Garages can be bright, well-aired spaces, perfect for precision tool work, gaming, or pimping your car. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to move into somewhere with insulated walls, supreme damp-coursing, drainage and more electrical outlets than you can count.
But sometimes it can be dark. Sometimes you see the damp drizzling down the walls and you can taste the odor as well as smell it. If you want to be able to use this space at all without developing respiratory illnesses, then the damp needs to be fixed ASAP. Following that, the moisture levels need to be controlled.
Or it could just that you live in Louisiana or Florida, and the climate works against you.
Whatever the conditions in your garage, you’ll want to keep your car, your tools, your utilities and your paperwork dry. But which humidifier should you buy? How strong does it need to be?
We’ve made things a little easier by rounding up the five best humidifiers for your garage, covering a range of strengths and price points. Following this, there’s a buyer’s guide listing the main factors to think about when choosing the best humidifier for your property.
Finally, we’ve answered some of the commonly asked questions posed by folks who’ve already gone through this decision process.
In a hurry? Here are our favorite picks.
Summary of reviews
| Product name | Dehumidification Capacity | Color | Dimensions (inches) | Product link |
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| Vremi 4,500 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier Energy Star Rated for Large Spaces and Basements | 4,500 SQ FT LARGE ROOM | white | 16.6 x 11 x 24.3 inches | |
| hOmeLabs 3,000 Sq. Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier for Large Rooms and Basements | 2500 Square Feet | White | 15.4 x 11 x 24.3 inches | |
| Waykar 70 Pint Dehumidifiers for Home and Basements in Spaces up to 4500 Sq Ft. | 4500 SQ FT | white | 136.8 x 136.8 x 302.28 inches | |
| Frigidaire, White 35-Pint Dehumidifier with Effortless Humidity Control | up to 1500 Sq Ft. | white | 12.9 x 15.96 x 24.25 inches | |
| Yaufey 30 Pint Dehumidifiers for 1500 Sq Ft Home and Basements | up to 1500 Sq Ft. | white | 12.2 x 8.2 x 18.9 inches |
Contents
- 1 Vremi 4,500 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier Energy Star Rated for Large Spaces and Basements
- 2 hOmeLabs 3,000 Sq. Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier for Large Rooms and Basements
- 3 Waykar 70 Pint Dehumidifiers for Home and Basements in Spaces up to 4500 Sq Ft.
- 4 Frigidaire, White 35-Pint Dehumidifier with Effortless Humidity Control
- 5 Yaufey 30 Pint Dehumidifiers for 1500 Sq Ft Home and Basements
- 6 Best Humidifier for Garage Buying Guide
- 7 Frequently Asked Questions
Vremi 4,500 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier Energy Star Rated for Large Spaces and Basements
Moisture Maniacs, Vremi call themselves, and this dehumidifier is designed to whisk the moisture from air in an enclosed space up to 4,500 sq ft. Even on the turbo setting, it does this quietly, which is not that common among appliances which have to work that hard.
It’s also energy-efficient, which is kinder on your annual electricity costs. You can also set this up to work during specified hours of the day, which is helpful.
If left to run continuously, it will remove 50 pints of moisture a day from the air into a 1.8 gallon tank. As you’ll come to recognize as a standard feature, there is an auto-shutoff mechanism which stops the dehumidifier when the tank is full.
There is also a rear outlet to which you can attach a drainage hose. The control panel is intuitive and easy to use.
Overall, it’s quiet and efficient. It works fast, which means that it can become high maintenance in terms of emptying the tank often. It doesn’t come with a pump, so you will need to figure out a set-up which raises the tank above the ground so that gravity will ease the water into a bucket or drainage channel.
However, knowing this in advance, you can plan the perfect set-up before you get up and running.
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hOmeLabs 3,000 Sq. Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier for Large Rooms and Basements
This reliable dehumidifier will remove 35pts of air droplets a day into a 1.6 gallon tank, which can be drained by hand as soon as it’s full, or into a drain, using a 5/8 threaded garden hose. You can program this to your desired comfort level, specifying humidity levels between 35% and 85%, and you can pre-program the operating hours.
Even with extended hours of operation, this is an economical dehumidifying unit. It holds both Energy Star and UL certification.
This is a wheeled device with handles—easier on your back—and the water tank drawer can be removed and replaced easily. This durability is great news, even given the generosity of the warranty terms, which are that you get two years with another six months if you register promptly on their website.
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Waykar 70 Pint Dehumidifiers for Home and Basements in Spaces up to 4500 Sq Ft.
This is a great dehumidifying beast for the double garages that seem to have more dark corners than the laws of geometry permit. The Waykar is Amazon’s choice to suck the stickiness from within broad, enclosed spaces.
This unit is distinguished by the design of its touch panel. As with other devices, you can set your comfortable humidity level, though the Waykar has a slightly broader range of settings from 30 to 85%. The touchscreen control panel also comes with a settings lock, which is great news if you have a kid who plays ball games in the garage.
To make the operation of the powerful compressor safe, there are four vents on all sides and the interior components are thermally resistant. The device is built to shut off when the tank is full. If you’re opting for continuous drainage, then use the hose supplied.
As is standard, this unit is wheeled and has handles for easy movement. A nice extra touch is the fold-out handle that emerges from the water tank to make it easier to carry away.
The Waykar dehumidifier comes with a 1-year warranty, 2nd year warranty extension and lifetime expert tech support.
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Frigidaire, White 35-Pint Dehumidifier with Effortless Humidity Control
This unit is at home in garages or basements of moderate size—up to around 3,000 square feet. In common with others on the market, it’s easy to maneuver, and features auto shutdown abilities when the tank is full.
It’s a little chunkier and less sophisticated than the other dehumidifiers we’ve picked out, but this one earns its keep with the 2-gallon water tank with an inbuilt handle for a more secure grasp. This is larger than the others on offer.
There are also three speeds available compared to the typical choice of standard and turbo. This gives you a little more flexibility to run this at top power for certain parts of the day to get on top of mold or odor issues, continuing with a gentle but effective level in between.
It’s a little less sleek than some of the other dehumidifiers on option. Looking at it, it seems to have a stark matte black hat on a gloss body, which isn’t particularly a living room aesthetic, but then again it is a work horse designed to sit in the non-socializing areas of your property.
The Frigidaire comes with a full year warranty for parts & labor, plus an additional 4 years limited warranty on the sealed system.
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Yaufey 30 Pint Dehumidifiers for 1500 Sq Ft Home and Basements
If your garage is on the smaller side, along with your bank balance, then this may well be the dehumidifier for you. It converts 30 pints of moisture a day into the sloshing contents of the 1.8 gallon tank.
This unit is one of the lighter (23lb) and more aesthetically pleasing options on offer, making it a good choice for an open plan ground floor in the suntrap areas. It runs quietly, too, making it a little more versatile than the beasts which need to sit out of earshot.
The control panel is neat, uncomplicated, and requires a very light touch. Though the price point is low, you can still set your operating times in advance to make the best of your home’s oscillating electricity prices throughout the day.
As with all the other units, you can set your preferred humidity level and it will alert you when the tank is full. Alternatively, you can use the included hose.
Customer feedback on this lesser-known brand is really positive. The single thread of constructive criticism is that 1500sqft is a little ambitious for the size and power of the unit, but those with smaller garages have been very pleased by how quickly the space dried out.
Yaufey offers 12-month free replacements and lifetime support.
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Best Humidifier for Garage Buying Guide
So, that’s a quick gallop through the five best humidifiers for your garage. We’ve picked the most user-friendly and portable ones we could find across a range of extraction strengths. Since there are plenty more to choose from, and it was tough limiting our recommendations to five, you might still want to look wider.
In which case, you might find the following issues useful to think about when planning your ideal purchase.
Understanding the Pint Extraction Measuring System
Over the years, the Department of Energy has changed their test conditions for certification of good operation of dehumidifiers. You will see on some products that there are two Pint Extraction measurements given.
What’s changed is that dehumidifiers used to be tested in an environment of 60% humidity in temperatures of 80°F. Because of the harsh testing conditions, the volume of water the unit could extract from the air over 24 hours was bracketed into 30, 50 or 70 pint categories. From 2012, the testing conditions changed so that the units had to demonstrate their operation in only 65°F temperatures at the same humidity level.
The lack of water vapor in the cooler air means that they need a corresponding shift in measurements to ensure that comparisons between units is fair. So, where you see 50pts (DOE 2012 70pints), then this measurement is simply telling you the updated and historical values under both testing conditions.
If you see only one value for moisture extraction in any given product guide, then this is the value given under current testing conditions.
Frequent rises in Dust/Pollution Levels
Placing your dehumidifier right next to your workbench while you’re actually doing the DIY is likely to put the unit under unnecessary strain. The same goes for running the humidifier while you’re doing any work which involves frequent test starts of your engine. It’s best to have the unit turned off while you’re actively working, and then switch it back on again.
The size of the space it’s meant to work in
It’s tempting to opt for the larger units right off the bat. After all, if they can operate effectively in a larger space, they must be stronger, right? If the budget is tight, you might still be absolutely fine with a smaller capacity dehumidifier.
Just for context, the smaller ones operate in an area up to 1500sq ft. That sounds puny compared to the reach of the Vremi unit, but check out the following garage floor width and depth calculations, which come to around 1500sq ft, and compare them to your own.
If the moisture level in your garage is moderate, or if you’re now planning to maintain a lower moisture level, having mold-treated your garage, you may find that the less aggressive models fit your purpose just fine.
23 x 64.5ft
27 x 55 ft
31 x 48 ft
40 x 48.5 ft
Is noise a deal-breaker?
Some guys use their garage as a separate living space—a limited mancave for escape purposes. You may want it turned on while you’re gaming, for example.
But if a continuous roar is seriously going to irk you (or your neighbors) then opt for a unit which claims to be quiet and get a consensus from the reviews to see if that claim is backed up by consumer experience. Otherwise, these units are meant to be not see and not really heard, because you’ll be in the house.
Do you know where you’re going to put it?
With all these units, you have choice of manual or continuous draining, through emptying the tank or expelling the built-up water through an attached hose.
Do you have a built-in drainage channel in your garage into which you can run the hose? Or do you have a cabinet or bench you can rest it on so that gravity leads the water into a bucket on the floor through the tube? 40.5 is the average weight of the larger units, and they tend to be 15-16” wide by a foot deep.
Other location factors to take into account are the number and position of vents on the unit. Units with wraparound vents offer more flexibility as to where you put them. Those which have singular vents facing the wall need to be pulled into the room a little.
A final location factor to consider is the number of electricity outlets you have in your garage. If you’re doing heavy-duty drying, then you may want to migrate your unit around the space over the course of a couple weeks to intensify the dehumidifying effect in all four corners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a dehumidifier in a garage with insulated walls?
The insulation will raise the internal temperature of your garage, which is good news. You may also find that a good seal on the garage door or strong damp-coursing reduces damage from the garage being set into wetter ground. It’s usually easier to keep a garage mold-free than a basement, for example.
However, you’re still vulnerable to the mold which thrives in dark conditions, and the condensation which appears because of huge temperature differences between the external climate and the temperature inside the garage. Your garage will benefit from drying assistance after bouts of extremely cold or hot weather.
A secondary benefit for having a dehumidifier in the garage is to draw out all the impurities in the air as well as the moisture. They can help to create a healthier environment in which to work.
Can I use these dehumidifiers in the bedroom?
It’s not advised to take these dehumidifiers into bedrooms. They all expel hot hair as a byproduct of the moisture extraction process, which will make the air uncomfortable, and they’re not designed to be in the same space as evaporator coolers, which can be limiting.
Can I run my dehumidifier continuously?
You can do so for periods where you’re experiencing excessive humidity, but unless the unit comes with specified anti-overheat functions or multiple vents, it’s safer to give your unit a break for a little while each day.
You can pre-program this on the majority of dehumidifiers currently available on the market. If you need heavy-duty drying to take place, then we recommend choosing a unit with heat-resistant inner workings.
They should all shut off when the tank is full, protecting you from flooding problems.
How often should I change the filter?
Most manufacturers recommend you do this monthly, but to keep on top of maintenance and expand the lifetime of your unit, it’s a good idea to set a calendar alert to remove, wash, dry and replace the filter every 28 days. That way it gets 13 good cleans every year instead of 12.
If you’ve bought your humidifier to attack the mold in a new fixer-upper, then you’ll initially have a lot of dust to contend with as well as mold spores, on top of the moisture issue itself. For the first month, we recommend you clear out the filter every five days to a week.