you have the right model for your needs.

What’s in the box?

However, it's not perfect. A powerful extraction rate of 20L, plus that Laundry boost mode, means higher running costs. This dehumidifier guzzles 440W of energy compared to the 20L MeacoDry Arete One's 216W. What the Pro Breeze 20L Premium does offer is a more generous water tank of 5.5L compared to the 20L MeacoDry Arete One's 4.8L, although in practice we didn't find ourselves emptying the MeacoDry that much more frequently. Most of the dehumidifiers in our round-up feature automatic shut-off functions that mean they automatically switch off and sound an alarm or activate a warning light once the tank is full. However, a small capacity tank potentially increases the amount of time the dehumidifier will be out of operation before you notice and empty the tank. Despite its compact size, this dehumidifier is also heavy. And noisy. We also didn’t find it that much help with drying clothes, although it did a good job of managing general damp and reducing condensation and mould on windows and walls. Plus, the MeacoDry Arete One dehumidifier'sSmart Laundrymodeworks brilliantly for drying washing indoors – wet laundry was dry in hours rather than the days it can usually take in the draughty Victorian terrace we tested the unit in. It can't quite beat the MeacoDry Arete One on overall performance, but if you're willing to put up with noisier operation and higher running costs in exchange for its powerful performance, then this Pro Breeze model will make short work of getting wet washing ready for the airing cupboard.