--- title: "Best dehumidifier for garages and unheated rooms | Home Comfort Lab" description: "Why most dehumidifiers struggle in the cold, and which types keep working in garages, sheds and unheated rooms." url: https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/best-dehumidifier-for-garage/ --- # Best dehumidifier for garages and unheated rooms Why most dehumidifiers struggle in the cold, and which types keep working in garages, sheds and unheated rooms. By [Pete Harvey](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/about/), editor. Updated 14 October 2026. This page links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [More about how this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/). ![A cold garage with tools and a bike, and a desiccant dehumidifier on a low shelf draining into a bucket.](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/images/scenes/best-dehumidifier-for-garage.svg) > **The short answer** > > Get a desiccant dehumidifier. Compressor models slow right down below about 15°C, and a garage in a UK winter is usually colder than that. Put it on a bench or shelf rather than the concrete floor, and run a drain hose if you can, so you don't have to empty the tank. ## Why most dehumidifiers struggle in the cold Most dehumidifiers sold for homes are compressor models. They collect water by cooling the air over cold coils, and that only works well when the coils are much colder than the room. In a cold garage the gap is small, so less water condenses. The coils can also frost over, and the machine stops drying while it defrosts. The compressor models we list are rated down to 5°C, but well before that they collect much less water and spend more of their time defrosting. A desiccant model soaks up water with an absorbent wheel and uses a heater to dry the wheel out again. It doesn't depend on cold coils, so it keeps working in an unheated space, and the desiccant models we list are rated down to 1°C. It also gives off some warmth, which helps a little in a cold garage. More on the difference in [compressor vs desiccant](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/compressor-vs-desiccant-dehumidifier/). ## What to look for - **Desiccant type**, for the reasons above. - **A low minimum working temperature.** Check the rating in the manual or listing; the lower, the more of the winter it can cover. - **A continuous drain outlet** for a hose, so it can run for days without you emptying it. - **A humidistat**, so it stops working hard once the air is dry enough. A garage is never sealed, and without one it would run all the time. - **Auto restart after a power cut**, if you won't be checking on it every day. Check the listing, as not every model has it. ## Frost and freezing nights Below its minimum rated temperature, even a desiccant model stops collecting water properly. On the coldest nights there is a second problem: the water in the tank or the drain hose can freeze. A frozen hose blocks, so the water has nowhere to go. If a hard frost is forecast and the garage gets close to freezing, switch the dehumidifier off and empty the tank. On milder winter days it can go back on. If you need the garage dry all winter, insulating the door and closing up gaps will keep it warmer and cut the amount of damp air coming in. ## Draining the water A tank is fine if you're in and out of the garage every day. If not, use the continuous drain outlet with a hose to a floor drain, a gully outside, or a container you check now and then. - The water drains by gravity, so the hose must slope downhill all the way, with no kinks or loops that rise. - Keep the hose as short as you can, and inside the garage rather than out in the cold, so it is less likely to freeze. - Check the end of the hose isn't sitting in a puddle, where it can freeze in place. ## Keep it off the concrete floor Put the dehumidifier on a sturdy bench, shelf or stand, not straight on the floor. A concrete garage floor is the coldest surface in the space, and in an older garage the slab may have no damp-proof membrane under it, so the floor itself can be damp. Raising it up also keeps it out of any water that runs in under the door, away from dust and grit on the floor, and puts it higher than the drain point, which helps the hose fall. > **Electrics and fuel** > > Plug it straight into a wall socket protected by an RCD, not an extension reel. If the garage has no socket, get a qualified electrician to fit one. Keep the dehumidifier clear of petrol, paint thinners and anything else flammable, and follow the manual's guidance on space around it. [Dehumidifier size calculator](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/dehumidifier-size-calculator/): Choose 'Unheated, like a garage' and it sizes a desiccant model for you. ## Our picks All are desiccant models, chosen by their specs. We haven't tested them ourselves; the reasons say which spec puts each one here. ### For a damp garage or workshop EcoAir DD3 Simple - **Type:** Desiccant - **Extraction:** 10 litres a day - **Power:** 670W - **Noise:** 45dB - **Tank:** 3.5 litres - **Cost per hour:** 18p * Laundry mode The highest extraction of the desiccant models we list, at 10 litres a day, rated down to 1°C. It draws 670W, so it costs 18p an hour while it's working. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/dh-des-10a/) [Manufacturer specs](https://ecoair.org/products/dd3-simple) ### For a store room or small unheated room EcoAir DD1 Simple MK3 - **Type:** Desiccant - **Extraction:** 7.5 litres a day - **Power:** 580W - **Noise:** 34dB - **Tank:** 2 litres - **Cost per hour:** 15p * Laundry mode The lowest power of the desiccant models we list, at 580W, which makes it the cheapest of them to run at 15p an hour. 7.5 litres a day suits a smaller space. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/dh-des-7a/) [Manufacturer specs](https://ecoair.org/products/dd1-simple) ### For a cold utility room where you dry washing Meaco DD8L - **Type:** Desiccant - **Extraction:** 7.5 litres a day - **Power:** 650W - **Noise:** 39dB - **Tank:** 2 litres - **Cost per hour:** 17p * Laundry mode Like the other two picks it has a laundry mode. It is rated down to 1°C and has a 39dB noise rating. It costs 17p an hour on the full-power setting it uses for laundry. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/dh-des-8a/) [Manufacturer specs](https://www.meaco.com/products/meaco-dd8l-dehumidifier) ## What it costs to run Running the bigger pick for six hours a day costs about £32.17 a month. Once the humidistat is happy it cuts back, so in a garage that is kept shut the real figure is often lower. Costs use **26.32p per kWh**, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own tariff may differ. [How we calculate](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/how-we-calculate/). ## Sources - [Homebuilding & Renovating: This is how cold a room can be before you need to switch off your dehumidifier](https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/do-dehumidifiers-work-in-cold-rooms) Checked 14 October 2026. ## Read next - [Compressor vs desiccant dehumidifier: which do you need?](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/compressor-vs-desiccant-dehumidifier/) (Buying guide) Compressor models are cheaper to run in a heated home; desiccant models work better in cold rooms. How to choose. - [What size dehumidifier do I need?](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/dehumidifier-size-calculator/) (Calculator) Answer four questions about your home and get the dehumidifier size and type that suits it, with what it will cost to run. - [Dehumidifier running costs: popular models compared](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/dehumidifier-running-costs/) (Running costs) What each popular dehumidifier costs per hour and per month at the current price cap, from its rated power. - [Dehumidifier noise and capacity table](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/dehumidifier-noise-and-capacity/) (Running costs) Every model we list, with its extraction rate, tank size, noise level and power, in one sortable table. --- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to shops are marked, and earning from them never decides what we recommend. [How this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/). Running costs use 26.32p per kWh for electricity and 7.97p per kWh for gas, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026.