Owning a dehumidifier makes a lot of sense now that so many of us live in less spacious homes that can be prone to damp. While this might be an issue due to condensation produced from cooking in the kitchen or steamy bathrooms, another cause can be damp laundry. If you regularly hang your washing up on an airer in your property then you’ll know what we’re talking about.
You need an appliance to take that damp edge off the atmosphere around your home and that's where the best dehumidifiers come in. While there are plenty of machines to choose from you might not be blessed with lots of space to accommodate one of the larger machines on the market. Therefore, we’d suggest heading towards the compact end of the dehumidifier spectrum.
We’ve pinpointed two great dehumidifier models that are both perfectly suited to smaller properties, or perhaps student accommodation that often suffers a similar fate in the damp and fusty stakes. Either of these dehumidifiers are ideal for doing their bit when it comes to taking the edge off damp, but which one should you actually buy given the choice?
EcoAir DD1 Simple Desiccant vs Pro Breeze 500 ml Compact Mini Dehumidifier: design
Considering it’s just a dehumidifier the EcoAir model is pretty good to look at, with a build that is predominantly plastic, but seems to feature predominantly robust materials. It feels like it’ll last a few years and the footprint is reasonably small too at 290cm x 475cm x 175cm (W x H x D). There’s a weight of just 6kg so it’s easily moved around when needed too. Meanwhile, a carrying handle makes that job even easier.
The Pro Breeze is a dinky little thing and very unobtrusive thanks to its truly compact design. You’re going to love the 15.6cm x 13cm x 22cm (L x W x H) dimensions of this machine if space is tight and this is another dehumidifier that looks nicely designed too. In fact, it’s a little more inspiring to look at than some dull-as-ditchwater models on the market. The real bonus with this machine is its weight, which is just over 1kg, meaning it’s very easy to manoeuvre.
EcoAir DD1 Simple Desiccant vs Pro Breeze 500 ml Compact Mini Dehumidifier: features
What we love about the EcoAir is its minimalistic design ethos and that extends to the set of features it comes with. There’s no learning curve involved with this machine as it only has two different mode settings, including a Quiet option that promises to keep things that way is it removes moisture from the air. If you need a little more power then a Turbo mode takes things up a notch.
There’s very little on the feature front for the Pro Breeze too, which is also a point in its favour really. All you really need to take note of is the On/Off button and the two indicators built into the casing, one of which tells you when the appliance is working while the other light is a tank full warning. The Pro Breeze does have an auto shut-off control for good measure, but that’s about it. It’s definitely no-nonsense.
EcoAir DD1 Simple Desiccant vs Pro Breeze 500 ml Compact Mini Dehumidifier: functionality
Having a low-maintenance dehumidifier model will make all the difference because you don't want to be acting as a nursemaid for the appliance as it sucks condensation out of the atmosphere. The EcoAir comes up trumps on this front as it can collect two litres of water in its tank, with the option of feeding what it collects down a small one metre pipe to a drain or sink if you want to use it continuously.
Meanwhile, the utter simplicity of the Pro Breeze makes it hugely appealing. While the EcoAir is a dessicant model, this unit is a Peltier dehumidifier, which makes it very easy to operate. The Pro Breeze is quite low powered at 23watts and the 500 ml tank capacity is on the low side too, but it’s perfect for smaller rooms where there’s less need to remove high moisture levels from the air.
EcoAir DD1 Simple Desiccant vs Pro Breeze 500 ml Compact Mini Dehumidifier: performance
The EcoAir model is impressive during operation. There’s only around 34dB of operational noise when it’s running on the Quiet mode, which means it can be used at night without too much aggravation. The other bonus is the appliance has a water tank full alert, offering peace of mind along with an auto shut-off feature. We got best value from its laundry drying ability, which was excellent given the relatively humble capacity of this unit.
Considering its humble design the Pro Breeze can take on humidity and damp with ease and boasts a 250ml extraction rate. We also found it very good at tackling the damp clothing scenario and, in a small room, the Pro Breeze proves very adept at drying out the musty feel of damp surroundings. There’s a fan inside, which obviously makes some noise but all things considered we were surprised at just how adept this machine can be at lowering humidity levels.
EcoAir DD1 Simple Desiccant vs Pro Breeze 500 ml Compact Mini Dehumidifier: which one should I buy?
The EcoAir DD1 Simple Desiccant and Pro Breeze 500 ml Compact Mini Dehumidifier are both great little machines. They occupy a similar area of the market, although the EcoAir is costlier to purchase and obviously has the beefier performance capabilities of the two. It’s a very capable machine though and can get levels of humidity right down in a pretty short space of time. If you’ve got a ‘regular’ sized property then it’s a solid bet.
However, not everyone wants a dehumidifier for everyday use and the ProBreeze is perfect for that. If you’ want a small compact unit for occasional airings then the Pro Breeze is perhaps the model to go for. It’s very cheap, super portable and does a great job of removing humidity from smaller rooms. We think a large part of its appeal will be in locations such as student accommodation, where space is limited but the damp levels can often be higher than they should be. In that scenario the petite Pro Breeze machine is hard to fault.
