Welcome to Home Appliance Review. In this review article, we’ll look at the performance and features of the 15 most popular humidifiers we’ve tested.
Moisture Removal Test
First up is our moisture removal test. In this test, we raise room humidity to 90% and measure how long it takes each unit to lower it down to 40%. We also record how long it takes each unit to lower room humidity from 80% down to 50%. The Midea Cube is the fastest at lowering humidity from 90% to 40%. The GoveeLife H7151 is the fastest at lowering humidity from 80% to 50%.
Energy Efficiency
Next up is energy efficiency. To evaluate energy efficiency, we compare measured power draw to measured moisture removal rate. Here, the Midea Cube again does very well with low power draw and fast moisture removal. Models like the LG, Keystone, and Whirlpool are not very energy efficient because they have relatively high measured power draw and a low tested moisture removal rate.
Noise Output
Next up is noise output. To evaluate noise output, we need to differentiate between units that exhaust out of the top and those that exhaust out of the side. Side exhaust units direct fan noise to the side, away from our sound meter, and give lower readings. Top exhaust units direct fan noise upward, closer to the sound meter, and give higher readings.
Among side exhaust units, the HomeLabs is the quietest on high fan speed. The Toshiba is quietest on low fan speed. Among top exhaust units, the Midea is quietest on high fan speed. The TCL is quietest on low fan speed.
Hygrometer Accuracy Test
Our last performance test is our hygrometer accuracy test. In this test, we compare the dehumidifiers’ reading of the room humidity to that of a dedicated calibrated hygrometer. The Honeywell and TCL have the most accurate built-in hygrometers, followed by the Midea, the LG, and the Frigidaire.
Other Score Categories
Other score categories include durability, adjustability, versatility, extra features, ease of use, portability, warranty length, and value.
For example, in the ease of use category, units that have a larger water tank, those that collect more water before you need to empty them, score higher. Units with a smaller tank score lower. In the portability category, units that are smaller and lighter score higher. Larger and heavier units score lower.
Overall Rankings
Adding up scores across all categories, the best humidifier we’ve tested is the Midea Cube. The Cube removes moisture faster than any other dehumidifier, with a massive water tank that takes about twice as long to fill up than the next closest competitor. This is hands down the best humidifier we’ve tested. I’ll put a link to buy this unit in the description of this review article.
Second place in our rankings goes to the Frigidaire FFAD5034W1. The Frigidaire was second fastest behind the Cube in our moisture removal test and also performed well in our energy efficiency testing, our noise output testing, and our hygrometer accuracy test. It doesn’t have nearly as large of a water tank as the Cube, but its tank is still much larger than average. The Frigidaire is highly recommended as an excellent alternative to the Cube if the Cube is unavailable.
Third in our rankings is the HOmeLabs HME020031N. This unit performed better than average in most tests and was a top performer in our noise output testing. Adding up scores across all categories, it had the third highest cumulative score of all the humidifiers we’ve tested.