I tested VonHaus’ sub-£100 slimline dehumidifier in my small home – it’s a game-changer for damp rooms and drying laundry

As luck would have it, the same week that my downstairs toilet decided to pack up, my washing machine and tumble dryer also decided to follow suit. Brilliant. While I can live without the former (we've got 2 others upstairs), the 2 white goods were proving to be a slight nightmare. The washing machine is now officially fixed, so I thought I'd enlist the help of the VonHaus Slimline 10L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode to help me dry my washing indoors, on those days that just aren't warm (or dry) enough to stretch the line out.

Sitting at an extremely reasonable price tag of just £99.99, this dehumidifier claims to offer all of the bells and whistles you need, while boasting a slimline look and a portable design. I've been using this in my home for a fair few weeks as the weather has recently turned colder, and not only have I noticed that it speeds up the drying time of my indoor washing in my kitchen, but it has managed to work wonders outside my family bathroom, where I have a leaking hot tap, so it's super humid and mould is starting to form on the ceiling. I also took it upstairs to check out its sleep mode and see whether it truly is whisper-quiet.

A great option for small to medium-sized homes, it offers a 1.6L tank, plus it comes with a hose for a continuous drainage option if you're dealing with very high humidity levels. Its easy-to-read display makes it super intuitive; also, it's worth noting that unlike other higher-tech models, this one doesn't connect to your phone, so it's pretty faff-free.

At a glance

A great piece of kit at a competitive price tag of just £99.99, this dehumidifier is a basic option that would still suit a good range of homes. It might struggle to work in a large room, but it works wonders in smaller spaces — although its smaller 1.6 L tank may fill fast. It's best suited for small to medium-sized rooms up to 15m², with an extraction rate of 10 litres a day.

This desiccant model can run in temperatures ranging from 5°C to 39°C. It features a filter inside that's removable and easily washable. Handily enough, this model is nice and slim, and it sits on wheels with handles for easy moving. It is weighty, though, at 7.8kg with an empty tank.

Its LED display makes an easy job of controlling this dehumidifier, and the buttons are pretty self-explanatory. It offers 2 fan speeds — low and high — and 3 modes: auto, laundry and sleep. The machine can work to target as low as 30% humidity, although I never managed to get it to reach this low. The lowest I saw was 44%. The highest was 77%.

Whilst reviewing this dehumidifier, I really liked its slimline design and portability. I did, however, dislike its cord length, which I found to be rather short at 160cm. It definitely worked better and faster in smaller rooms. The room it impressed me in the most was my bathroom, which is super humid thanks to a (soon-to-be-fixed) leaking hot tap. It managed to bring the level from 57% to 44% humidity in here, in just 1 hour. It definitely did make a difference whilst drying my laundry indoors in my kitchen, too, and it worked impressively fast during the daytime in my bedroom and living room when these rooms were both empty.

The Sleep Mode wasn't awful, but it was admittedly louder than I expected. If you're used to sleeping in complete silence, it might be too noisy. It automatically sets the fan speed to low and turns the screen off.

Another thing I noticed about this machine whilst in use is that it sometimes leaks whilst you're getting the tank out to empty it. This is because the tank is so full when it alarms to empty, so trying to do this without spilling any water is a bit of a mission.

Specifications

• RRP: £99.99
• Type: Desiccant
• Extraction rate: 10L/day
• Water tank capacity: 1.6L
• Max room size recommended: 15m²
• Noise level: 30-44dB (we found it was more like 47-51dB)
• Power: 210W
• Dimensions: H40.5cm x W27cm x D17cm
• Weight: 7.8kg
• Portable?: Yes
• Continuous drain option: Yes (hose supplied)
• Laundry mode: Yes
• WiFi connectivity: Yes
• Timer: Yes, up to 24 hours
• Operating temperature: 5°C - 39°C

Unboxing

It arrived in a rather compact box which was simple enough for me to lift onto my kitchen counter (bear in mind, I am pregnant, too). I opened the box and noticed that the unit was wedged between two chunks of polystyrene. These aren't recyclable. Otherwise, the main unit was sitting in a 04-PE LD bag, as were the manual and the hose. This type of bag is recyclable but not at home, instead in a supermarket.

As per the sticker on the side of the machine, I lifted it down from my worktop and placed it on the floor in my kitchen, where I knew I needed it to live. I let it sit here for a full 24 hours before switching it on.

Set up

There's not a huge amount to set up. You need to read the manual to know that it needs to be kept on a firm, level surface with at least 30cm of open space around the unit for air circulation.

Otherwise, the cord was kept inside the water tank, so you'll need to pull that out to reveal it. Also, do bear in mind that the cord is quite short, so if you're light on low sockets like me, as most of the ones in my kitchen are high up, consider where you'll plug this machine in. The cord is 1.5m in length. I measured it and found that it was closer to the 160cm mark, but still, this is deceptively short if your plug sockets are sparse.

Design

Design-wise, I love that it's nice and compact. I've tested a fair few dehumidifiers, and this is by far the least cumbersome. I also enjoyed the fact that it's on wheels, as it made it easy to slide over my door thresholds. It also has handles for carrying.

It is, admittedly, quite heavy for its smaller size. It weighs 7.8kg, and this is with an empty tank.

Ease of use

This dehumidifier has a control panel with 6 buttons:

• Child lock: Long press to activate and deactivate.
• Fan speed: Press once to switch between high and low.
• Timer: Press once to set, adjust between 0-24 hours.
• Adjust: Press to set humidity level, between 30% and 80% (in 5% increments). Press to adjust timer between 0-24 hours (in 1 hour increments).
• Mode: Press to switch between Auto, Continuous Laundry and Sleep mode.
• Power: Press to turn on.

This machine is fairly intuitive to use, especially compared with other dehumidifiers I've tested, some of which require Wi-Fi to access extra features. This one is faff-free and only requires an empty tank and for you to select a setting in order for it to get to work.

Plug it in, press the power button and select your mode. It will display a reading of the current humidity level. You might want to wait a few minutes for this number to be more accurate. You can easily adjust the target humidity level using the 'ADJ' arrow button. The 'MODE' button lets you switch between the 2 modes, and if you hold it, it will activate Sleep Mode.

Auto Mode
This works to the humidity level that you set, and it will power the machine on when the machine detects that the humidity level exceeds or drops by what you chose, by 3%. You can also adjust the fan speed.

Continuous Laundry Mode
Will run regardless of the humidity level in the room, until the tank is full. You can adjust the fan speed in this mode.

Sleep Mode
Turns the display screen off, and it will turn off (won't alarm) once the tank is full. You can adjust the humidity level, but the fan speed is set to low for minimum noise output.

Performance

Drying laundry

I am always drying washing (mainly chunky cardigans and jumpers) in my kitchen, on my handy over-the-door rack, and I do find that sometimes these items can take days to dry.

With help from this dehumidifier, I managed to speed up drying time massively. I first turned the machine on its laundry mode setting without any washing hanging. The machine was placed as close to the washing as possible. Remember: its cord isn't mega long. I also made sure to shut all doors and windows, too.

The machine initially read 57%. I hung the laundry out and noticed this number stayed the same. I shut the door and went about my usual business. I left it overnight to work, hoping that the tank wouldn't fill and the machine wouldn't auto-switch off.

The next morning, around 10 hours later, the machine was still running and read 58%. But my washing was mostly dry — only a few of the thick jumpers were slightly damp. T-shirts and thinner clothing were all totally dry. An hour or so later, the machine flagged as being full. So, the tank lasted around 11.5 hours in Laundry Mode, on high speed. I was impressed. This will hugely depend on room size, humidity level and whether there are humans/pets in the room at that time, though.

Obviously, the reason that the reading stayed the same wasn't that it wasn't working. Instead, the humidity that was being added to the air from my washing was instantly being drawn into the machine and turned into water.

Reducing humidity

I first properly used this machine in my living room. I switched it on and left it for a few moments. The machine read 67%. Knowing that the perfect humidity for a living room is between 40% and 50%, I thought I'd set it to 50%.

Impressively enough, it managed to drop from 67% to 59% in just 30 minutes. After this, though, it sat at 59% for hours, which clearly meant it was struggling. During this time, the room was empty, and the windows were closed. Still, 6 hours later, the machine only read 62%, and I noticed that it was struggling as more people entered the room during the evening and the temperature inside the room dropped.

I did the same test in my bedroom to see how humid it was in here, too. It initially read 77% at around 7:30 am. Fast forward 2 hours, and it had dropped to 62%. At around 14:30, it was reading 60% and eventually, at 16:00, it was showing 59%. Finally, at 18:00, it was flagging that the water tank was full. This was on high fan speed for the entire time. Also, bear in mind that this was in the daytime, so nobody was inside this room whilst it was trying to work its magic.

At night time, it was pretty much the same ball game. I switched it on at around 11 PM, hoping to turn on sleep mode and snooze while it works during the night. It read 57%, and the fan speed was low. Around one hour later, I had to turn it off as I couldn't sleep with the noise. It wasn't loud, just a low hum, but for someone who is used to it being totally silent, it was disturbing me. Still, one hour later, the humidity hadn't changed and was still reading 57%. I had expected as much as there were two of us in the room whilst it was trying to work, and before, it had struggled enough in our bedroom without anyone in the room at the time.

It was clear that this dehumidifier does work to remove some of the humidity in the air, but it also struggled to make my bedroom reach a low humidity level, as it was set to 50% and still only reached 59% over a 9 and a half hour period.

The magic truly happened in our family bathroom. Here, we have a leaky tap that's being fixed ASAP, as it's leaking hot water. So, you can imagine the humidity levels in this room. It's a bit like a sauna in there some mornings, which, TBH, I don't hate. But I probably will after receiving next month's water bill.

This was the room that shocked me the most, as the humidity level was only displaying 58% initially. It's a very small room, arguably the smallest I'd tested it in.

I turned it on to Laundry Mode as I wanted it to run until the tank was full, basically. Its fan was set to high. First, it read 54%. After one hour, it said 45%. I was impressed that it managed to work so fast! Its lowest recorded humidity in this room, as it lived here for a good week or so, was 44%.

It's worth bearing in mind that this room is nowhere near a plug socket, so I struggled to put the dehumidifier inside the room and close the door. I managed to pull the door so that it was almost closed (and was safely outside any splash zones).

The majority of the time, this dehumidifier was used in this room, except when used for testing. I'd say that the tank varied in how long it took to fill. Sometimes, I found myself having to empty it after 4-5 hours. Other times, it lasted 12 hours overnight. This really did depend on whether we'd recently run a bath and whether the door was open or closed while it was powered on.

Energy use

If you're thinking about how much a dehumidifier costs to run, then don't worry too much, as this one is quite low wattage. It runs at 210W, which is great for its size, as the previous model I tested could reach up to 600W therefore used more energy.

This means that, as per the current Ofgem energy price cap, valid through this month to December 2026, this dehumidifier costs a little more than 5p to run for one hour. For 24 hours, it'd be approximately £1.33 if running continuously. This is great value!

Noise levels

This dehumidifier isn't necessarily loud when in use, but it's obvious that it's on. While sitting in my kitchen, on its auto mode in low fan speed, my decibel monitor read 48-49dB. The ambient room reading was 35dB.

On the flip side, at its highest mode, it was still only 50-51dB in the same room.

I also tested its noise levels at night, to see whether you could sleep with this machine on. In sleep mode, which automatically sets to low fan speed, it was 47dB.

Portability

This dehumidifier sits on wheels for easy moving around your home, and it has built-in handles to carry it, too. It's not hugely heavy, but I wouldn't want to lift it with water in the tank, as this adds weight, plus the water will spill out.

Something to note about its portability is that its cord isn't hugely long. It measures 160cm, so you need to bear this in mind if you know where it'll be living. This did end up being an issue for me when using it in my kitchen and bathroom, where the plug sockets are sparse.

Maintenance

The filter needs cleaning every 2 weeks. This is easily removed, and you need to ensure that it's fully dry before putting it back on the dehumidifier.

When the water tank is full, the machine will alarm (not in sleep mode), and the tank light will illuminate. The tank slides away from the back of the unit, at the bottom. I'd suggest taking the lid off the tank before emptying it, but even then, this can still be a slightly messy job unless you're careful.

I will say that this is a messier job than most other dehumidifiers I've tested. Perhaps because the tank is smaller. I found that most of the time, when emptying, the water spilled onto the floor as the tank was so full. It's easier to empty into a bathtub or a bigger sink, and I'd be hesitant to use it on a carpeted area because of spills.

This was the filter after 2 weeks of use. It barely looks used at all.

Verdict

As far as dehumidifiers go, this one is ideal for smaller homes and probably even best for flats or single-level houses. It's super portable, which is arguably one of its best qualities, but its water tank is admittedly small, and you will notice this as it'll need to be emptied often if placed in a humid room. For help drying washing, it might suffice fine. You can use it with its hose for longer periods of use, but if you have kids or pets around, this might become a somewhat messy activity. Talking of mess, I did find that emptying its tank was sometimes a nightmare — if it was very full, then it would spill. So be aware when using it on a carpeted area.

I love its fuss-free design and that it doesn't need any faffing around with connecting it to Wi-Fi. Simply plug it in, set the humidity level, and you're good to go. I did notice that it performed better in smaller rooms, like my family bathroom, as you'd expect. It worked fast to dry a load of laundry in my kitchen, while admittedly, its short cord (160cm) is slightly annoying, as it meant I couldn't reach it into certain spots. Its Sleep Mode wasn't awful, but might not be for everyone at 47dB. Just something to consider.

All in all, for less than £100, you can't deny that this is a decent investment.