Small Dehumidifier Reviews

We’ve been pretty consistent over the years not recommending small dehumidifiers.

That is because most of the small dehumidifiers we tested performed very poorly in our moisture removal tests. They also weren’t very energy efficient. Many also lacked the features and functionality of their larger counterparts and many were less durable – meaning they were generally less well made and built using lower quality parts and materials than their larger counterparts.

In more recent years we’ve seen a definite up-tick in small dehumidifier performance. The more recent models we’ve tested have performed much better in our moisture removal tests.

For example, the recently released 20 pint Midea Cube was able to lower humidity in our 50 sq. ft. test space from 90% RH (Relative Humidity) down to 40% RH in only 13 and half minutes.

The small dehumidifier we (reluctantly) recommended previously – the Frigidaire FFAD2233W1 – took over 24 minutes to do the same in the same test.

Because it performs so well in our moisture removal tests while drawing just about the same amount of power as the older Frigidaire, the newer 20 pint Cube is also much more energy efficient.

It has all of the same features and functionality as the larger 50 pint Cube, and it’s just as well-built with similar quality parts and materials to the larger Cube – so these are also no longer weaknesses for the smaller Cube.

The Bottom Line

We still think the 50 pint Cube (MAD50S1QWT) is the better option for the vast majority of applications, but if the space you’re dehumidifying is especially small (under 1,000 sq. ft.) and not severely and/or perpetually humid, the 20 pint Cube (MAD20S1QWT) is a very reasonable alternative to consider.

A Word of Warning

In the last few years there has been a proliferation of low capacity (20 to 25 pint) dehumidifiers being marketed and sold as high capacity (50+ pint) dehumidifiers.

The trick manufacturers use for this marketing involves how capacity is calculated.

Dehumidifiers are tested at 65°F and 60% RH to determine their official capacity. This temperature and humidity level is officially mandated by the DOE (Department of Energy) in the United States.

Reputable manufacturers list dehumidifier capacity at 65°F and 60% RH.

Less reputable manufacturers (often manufacturers of smaller dehumidifiers) list capacity at higher temperature and humidity levels to inflate capacity numbers.

For example, Midea lists the MAD20S1QWT’s capacity as 20 pints/day at 65°F and 60% RH.

Waykar lists the PD160B’s capacity as 34 pints/day at 95°F and 90% RH.

The proper way to compare these two models is to compare each model’s capacity at “official” levels – at 65°F and 60% RH. And at these levels the Midea’s capacity is 20 pints/day and the Waykar’s capacity is only 10 pints/day!

If you were just quickly comparing these two models – using only manufacturer marketing/specifications – you would think that the Waykar has more capacity than the Midea, when in reality it actually has half the actual capacity!

We see this same trick used by many other manufacturers. Aeocky lists the RHEA-001’s capacity as 80 pints/day at 95°F, 95% RH when its actual capacity is closer to 25 pints/day. Vellgoo lists the DryTank 3000’s capacity as 70 pints/day at 90°F, 90% RH when its actual capacity is 22 pints/day.

There are many more such examples in the small/budget dehumidifier category, so definitely be aware of this if you’re shopping for a small dehumidifier.

Best Rated Small Dehumidifiers – 2026 Overall Rankings

#1 Midea MAD20S1QWT

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Note – the small Midea Cube is the only small dehumidifier we currently recommend. Certain other small dehumidifiers we’ve tested more recently (e.g. the Aeocky RHEA-001) have also performed well in our tests, but they’re all sold and marketed as large dehumidifiers (as described in the “Word of Warning” section above), are priced like large dehumidifiers, and are therefore a terrible value.

The Rest of the Rankings (Dehumidifiers We Do Not Recommend)

Below is a list of small dehumidifiers we’ve tested that we don’t recommend. They’re listed in order of their overall composite score (shown in parentheses). This score is obtained from adding up each model’s score (out of 5) in each respective review category.

Aeocky RHEA-001 (48.5)

Vellgoo DryTank 3000 (44.5)

Waykar JD025CE-80 (43)

Waykar PD160B (42)

Humsure AP25-2007EE (39.5)

Again, we do not recommend any one of these dehumidifiers for purchase.

Discontinued Small Dehumidifiers

Below is a list of small dehumidifiers we’ve tested that are now discontinued.

Frigidaire FFAD2233W1 (55)

Hisense DH-35K1SJE5 (47)

GE ADEL30LR (45)

Haier DM32M-L (34.5)