Drying clothes indoors
Best dehumidifier for drying clothes indoors
Short answer: if your washing goes on an airer in the house most days, we'd go for the Pro Breeze 20L. It has a proper laundry mode and a 5.5 litre tank, and you can fit a hose so it doesn't stop halfway through a load. If your drying room's cold, we'd pick a desiccant like the Meaco DD8L instead.
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01 · Best for drying washing most days
Pro Breeze 20L
Compressor · 20 L (manufacturer claim)
Short answer: pick the Pro Breeze 20L if you dry washing indoors and want a 5.5 litre tank, a one-click laundry mode and a carbon filter for less. The 20 L headline is still a laboratory maximum, and Pro Breeze doesn’t publish the cooler-room table Meaco does.
Recent UK listings have sat around £140–£180 — check Amazon for today’s price. Extraction claims are warm-lab figures; see Method.
02 · Fastest laundry fan, with app control
MeacoDry Arete Two 20L
Compressor + HEPA · 20 L (manufacturer claim; 20.45 L at 30 °C / 80 % RH)
Short answer: choose the Arete Two 20L over the One if you’ll use app control or the faster laundry fan, which Meaco rates at 255 m³/h. It keeps the 20 litre class, 4.8 L tank and Arete shell, and adds a DC motor, a manual louvre and an LCD. Meaco lists 8.50 L/day at 20 °C / 60 % RH; the carton 20 L is the 30 °C / 80 % RH point.
Recent UK listings have sat around £250–£350 — check Amazon for today’s price. Extraction claims are warm-lab figures; see Method.
03 · Laundry button with a 4-hour timer
Duux Bora Smart 20L (DXDH20UK)
Compressor · 20 L (manufacturer claim)
Short answer: if you want a smart 20 L that’s quiet at night, the Bora Smart is Quiet Mark certified at 36 dB in night mode, with app control and a laundry button. The catch: Duux lists a 15 °C minimum operating temperature, so it’s one for heated rooms.
Check Amazon for today’s price. Extraction claims are warm-lab figures; see Method.
04 · Best for a cold utility room
Meaco DD8L
Desiccant · 7.5 L at 20 °C / 60 % RH on fan speed 2 / laundry; 3.5 L at the same conditions on speed 1 (Meaco). The headline “8 L” is Meaco’s rounded all-temperature figure.
Short answer: the DD8L is the desiccant we’d pick for a cold or part-heated room if you want Meaco’s Control Logic. It’s 7.5 L/day at 20 °C / 60 % RH on speed 2 and runs from 1 °C. Same cold-utility job as the EcoAir DD1, with less fan-on time once the target humidity is held.
Recent UK listings have sat around £150–£180 (Meaco list £169.99 as of Sep 2026) — check Amazon for today’s price. Extraction claims are warm-lab figures; see Method.
What to look for in a dehumidifier for laundry
A real laundry mode is the big one. It keeps the machine extracting with the fan on high, so it doesn't stop once the room reaches its humidity target. The Pro Breeze 20L has a one-click mode, the Arete Two 20L adds a laundry timer and a third fan speed Meaco rates at 255 m³/h, and the Duux Bora Smart 20L has a laundry button with a 4-hour timer.
Then think about the tank. A wet load puts a lot of water into your air, and a full tank stops the cycle. The Pro Breeze holds 5.5 litres and the Arete Two 4.8 litres. On a smaller 2 or 2.5 litre tank, we'd fit the hose.
Does a cold room change things?
Yes. If you dry clothes in an unheated utility, garage or conservatory, a compressor collects much less once the room gets near 10 °C. The Meaco DD8L is a desiccant with a laundry setting, and Meaco lists 7.5 L/day at 20 °C / 60 % RH on that setting. It draws more power than a compressor, so we'd only choose it if your room really is cold. The Duux Bora is the opposite: Duux lists a 15 °C minimum, so keep it for a heated room.
Getting washing dry faster
Shut the door, so the machine isn't trying to dry the rest of the house. Space the clothes out on the airer and point the louvre at them if your machine has one. Fit the hose if you'll be out, so a full tank doesn't stop the cycle. Honestly, a dehumidifier won't match a tumble dryer for speed, and thick towels and bedding take hours.
For a smaller household, the MeacoDry Arete One 12L has a laundry mode and night mode, and it's quiet enough for a bedroom. If you want app control for less, the VonHaus 20L has a laundry mode that runs continuously and comes with the hose. Our dehumidifier guide covers laundry mode, sizing and running costs in more detail.
Common questions
- What's the best dehumidifier for drying clothes in the UK?
- If you dry washing indoors most days, we'd go for the Pro Breeze 20L. It has a one-click laundry mode, a 5.5 litre tank and a hose option, so it can run a long cycle without filling up. If you'd like app control and a faster laundry fan, the MeacoDry Arete Two 20L is the step up.
- What size dehumidifier do I need for drying clothes?
- For a small household's washing, a 12 L class compressor is a reasonable companion. If the airer is up every day, we'd go for a 20 L. If you dry clothes in a cold room, pick a desiccant instead.
- Is a dehumidifier cheaper than a tumble dryer?
- It's slower than a tumble dryer, and towels and bedding can take hours, so the answer depends on how long you run it. Work out your own cost from the watts on each review, the hours it runs and your unit rate.
- What's the best dehumidifier for a laundry room or utility?
- If the room's heated, any of the 20 L compressors here will do. If it's an unheated utility that sits near or below 10 °C, we'd use a desiccant like the Meaco DD8L, which lists 1 °C as its lowest working temperature and has a laundry setting.
More reading: Best 5, how to choose a dehumidifier and all reviews.