The best dehumidifiers in Australia

A dehumidifier pulls water out of the air and into a tank or down a drain hose. Which one suits you depends on how damp the room is, how cold it gets, and whether you will empty a tank every day. Prices below are from Bunnings, Appliances Online and The Good Guys on 18 October 2026; for models also on Amazon Australia, check the current price on Amazon. We compared maker specifications and retailer listings; we have not run these units in our own home. Damp season runs from late summer through autumn, so this is the time to buy before the shelves thin out.

Compressor or desiccant

There are two kinds, and the choice matters more than the brand.

A compressor dehumidifier works like a small fridge: room air passes over a cold coil, water condenses and drips into the tank. It is efficient in warm, humid air, which is why every big-capacity unit here is a compressor. Its output falls as the room cools: the Ausclimate units are rated to run from 5°C, and the De’Longhi DEP214 has anti-frost protection down to 2°C.

A desiccant dehumidifier passes air over a moisture-absorbing material that is then dried by heating it, which is why desiccants give off warmth. It keeps working in cold rooms (the Ausclimate Cool Seasons and Ionmax ION630 both run from 1°C) and the warm air it gives off is welcome in a cold bedroom. The cost is power: 420 W (Ionmax) to 730 W (Ausclimate) against 208 W (Breville) to 485 W (Ausclimate 35L) for the compressor units here.

Rule of thumb: a compressor unit for most of Queensland, NSW and Perth, and for summer and autumn damp everywhere; a desiccant for an unheated room in a Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart or highland winter.

Read the test condition, not just the litres

Litres a day is measured in a test room, and the test room is the catch. Ausclimate and Dimplex state their compressor ratings at 30°C and 80% relative humidity, a hot, sticky day. Ausclimate rates its desiccant at 20°C and 60%, much closer to a winter living room. So a 10 L desiccant and a 12 L compressor cannot be compared on the box figures: the desiccant’s 10 L was measured in cooler, drier air. Compare like with like, and where a listing gives no test condition (Philips, De’Longhi and Omega Altise did not on the pages we read), treat the figure as a ceiling.

The comparison

The Ausclimate 35L, Compact 12L and Cool Seasons 10L, the Philips 3000, the Breville and the Ionmax ION630 are also on Amazon Australia, sold by Amazon AU; check the current price on Amazon. Note that the Ausclimate units carry different model numbers at Bunnings and on Amazon (ACD135 and ACD235 for the 35L, ACD112 and ACD212 for the Compact) with slightly different tank sizes.

The picks

The Ausclimate Large 35L is the one we would buy for a damp house. It is rated for up to 35 litres a day at 30°C and 80% humidity, takes a continuous drain hose, has castor wheels, and costs $449 at Bunnings. Bunnings rates it for rooms up to 50 m² and lists a 485 W maximum draw.

The Philips 3000 Series is the premium alternative at $729. Its 34.3 L figure comes with a 258 W draw on Amazon’s listing, roughly half the Ausclimate’s, plus a published noise range of 45 to 51 dB(A), humidity and temperature sensors, three fan speeds and a 4 L tank. Philips does not state the test condition on the pages we read.

The Ausclimate Cool Seasons 10L desiccant is the pick for cold rooms: rated at 20°C and 60%, runs down to 1°C, has a laundry mode, and was $388.50 at Bunnings. Expect it to add warmth and draw up to 730 W. The Ionmax ION630 is a similar desiccant with a larger 4.2 L tank, sold on Amazon.

For small rooms, the Ausclimate Compact 12L ($239.99) is the value pick. The De’Longhi AriaDry Evo 14L ($425) has the lowest published noise of the compressor units here at 38 dB(A), a good choice for a bedroom. The Omega Altise 20L carries a three-year warranty for $379, and the Breville Smart Dry Connect ($369 at The Good Guys) adds app control and holds a set humidity on its own, at a higher price per litre.

Tank or drain hose

A tank fills faster than people expect. At anything near its rating, the Ausclimate 35L would fill a 5 L tank several times a day, and the units here that state it switch off when the tank is full. If the unit will run in a laundry, bathroom or garage, put it where the drain hose can run to a floor waste or sink. Most units here take a drain hose; check before buying the Breville or Omega Altise, whose listings did not say.

Running costs

Power draw times hours, times the rate on your power bill. Eight hours on the Philips 3000 at 258 W is about 2.1 kWh; the Ausclimate desiccant at 730 W is about 5.8 kWh. Set the humidity control rather than running on continuous, so the unit switches off once the room is dry. Dehumidifiers sit outside the federal air conditioner energy rules on energyrating.gov.au, so compare the watts on the listing yourself.

Fighting mould specifically? The dehumidifier for mould guide covers capacity, placement and what a dehumidifier cannot fix. If your portable air conditioner has a dry mode, see the portable air conditioner guide.

The one trap

Comparing litres a day across different test conditions. A compressor rated at 30°C and 80% humidity and a desiccant rated at 20°C and 60% are not measured on the same day. In a 15°C winter bedroom the compressor’s real output will be well below its box figure, while the desiccant keeps going. Match the type to your coldest room first, then compare litres within that type.