This clever, budget-friendly dehumidifier tackles 3 of autumn's biggest household problems in one – damp, laundry and poor air quality
It's been in almost every room of my house
The Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier is an effective unit that'll reduce humidity, dry laundry and clean the air within a few hours of operation. I found it easy to use and equally easy to move around the house. It was a little tricky to empty a full water tank, and the child lock isn't 100% child-proof, but aside from that I'm confident that it'll be a helpful appliance for any household.
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Box ready
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Incredibly effective at reducing humidity levels
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Lightweight & easy to pour water container
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Dedicated “laundry” mode
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Ability to Clean Air too
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Easy to carry with handle and cable tidy
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Swift to maneuver on castors
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It has child lock (hurrah) but even with this activated it can still be turned off
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Difficult (and messy) to empty a full water tank
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This Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier review puts a popular and highly-rated dehumidifier through its paces with laundry to dry, condensation to combat, and humidity levels to keep in check.
It also happens to be one of the most affordable dehumidifiers that I have seen, so I'm keen to find out if you can get one of the best dehumidifiers without having to pay top dollar.
If you get a good one, aka the best, then you could find that your dehumidifier is saving you money on your energy bills as the tumble dryer is made redundant, and there’s less mould on the window sills as moisture in the air is efficiently removed. It'll also be a helpful aid to have around the home because it'll dry the laundry within a few hours.
To see if the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier, £158.99 at Toolstation, is indeed value for money, I tried it out for two weeks in the utility room to dry laundry and in a couple of bedrooms with condensation on the bay window walls. To do this, I followed the Ideal Home dehumidifier testing process, taking note of how it can affect humidity levels and how easy it is to use day-to-day.
In a nutshell
If you're after an effective, easy-to-use dehumidifier, then this Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier is the one.
I've found that it has reduced humidity throughout my home within hours and, although it's not "smart" per se, the timer has meant that it'll operate during the times that I want it to. I found that Dry Clothes mode was particularly useful for drying bedding within a few hours, and jeans within 6 hours.
This unit will also clean the air with a dedicated Air Clean button that'll remove airborne odours, such as burnt toast.
I also found it easy to manoeuvre around the house thanks to its castor wheels and integrated side handles. I could clearly see the control panel and indicator light, which changed from red to green to blue as humidity levels increased or decreased.
The only quibbles I have with it are that the child lock doesn't lock down the power button, so it can still be played with, and it's tricky to empty the water tank when it's full (best to empty when you notice that the water levels are on the up).
Specifications
- Type: Compressor
- Extraction rate: 20L/day
- Water tank capacity: 5.5L
- Max room size recommended: 30 - 40m²
- Noise level: 42dB
- Power: 320W
- Dimensions: H65 x W35.5 x D20cm
- Weight: 12kg
- Portable: Yes
- Automatic humidity sensor: Yes
- Continuous drain option: Yes (comes with 1m hose attachment)
- Laundry mode: Yes
- Wi-Fi connectivity: No
- Timer: Yes
- Operating temperature: 5°C - 35°C
How I tested
I tested the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier for 10 days in my 3-bed family home, where it was activated to dry laundry, reduce humidity levels and clean the air. It was positioned in the utility room to start with, and later wheeled through into the dining room and carried up the stairs with all modes given a thorough working. I controlled it with the set of controls on the unit with child lock often enabled.
Unboxing
The Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier is delivered in a branded cardboard box, which, fortunately, has a cut-out handle on either side to help carry. It weighs 12kg and measures H65 x D20 x W35.5 cm, so those handles on the box helped get a firm grip on the box for lifting into the utility room.
Minimal packaging was used. I removed a piece of cardboard from the top of the dehumidifier, and then I lifted the dehumidifier out of its box thanks to two integrated handles on either side of the unit. It wasn’t wedged in with any polystyrene (as I was expecting), and no unrecyclable plastic packaging was used.
The water tank housed the power cable during transport, and the separate drainage hose and instruction manual were further down inside the delivery box.
Assembly and set up
No assembly is required, which means that the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier is ready to go straight out of the box. That is, if you're not using the drainage hose.
The hose is easy enough to connect to the back of the appliance, so it's just another step (and another consideration) before you can use it.
It's advised to position this dehumidifier with 30cm or more away from anything to allow for efficient operation. You can use the castors to move it around the floor, or the integrated handle to lift it into another space.
As soon as I switched on this dehumidifier, it started to monitor the humidity in the room, displaying a humidity rating on the display screen. This increased and decreased depending on what the sensors were detecting. The fan speeds could be set to high or low; the desired dehumidify mode (normal, continuous or strong) could be selected or clothes dry mode could be activated.
I also had the option to turn on the sleep function, activate the defrost setting, operate the Auto Swing and activate or deactivate child lock.
It'll either run continuously or you can set a timer between 1 and 24 hours. For example, every day I set the dehumidifier to run for 1 hour in the morning on our landing to remove any excess moisture in the air from shower time.
Design
There isn't often that much to a dehumidifier, and the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier is no exception. That said, its design features all the essentials.
Measuring H65 x D20 x W35.5 cm, it's a compact unit that'll fit into most spaces.
On top is a control panel with a series of indicator lights. This is where you can toggle through modes including: normal dehumidifying, continuous dehumidifying and strong dehumidifying, Dry Clothes, Sleep and Defrost. You can also set a fan speed (low or high), activate/ deactivate child lock and activate/deactivate Auto Swing.
The front of this dehumidifier has an indicator light that displays the humidity by colour (red for 70%, green for greater than 50% but lower than 70% and blue for lower than 50%), as well as a digital display of humidity.
To the side, towards the top, are integrated handles. Then, at the same level as the handles, around the back of the dehumidifier, is a power cable storage hook.
Around the back, there is also an air inlet, drain hose groove, power cable and drain hose. This is also where you'll find a 5.5L water tank with a (really) useful water level window so you can see how much water is in the tank and gauge when you may need to empty it.
The Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier can be manoeuvred easily on its four castor wheels.
Ease of use
Throughout my time testing the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier, I have found it incredibly easy to use. It's not "smart" per se, so there's no app, which means that it's ready to go straight out of the box and straightforward to use.
The control panel is responsive, and all modes work effectively. I also found it easy to remove the water tank, and equally easy to manoeuvre on its four castors.
A pain point to note is that even with child lock activated, children can still power OFF the appliance. And a feature that would be helpful is the ability to schedule when this dehumidifier is activated so it'll be less of a thing to switch ON in the morning.
And depending on where you locate the dehumidifier, the 1.8-meter-long cable may be too short to reach a power outlet, so an extension cable may be required.
Performance
The performance of the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier has been effective with all tasks I've set it to throughout the 10 days of testing. The most used mode has undoubtedly been "Dry Clothes" mode and, for testing purposes, I have also selected "Normal Dehumidifying" mode and "Air Clean" – alongside buttons for Child Lock, Sleep, Fan Speed and Auto Swing.
I found that "Dry Clothes" mode effectively dried a 10kg load of bedding and a few garments within a few hours. It also reduced humidity levels in the utility room from 81 to 37 within 7 hours of continuous use.
In this setting, it increased the temperature of the airflow exiting the machine and pulled in more air, set to the higher fan speed by default. The utility room ended up being toasty warm, which, I'm sure, will be especially helpful through the cooler months of the year when radiators would usually be doing what they do best.
Impressed by its effectiveness, I carried the unit up the stairs (using the integrated handles) the following day to see how it could reduce the humidity in the bathroom. The digital display showed a humidity rating of 75 at 10.30 am that morning, and by 12.30 pm that day the humidity rating was down to a more comfortable 59.
I also wanted to monitor humidity levels in the bedroom, and I was shocked to see that it displayed a rating of 69. Within one hour of using the unit in normal dehumidifying mode, this rating dropped to 54.
Then, later that day, I wanted to see how the Sleep function performed. The machine continued to work; it just switched off all the lights except for illuminating the buttons for sleep, water full (should the tank become full) and child lock.
I found that even on the low fan speed it was too noisy to sleep through, so I ended up shutting it down for the night.
Nighttime use of this dehumidifier was only as it was drying laundry downstairs, and that was on a timer. I didn't feel comfortable leaving the dehumidifier working through the night, so I set the timer for a few hours until it shut off, which would at least dry the lighter garments or bedding.
I was also curious to try out Air Clean on this dehumidifier. It's a function that aptly cleans the air. For test (and breakfast) purposes, I toasted a couple of slices of bread. This always created a distinct odour in our kitchen, with a hint of burnt, so I was interested to find out how effectively this Wessex dehumidifier removed the lingering smell.
It's sufficient to say that it did the job, just as effectively as an air purifier, I must add. This feature isn't often available on dehumidifiers, so essentially, you're getting a 2-in-1 appliance with this unit.
As I worked my way through the modes and features that the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier has to offer, I activated child lock by pressing both the Auto Swing and Air Clean buttons to prevent my toddler from playing around with it too much. This worked well, so long as he didn't press the power button because this wasn't "locked" and could still shut down the unit.
Depending on where the unit was located, I also deactivated Auto Swing. Unlike many other dehumidifiers that I have tested, this one has a louver that swings automatically on all dehumidifying modes and Air Clean. I switched this off whilst it was being tested in the kitchen, bedroom and outside the bathroom, which are spaces regularly played in by the children, so a moving part on an already "fun-looking" unit may be the final straw.
The Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier also has a Defrost function. When the frost builds up on the evaporator coils, the automatic defrost function will be started. It'll continue to defrost at a room temperature of up to 23C. I have not tested this, so I cannot vouch for its effectiveness at this time.
When the water tank becomes full, the water full indicator will show on the display, and you'll hear a buzzer beeping for up to 20 seconds. The compressor will then stop, and the fan will stop several minutes after that, which may sound like the unit is starting up again. If you're using the drainage hose, then this is something that you won't need to worry about because the water will be freely flowing into a drain. However, if, like me, you're not using the hose, this should be a consideration when choosing modes, and you're not planning on using the timer.
After use, I wrapped the 1.8-metre-long cable around the cable tidy at the back. This kept it out of harm's way, i.e. standing on the plug. The cable tidy folds back into the unit when it's not being used, which, again, prevents any damage – to humans and the appliance – which is considerate.
Energy use
With the current energy price cap for July 2026 at 26p per kWh, I've calculated that it costs around 11p per hour to operate the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier. This is half the cost per hour of our tumble dryer, which costs 21p per hour.
Experts suggest that homeowners should leave their dehumidifier running for around 4-12 hours per day, so I left ours running throughout a day in testing. It took fewer than 3 hours to dry a 10kg bedding load in the “laundry” mode, which cost 34p in total. To dry this load in the tumble dryer, it would have cost 63p, based on a 3-hour program.
Noise levels
I recorded a noise level of 55dB on high fan speed, and 48dB on low fan speed. I thought it prudent to record a noise level on "laundry" mode since this is the most popular in our household, which peaked at 55dB – equivalent to a normal conversation. I also found that Sleep had the same noise output as the low fan speed – equivalent to rainfall.
I also toggled through the dehumidifying modes to find out the noise level differences between them. Both Normal Dehumidifying and Continuous Dehumidifying modes recorded a noise level of 48dB, whereas Strong Dehumidifying mode reached 55dB.
Portability
Whilst there is some bulk to the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier, I found that it can still be easily moved around room to room. I pushed it along over hard flooring on its four castors, and lifted it by its two integrated handles to carry it up the stairs.
Note: it'll be even easier to move around with the water tank emptied before lifting.
Maintenance
Alongside removing the water tank to empty it, there is very little maintenance required for the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier.
To empty the water tank is to draw it towards you by holding the concave part of the tank, and then use the collapsible handle on the tank to pour away the water. I found that the tank was extremely full (this was AFTER the buzzer alert had sounded), so full in fact that water was splashing about on its way to the sink, so it made a bit of a mess. The actual water tank removal was OK, though. I have since removed the tank BEFORE hearing the buzzer, which was much easier and less messy.
The Original User Instructions note that you are to clean the exterior only of this unit with a soft dry cloth. It then flags that you are to ensure that any dust or fluff does not build up on the air inlet on the back by regularly vacuuming both the inlet and outlet, which all easily unclip from one another.
Comparisons
Through all the years of testing and using dehumidifiers, I've found that they all come in different shapes and sizes, not forgetting extraction rates and smart capabilities. They also come with some standout features, such as Air Clean on this Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier, which is all worth factoring in, especially when you're working with a set budget.
Owning an appliance that is essentially a 2-in-1 can save money and space. For example, this unit will cost £159.99 from Toolstation, whereas just a (very good) air purifier, like the Blueair Blue Max 3250i air purifier, will cost the same amount.
Similarly, the MeacoDry Arete Two is a dehumidifier with a built-in air purifier which retails for £179. This also has an extraction rate of 20L (the same as my Wessex dehumidifier), but it runs at a mere 38dB. And the SmartAir 20L dehumidifier also has an extraction rate of 20L per day, the same-sized 5.5L water tank and excels at drying laundry, for £249.99.
Wessex also have a portable dehumidifier and air conditioner, which is frankly genius for designing an appliance for year-round use (cool in summer, laundry drying in winter). This also combines two appliances in one, but it'll set you back by £239.99. At the time of writing (September 2026), it's only available for store collection from Toolstation, but as many others have clearly thought, it could be a worthwhile investment.
If you need a unit with a higher extraction rate than 20L, like when you're drying plaster, then the Pro Breeze 30L High Capacity Smart Dehumidifier would be the better choice. Just be mindful that this one doesn't come with a dedicated laundry mode, so although it may remove more moisture, it doesn't have a dedicated setting to tackle wet washing.
Equally, if you're after a dehumidifier with a lower extraction rate, the Wessex 12L Dehumidifier (£99.99, Toolstation) is designed for smaller rooms of up to 25m2.
I found that the most helpful mode, for me, was "Laundry mode", which will certainly help to dry laundry indoors on a more regular basis as we head into autumn/winter. As with this Wessex dehumidifier, a number of other dehumidifiers have this mode, such as the SmartAir Dry Zone, MeacoDry Arete Two and EcoAir DD1 Simple MK3 Dehumidifier.
And if you have small children around the home, then you may want to look for a dehumidifier with a child lock feature that literally locks in all buttons. I also tested the DREO Smart Dehumidifier 512S recently, which has this feature, and I found it comparably much more helpful than the child lock on the Wessex.
How it rates online
The Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier has received a total of 364 reviews, at the time of writing, with 298 reviewers awarding a full five out of five stars. In total, it has an overall rating of 4.7 out of five stars.
There's a lot of love for the unit. It has efficiently reduced the humidity, is simple to use and has been quiet in operation for so many users. For example, one recent reviewer shared in June 2026 that it's: "Well built slim unit, quiet and efficient in bringing down humidity in room" and another reviewer from September 2026 said that "this is a good dehumidifier that works really well and is very cost competitive. Just one quirk. When shutting down, it needs to be left for 10 - 15 mins to complete the shutdown before restarting or emptying."
I wasn't aware of this quirk, and haven't experienced it with the unit that I have on test (yet!). Other things to note are that some users have received faulty products, it kept freezing up, ordered it by mistake, or it stopped working after 18 months.
To summarise? I could only count a dozen reviews that awarded this unit fewer than 4 out of 5 stars, with the majority of experiences with it being exceptional. It is in stock with Toolstation and, if ordered by 9 pm, can be delivered the next day, so delivery is a great service, too.
Verdict
So, should you buy the Wessex Electrical 20L Dehumidifier? In my opinion, it's a firm "yes" – I've already recommended it to a friend. It's an effective unit that can reduce humidity levels and clean the air, and it's easily got to be one of the best that I've used over the years for usability.
It has reduced humidity levels from 81 to 37 within a matter of hours, and dried laundry in the same time as it would take the tumble dryer – just at better than half the cost. I found that "Dry Clothes" mode is a worthwhile reason alone to buy this dehumidifier (it really is good).
I also like that it could clean the air of the smell of burnt toast, just as effectively and efficiently as an air purifier.
Designed with wheels and integrated side handles, I could easily move the unit around my home and work my way through the different modes depending on what I needed it for. My feeling is that there is always going to be a need for a dehumidifier, and now, with them being more versatile than ever before, it is always going to be a worthwhile investment – especially this one.