Any experience of dehumidifers?

My trusty, huge, heavy duty one has recently died - and I'm lost without it. It lasted from 2006, though, in almost daily use as I dry washing indoors (allergies mean I can't dry anything outside). It would get a load of washing bone dry in two hours (in a small room) no problem.

Make sure that you get one with a 'laundry drying' setting - and preferably a continuous drain hose. It's quite amazing just how much water they extract from your home when you first use them. They take dampness out of floors, walls and soft furnishings that you didn't know was there!

I'm considering a smaller one next (as there's only me here, now) so I like the look of the Ecoair 12 Litre Compact.

My Aldi 20 litre dehumidifier has just arrived and it's HUGE! Will let you know how I get on with it, new curtains are arriving today so won't be unpacking until later.

I've used one off and on for years. It's the size of a microwave and I am always amazed by the amount of water produced in the reservoir. I initially used it when my son was small and had asthma. Then over the years it got used for other purposes, one of which was preventing condensation when drying clothes indoors in bad weather. I tried a condensing tumble drier once and found it useless - it produced very fine steam, so there was still condensation! I thoroughly recommend dehumidifiers.

Conservatory

In the conservator, which we don’t use in the winter apart from keeping the wine colder than the fridge, I have a very small ceramic heater with the frost stat on and a dehumidifier. This stops the furniture getting damp.

The Meaco low energy model that is!

I bought the same one a couple of years ago - I don't know how I ever managed without it! I don't find it expensive to run either.

I have an Ecoair - do my washing last thing at night, leave it on the airer by the radiator and switch the dehumidifier on. The washing is virtually dry by the morning, no condensation anywhere.

It is an expense, but well worth it.

Looking at Amazon, both Meaco and Ebac dehumidifiers seem expensive (to me!) Does anyone have any experience of ProBreeze or Vavsea?

I've had a Meaco dehumidifier for a good few years now and wouldn't be without it. You could open every damn window and door in the house in the damp colder months and still have condensation on the windows and walls. It runs quietly and uses minimal electricity. I think mine costs about 4p an hour and it doesn't need to be on 24/7. Meaco come top in a lot of surveys.

I have had a very efficient Meaco Zambesi for over a year. It replaced my ancient Ebac dehumidifier. This model is situated on the landing area of my three bedroom house and used almost exclusively during the Winter months when my windows are not opened every day. I love it and wouldn't be without it.
Libraries have copies of Which magazine where anyone can check their recommendations for dehumidifiers.

We bought a Vax dehumidifier last year and it has been a great buy. Only today i have used it in our bedroom and over 2 hours have removed 385mls of water ( i use that water for my plants and iron) The Vax model has a laundry drying setting. I would recommend buying one as it makes such a difference.

Yes, we had this problem with tenants too. We provided a washer/dryer but they preferred to dry the washing on airers. Nothing wrong with this but they never turned on the extractors or opened the windows . The result was heavy condensation and eventually mould.
We bought an inexpensive dehumidifier from Argos and this solved the problem.

We have had a dehumidifier for two years, since we moved into a bungalow previously occupied by a man who never, ever opened a window. He said he kept the windows closed in winter to keep the heat in, and in summer to keep the flies out!
He wouldn't hang washing outside either, everything was dried on a rack in the smallest bedroom.
When we moved an old wardrobe from that room, we found black mould growing all over the walls and floor behind and under it, and the wallpaper had peeled off the wall and was crumpled up behind the wardrobe.
Mr J ordered our dehumidifier immediately, collected it the next day, and it's been worth every penny!
We've had every room re-plastered, and as every ceiling was covered in heavily patterned artex, all of these were done too.
I can absolutely recommend our dehumidifier. The model has changed slightly since we bought ours, but the new version is...
Blyss WDH-316DB 16Ltr Dehumidifier. We bought ours from Screwfix as the price was good and next day collection was very convenient. Screwfix Catalogue Number 368GY.
B&Q also sell Blyss brand products.
We're 'fresh air fiends' and have windows open all day, and open on night latches every night, but even so, some rooms get a tad damp, especially when washing has been dried indoors, even when on a heated airer (Lakeland Ltd). A couple of hours with the dehumidifier on in the evenings and the rooms are all at 30-35%, which is perfect for winter months. Summer should be 35-45%.
Please, please don't waste any money on the little plastic boxes which contain absorbent pellets and cost anywhere between £2 and £10 each, they will not help in any way at all!

I’m not keen on tumble dryers and only use ours for towels and bedding. The rest of the washing is on drying racks in the spare bedroom near the radiator . We have a dehumidifier which we turn on for a few hours which means the washing dries overnight and no sign of condensation or mould anywhere . I recommend buying one .

go for one, what you spend on electric using them you save on boiler costs for heating, damp air is cold. Washing dries so much faster if the damp is removed. A family member lives in an old stone house at the top of a hill that catches all the weather in the north, they find that they do not need a tumble dryer if they have damp washing and that they need less heat as damp air is cold and removing that makes the place warmer, so they have their heating on less
If the house is generally a bit damp even more important

Ps we do also have an extractor fan.

We have a seasonal condensation problem .
Autumn and winter, in our
Ensuite shower room all cold surfaces window, tiles, cistern and mirror etc, all wet after a shower.
So if possible leave the window open for short while, however if this not possible then I vax all cold surfaces with my
Karcher window vax this works well .

On top of the medicine cupboard, I keep a large crystal damp trap, usually purchased from Home Bargains.

I use a large one as it comes with extra crystals to change when box becomes full of water.

In the winter if we have any window condensationon all other windows, I just use the Karcher. sometimes even on the car

YES great believer in dehumifiers, have had Ebac and now a DeLonghi and also one from Aldi I think. Before windows were double glazed I used to have mop condenstaion from nine windows every morning. I have asthma so worry about black mould, apart from asthma has other serious health issues. I am a fresh air fiend, always windows open in bathrooms (doors closed) and out door clothes drying. Now with just the two of us in house, there are unused/unheated rooms and they would be problem if not for dehumidifiers. I run on in downstairs room and another on upstairs landing. Oh also put lids on cooking pots and run extractor fan in kitchen but still collect decent amount of water ... can be used in floor steamer or car especially if yuo are in a hard water area. Go for biggest capacity. Some are designed for one room, others for larger space.

We have had dehumidifiers for the last 20 odd years use them for drying clothes straight out the washing machine. They don’t use a lot of electricity. Bonus is they are not on the radiator there is no condensation and you can use the water in the iron

We have two which we bought direct from the manufacturers, Ebac, and I use the newer one for drying washing and the other is used if the house feels damp. They are much cheaper to run than tumble dryers and all and everything can be dried with a dehumidifier which is not the case with tumble dryers.

GillT57, I would look at the size of the collection bucket- the larger the bucket, the less frequently it needs to be emptied.

We have an Ebac dehumidifier which is perfect for us. I try to dry my washing outdoors as much as possible. However, in the autumn/winter months we use it if washing is drying indoors. I would highly recommend the Ebac.

My sister bought me a dehumidifier to dry clothes in my small flat a few years ago. Best thing she ever bought me !! I think they are brilliant and would get one again if the need arose.

Thank you everyone, I shall certainly look into getting one for DD. They are conscious of ventilation and do leave windows open when feasible, but their windows don't have trickle vents which is a problem. What kind of size of dehumidifier would you recommend?