Dehumidifier Buying Guide
For most of us, our daily activities involves us running dishwashers, washing machines, baths, steaming up the kitchen whilst cooking and drying laundry. Therefore, these daily routines increase the humidity levels in your home. Do you know what happens when excess moisture is caused? It creates an unpleasant environment causing condensation, damp, mould growth, peeling paint and wallpaper, warped wood and musty smells.
This is when dehumidifiers come in excellent use! Dehumidifiers are used to remove moisture from indoor air. They are typically used when your household's humidity level has risen and becomes uncomfortable and causes problems. These appliances also come in handy if you have a room or basement that is dry or damp.
This buying guide will help your decide if you need a dehumidifier and how to choose one that meets your needs.
Do you need a dehumidifier?
If you live in an environment that has heating systems, dry winter air, cause skin to be dry and flaky, can aggravate respiratory problems or even cause the furniture to crack or become rickety, then a dehumidifier is something you should be looking into.
If you would like to measure the humidity in your home, an instrument called a "hygrometer" can measure the RH in your house. If it is over 50%, purchasing a dehumidifier can remove that extra moisture.
Generally, over the seasons your house can accumulate moisture once summer comes, causing problems in autumn and winter when you close the house up. To reduce the humidity, it will need to be done quite aggressively once autumn comes, with the use of a dehumidifier to increase ventilation and avoid these problems.
Size
Deciding on the size of your dehumidifier depends on the amount of the floor area you have available and the level of your humidity. The larger your appliance, the more efficient it is and your moisture problems can be dealt with faster.
Our dehumidifier's capacity ranges from 12L to over 30L of moisture retained in a day.
Features
When it comes to a dehumidifier, you're looking for an appliance that will break down the moisture in the room and create an atmosphere that is clean, not damp and mouldy. However, there are certain features that come with different models that may help your individual needs as well. For example, if you are from a cooler climate, "warm mist" feature turns the water into steam, which can be directed into the room. Automatic shut off or shut off sensors are also an excellent option because the dehumidifier will switch on or off when the leave is too high or is reached.
Here are some more features to look for when buying a dehumidifier:
- Removable washable filter
- Water full indicator light
- 20L to 30L per day moisture removal
- Electronic controls
- LCD display
- Built-in ceramic heater
- Fan speeds, multi direction
- Continuous drainage feature
- Automatic defrost
- Castors for optimum portability
- Easy clean air filters
- 3.5L to 6L water storage
- Hour timer
- Quiet operation
- Design with carry handle
- Manual controls
- Tank full indicator
- UV light function which helps kill off bacteria in the air as it passes through the unit