Best Garage Dehumidifier For 2024 – Reviews And Buying Guide

There’s nothing quite like a damp garage to start these things rusting or growing mold and mildew.

Buying a garage dehumidifier poorly suited to your needs will only run up your electricity bill while doing little to reduce the humidity in your garage.

With the right dehumidifier garage humidity is easily managed.

These are our top 5 picks for best garage dehumidifier and what to look out for when making your choice.

TOSOT is one of the leading manufacturers of dehumidifiers and air conditioners in the world. They make some really great products and when it comes to dehumidifiers for garage use this 50-pint unit is easily our favorite.

It draws water from humid air like a champ and is rated at 50 pints per day according to the updated DOE dehumidifier ratings. It was rated at 70 pints per day under the previous system.

You've got two options to get rid of the water. The continuous drain option is great if you've got somewhere to run a hose (not included) into. Otherwise you'll need to empty the drain bucket.

If you're not using the continuous drain option then you'll need to empty the drain bucket every 5 hours or so with continuous use.

This model also has an option for a built in pump but that option isn't always in stock.

Not only is this a quiet dehumidifier but the Energy Star rating confirms that it’s also one of the most energy efficient. It runs really quietly at about 48dB on the low setting.

We like the power outage restart ability it has. After power is restored the dehumidifier will start up again and operate with the same settings you chose before the power outage.

The electronic controls make it extremely easy to set your desired humidity setting. 

The filters are easy to wash and a light on the control panel lets you know when they need to be cleaned. You get around 250 hours of operation between each clean.

This is also happens to be our choice for the best dehumidifier for basement use.

For the price it would be tough to find a better 70-pint dehumidifier for garage use than this one from Waykar.

This unit will shift up to 70 pints of water a day in an area up to 4500 square feet which is pretty amazing.

It's a great option for your garage but the sleek design means it will look great in your home too.

The intelligent touch panel makes it really easy to operate and to enter your settings. The child-lock mode also keeps the controls safe from any inquisitive little fingers.

It will switch off automatically when the 1.18 Gallon water bucket is full and starts up again once it's emptied.

It also accommodates a hose (supplied) for continuous drain operation. The hose it comes with is just over 6.5 feet long.

The auto-restart feature means you won’t need to go and restart it after a power outage. It'll also auto defrost so it's an ideal choice for cold garages.

We recommend attaching the hose it comes with, set the unit up in a corner of your garage and then never worry about mold or rust in your garage again.

This unit from Ivation performs really well. It removes 50 pints per day from a 4,500 square feet space. Under the previous DOE rating system this unit was classified as a 70-pint per day humidifier.

We love how compact this unit is. It takes up very little space and is easy to move around on its easy-roll casters.

The display and controls are straight forward and simple to use. You can operate it in simple on/off mode or enter your desired humidity settings.

It has 2 fans speeds. Turbo, for when you need it to work fast, and regular, when you want it to be a little quieter.

The 1.3 Gallon reservoir is easy to empty without spilling and you can attach a hose (not supplied) for continuous drain operation too.

This unit is a great garage dehumidifier if your garage gets pretty cold as the auto defrost allows it to work in lower temperatures.

This unit from Vremi works extremely well and has some great features. It removes around 50 pints per day which is is ideal for spaces up to 4,500 square feet.

Unlike the Friedrich unit, it does not have a built-in pump. It does support continuous drain operation if you prefer not to empty the reservoir yourself.

You'll need to supply your own hose (5/8" garden hose is fine) and connect it to the drain hose outlet.

The design is very attractive and the castors and handles make positioning it a breeze. The controls are really simple to use too.

It's Energy Star rated so it runs really efficiently. It's probably easiest just to set it to run on "continuous mode" let it do its thing. Once the reservoir gets full it will shut off automatically.

This is a great performer with a quiet and energy efficient fan and compressor. It's ideal to use as a dehumidifier for garage spaces that are larger than normal.

If you’re expecting your garage to regularly get down to close to freezing then you’re going to need a desiccant dehumidifier.

This unit from EcoSeb will outperform larger capacity compressor / refrigerator type dehumidifiers with ease when it gets really cold.

It gets to work really quickly and you’ll be surprised at how fast the water starts to collect in the water tank.

Its small size makes it a breeze to move to any trouble areas.

Energy efficiency is often a concern with desiccant dehumidifiers but this one has an efficiency comparable to other good compressor dehumidifiers. It also has an "auto restart" function in case of power outages.

The lack of compressor also means that it’s a lot quieter than compressor type dehumidifiers. It only removes around 15 pints per day so it's better suited for use as a dehumidifier for small garage spaces.

Garage Dehumidifier - Ideal Humidity

The Goldilocks zone for humidity in a garage where the air is not too dry or too humid is between 40% and 50%.

Any drier and your leather upholstery and wood finishes will start to deteriorate. Any more humid than this and rust and mildew will start to set in.

With this in mind it’s important to make sure you that when choosing a dehumidifier for garage use that you buy one that has a humidistat. This is a control that allows you to choose the humidity level.

If you’re only concerned with rust, mold and mildew then aim for somewhere around 45%. Besides the RH (Relative Humidity) you need to take into consideration the temperature or the air in the garage.

Getting your garage humidity just right will also help keep it warmer in winter. If the air is too dry then even the best garage heater won't be able to heat it efficiently.

Best Dehumidifier For Garage - Temperature Considerations

Simply asking "What is the best dehumidifier?" is not good enough. It's important to understand the conditions the room will experience. The garage needs to be properly sealed so using these in even the best portable garage won't do.

Most garages are not heated and the temperature of the space is key to choosing the right dehumidifier. If the temperature isn’t ever going to go below 60°F (16°C) then temperature isn’t too big of a concern.

If your garage space gets cooler than this then you need to make sure your dehumidifier can be effective when it gets this cold. Refrigerant, or compressor, type dehumidifiers don’t work effectively below 60°F.

If frost forms on the evaporator coil then the compressor won’t turn on until the auto-defrost function of the dehumidifier gets rid of the frost.

Some types make use of a fan to circulate the ambient air across the coils until the frost defrosts and only then will the unit start dehumidifying again.

If the air temperature is closer to freezing then that fan can turn all day and never shift that frost and never kick the compressor on again to dehumidify the air.

In this case it’s important to choose a unit with hot gas defrost functionality. These units have the ability to blow heated air on the coils to defrost them so that the compressor can get going again.

Dehumidifiers with the hot gas defrost function can be effective at temperatures just above freezing.

If you expect the temperature in the garage to regularly be just above freezing then a desiccant dehumidifier is the best choice.

Instead of using refrigerant it uses desiccant material which absorbs moisture from heated air that is blow over it.

These types use more electricity so they cost more to run but they are effective at low temperatures whereas the refrigerant type just won’t cut it.

Servicing your dehumidifier and keeping it dust free will prolong its life too. Give it a quick once over with your quiet shop vac every other week.

Because your dehumidifier will sit on the floor it may also be an appealing, warm home for pests. You may want to put down some mouse poison if you want to prevent any unwanted critters moving in.

Conclusion

In all cases it’s a good idea to choose a dehumidifier for garage use that has a continuous drain. If it just has a bucket where the water is collected then the dehumidifier will stop automatically when the bucket is full and will need periodic emptying.

Getting a unit with automatic restart is also a good idea. This will enable the dehumidifier to start up automatically after a power cut so that it can kee removing moisture from the air.

When you consider the investment you’ve made in your car and tools then spending a couple of extra bucks to get the best garage dehumidifier makes perfect sense.

After considering the size of your garage and the expected minimum temperature then you can’t go wrong with one of the options we’ve reviewed above.