This small, budget-friendly ElectriQ dehumidifier blew me away with its performance

Our ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier review puts this affordable compressor mdoel through its paces to see how it compares to the best dehumidifiers the Ideal Home team has tested. 

Able to extract 12L of moisture from the air per day, the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier is designed to help manage humidity in a small to medium-sized home, with a 2.5L water tank, an automatic humidity sensor to make simple work of maintaining optimum humidity levels, and a built-in carbon filter that promises to remove odours as well as dampness. 

I’ve now tested multiple dehumidifiers using the Ideal Home dehumidifier testing process, and I was eager to see how this relatively low cost dehumidifier would perform, especially as it promises low running costs on top of its budget price tag.

I tested the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier in several rooms throughout my damp-prone Victorian terrace, including my home office, the kitchen and our main bedroom. Despite its lack of a dedicated laundry drying mode, I also ran it when I was drying several loads of wet washing to see if it could speed up my indoor laundry drying times. *Spoiler alert* here's why I now think its one of the best budget-friendly dehumidifiers you can buy.

ElectriQ 12L Dehumidifier review

Specifications

• Type: Compressor  
• Extraction rate: 12L/day 
• Water tank capacity: 2.5L
• Max room size recommended: up to 3 bed house
• Noise level: 37dB
• Power: 180W
• Dimensions: H52 x W29 x D20cm 
• Weight: 9kg 
• Portable?: Yes 
• Automatic humidity sensor: Yes 
• Continuous drain option: Yes 
• Laundry mode: No
• Wi-Fi connectivity: No 
• Timer: Yes 
• Operating temperature: 3°C - 35°C

How I tested

Rachael Phillips

I’m Rachael, a freelance reviewer who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. I've now put multiple bestselling dehumidifiers through their paces to find the best-in-class. I reviewed the ElectriQ 12L Dehumidifier in my damp-prone Victorian terrace in Newport, South Wales, that I share with my partner Chris and our two terriers, a Westie called Maggie and a Sealyham called Murray.

Unboxing

After previously testing several higher capacity dehumidifiers that are exceptionally weighty, when the delivery driver turned up at my door carrying the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier, at first I thought I’d received the wrong product. In comparison this dehumidifier is really light, weighing in at 9kg, and as the brand has also designed some cut-out hand holds into the packaging box, carrying it inside was easy. 

The packaging inside the box is kept to a minimum. The outer box is just plain cardboard, and because of its size, it’ll easily fold down to fit in your household recycling. There is a single block of polystyrene, which is used to keep the product in place, and a plastic bag covering the dehumidifier, but it’s worth keeping that to one side in case you want to store your dehumidifier at any time. 

The box's contents include the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier, an instruction manual, a plastic hose for the continuous drainage option, and a carbon filter. This dehumidifier supports and has space for a HEPA air filter too, but this filter isn't included in the box as standard, you have to buy this separately. 

Assembly and set-up

The ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier comes pretty much ready assembled straight from the box. The castor wheels on the base have already been fitted, and the only thing left to do is add the carbon filter which is an easy process. 

To the back of the dehumidifier there’s a panel which pulls off to expose the mesh filter, and the carbon filter can be slotted in next to it. The dehumidifier works fine without the carbon filter – or the optional HEPA filter – fitted, but you can't use it without the mesh filter, so always ensure this is slotted back in.

ElectriQ recommends leaving the dehumidifier running continuously for 24 hours the first time you use it. I did this, placing it in my home office as this was furthest away from my bedroom, just until I got used to the noise levels. Doing this ensures that the unit is fully operational and has no issues. Don’t worry about leaving this dehumidifier unattended during these first 24 hours as it has an auto-shut off mode so if the water tank gets full, it won’t keep running. 

You should also make sure that the unit is placed on a hard and flat surface. ElectriQ recommends placing a piece of carpet or a rubber mat under the unit to stop any vibrations whilst the dehumidifier is running. 

Design

Onve unboxed, the first thing I noticed about the ElectriQ dehumidifier is how compact the unit is. It’s one of the smallest 12-litre dehumidifiers I’ve reviewed, even smaller in terms of the floor space it takes up than the Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy Dehumidifier, which is also compact in stature. 

The ElectriQ model's glossy white exterior and curved design make this the kind of appliance you won’t mind having on view, and it’s small enough to sit in your home without standing out too much.

At the front of the dehumidifier is a humidity indicator light, and on the top of the dehumidifier is the control panel. The control panel is really well laid out and super simple to use as all the buttons are well labelled. 

There are also built-in castor wheels on the base of the dehumidifier and a folding carry handle on the top of the dehumidifier to make moving it around a lot easier. 

You’ll find the water tank with a 2.5-litre capacity at the back of the dehumidifier, and there's a handy notch cut out of the water tank so that you can store the dehumidifier's cable and plug whilst it’s not in use. Whilst the water tank doesn't have a super huge capacity, its smaller size does mean you have a smaller overall unit, so I think it's worth the trade-off. 

And just above the water tank, you’ll find the filter. There's also space here for the optional HEPA air filter, which isn’t provided, and for the carbon filter which comes included in the box.

Ease of use

There is nothing complicated about operating this dehumidifier, and I found it really easy to use. The control panel on the top of the unit has a range of buttons which are all well laid out and individually labelled so you know exactly what you're selecting. And the buttons are also super responsive, so you won't have to keep tapping at the control panel to make your selection.

There’s a mode button that allows you to cycle between the two modes: smart mode and air filter mode. There's also a timer button where you can set the dehumidifier to power on or power off. It works on a 24-hour timer, and setting the timer is as simple as selecting the timer button and then pressing up and down to select the hours you want it on.  

An LED panel in the middle of the control panel displays more detailed humidity data telling you the percentage of moisture in the air. On either side of this display is an up and down button. You can use this to select the timer as above or to select your ideal humidity level (as a rule of thumb this is around 50-55%). You can also select a lower humidity level if you want to dry laundry quickly. 

When you select your own humidity level, the dehumidifier will keep running continuously to keep it at the set level. If you switch to smart mode, the dehumidifier will use the built-in sensor to achieve a humidity level of 50-55% before shutting off, and it will switch back into gear if humidity levels rise. 

There is also a tank full button, which will flash when the tank reaches its capacity and stay illuminated in red until the tank is emptied. 

Another great function of this dehumidifier is the intelligent defrost setting. Compressor dehumidifiers don’t always work well in colder temperatures, so the coils within this dehumidifier have a sensor that will automatically recognise when the internal temperature is too low. If you turn the dehumidifier on and it’s too cold, (the ambient temperature needs to be between 3°C and 35°C for the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier to operate), then the defrost light will illuminate and the defrost cycle begin. Once the defrost cycle is finished, the ElectriQ will then start working as usual. This is a really useful feature during the winter months or if you store your dehumidifier in colder areas such as the garage and shed. 

However, my favourite feature has to be that large humidity indicator light on the front of the dehumidifier. It turns red when there’s high humidity, orange when humidity is above ideal levels, and green when the perfect humidity is achieved. You can turn this light off if you prefer, but I loved having such an easy-to-read visual clue of the humidity levels in my home.

Performance

I have to start by saying this little dehumidifier absolutely blew me away when I came to test it. 

Because it’s small and has relatively low energy usage compared to many dehumidifiers I've tested, I wasn’t expecting that much in terms of performance. But I couldn’t believe how fast the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier extracted moisture from the air. 

The specifications state this ElectriQ model can extract 12 litres of moisture from the air per day and is suitable for a home with 2 to 3 bedrooms. In my damp-prone Victorian terrace it managed to fill the 2.5 litre water tank with condensed moisture in just a couple of hours.

I left the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier to run overnight in our bedroom on several occasions, and it did an excellent job of stopping the condensation that usually pools at the bottom of our windows each morning. This made a huge difference to how warm the bedroom felt upon waking, and I also didn’t feel the need to get up and switch the central heating straight on, so that saved some money on my bills. 

I also tested it out after cleaning my carpets with a specialist carpet cleaner, which usually takes around 8 hours to dry completely. By placing this dehumidifier in the hallway inbetween the two rooms where the carpets had been cleaned I found my flooring was completely dry within three hours. That is super impressive, as no other dehumidifier I’ve reviewed has worked quite so fast. 

Unlike other dehumidifiers I've tested, such as the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode and De’Longhi Tasciugo AriaDry Multi Dehumidifier, the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier doesn't have a dedicated Laundry Drying mode. 

Because of its size I was initially skeptical the ElectriQ would be able to cope with the moisture released by wet washing as it dried, but, I was wrong. In fact, I quickly came to think of this as one of the best dehumidifiers I’ve tested in terms of laundry drying.

As it doesn't have a special laundry mode, I instead set the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier to a target of 35% humidity and left it in the room where my wet washing was hung on a clothes horse with the door closed. 

Air drying washing indoors in my home is usually a nightmare during winter because the Welsh weather is so damp that the inside of my home is too humid. However, with the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier running, I found thinner items of washing dried within three hours. Thicker items, like bedding and towels, took a little longer, but they were still dry within 24 hours. This dehumidifier did such a good job that I could still smell the laundry detergent as if the washing had been through a tumble drier.

The carbon filter this dehumidifier comes equipped with also made a huge difference to my home's air quality, as it as made the air feel a lot fresher. The weather in South Wales has been non-stop raining as I've written this review, which means that after my dogs have their toilet trips and walkies outside, the house can't help but have a whiff of damp dog. Running this dehumidifier made a huge difference to those pet odours. The house didn’t feel damp, and I couldn’t smell the dogs as much – which is always a bonus because I love them, but their smell I can do without. 

I also used this dehumidifier in the kitchen while I was cooking. I have a hob extractor, but it doesn’t work that well. So when I’m boiling pasta or cooking anything, especially something spicy, smells tend to linger, and the steam sticks to the windows and the walls. This dehumidifier totally solved that problem. It captured all the steam from my boiling pasta pot, and any strong cooking smells were gone within an hour or two. 

Overall, the performance of the ElectricQ 12L dehumidifier far surpassed my expectations. It’s small, but it’s mighty, and for anyone who needs something powerful but doesn’t want to face high energy bills or have a large appliance taking up their home, I think this is a great choice.

Energy use

If you're concerned about how much a dehumidifier costs to run then you'll be happy to hear that the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier is very cost-effective.

This model uses just 180 watts of power, which is amongst the lowest of all the dehumidifers of this capacity that we've tested. This means it costs around 5p per hour to run based on current average electricity rates of 29p per hour. 

At this rate, running the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier for 24 hours would cost £1.20. If you're looking for a dehumidifier that will help you to dry wet washing, then you can compare this to how much it costs to run a tumble drier, which is on average around £1.44 a cycle.

Noise levels

No compressor dehumidifier is completely silent, but the ElectriQ 12L comes closer than most, with a noise level rating of 37dB. 

When the unit first starts up it goes into smart mode to register the current hmidity levels. I found the fans are noisy for the first couple of minutes of the dehumidifier working, but they quiet down once the unit determines the ambient humidity. 

Unlike many models I've tested, I found that this was a dehumidifier I could leave running whilst I was relaxing watching TV or working in my home office. This makes things a lot easier if, like me, you have a chronic humidity problem, as you can keep the dehumidifier running whilst you're at home without it disturbing your daily life. 

If you want to use a dehumidifier in your bedroom, then this ElectriQ model is also equipped with a Sleep mode. Once this is activated the lights on the diplay panel turn off and the fan runs at low speed throughout the night. I’m a heavy sleeper, so noise doesn’t really bother me all too much, but my husband sleeps lightly, and he still managed to get a good night's sleep with this dehumidifier running in the same room. 

This ElectriQ dehumidifier also has an air-purifying mode. This is where the fans will run to capture airborne particles and odours, but it won’t extract any moisture from the air. Again, this isn’t a noisy process. You hear it for a few moments, but the fan noise soon blends into the background.

Portability

The ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier is a great option if you want a model that you can easily move between rooms, or even transport up and down between different floors in your home, because it’s lightweight and compact compared to most. 

There's a carry handle on top of the dehumidifier which folds down flat when not in use, and can be lifted up when you want to move the machine. Just be warned that the handle is on a spring with pretty tight tension, so it can be a little fiddly to grip and pull up, and I found it often snapped back down before I could get a good grip of it. Lifting the handle isn't helped by the fact it sits flush against the unit, so if you have larger hands or long nails then you may find it a struggle to pull it up. 

The unit also has built-in castor wheels at the base, so you can wheel it from room to room without having to lift it. I found these wheels worked well on both hard floor and carpeted areas, although on thicker carpet it was a bit more of an effort to push it around. 

Handily, this dehumidifier also has a really long power cord, which is useful because you can position the dehumidifier away from walls to allow for better air circulation around the unit.

Maintenance

The ElectriQ dehumidifier is very low maintenance, which is great because who has time to add another appliance to the cleaning roster. 

Every two or three weeks it’s advisable to remove the filter housing and vacuum any accumulated dust or dirt. If the mesh filter is dirty then you can wash it with a mild detergent and water, just make sure these are fully dried before you reinsert them back in to unit. If you purchase the HEPA filter, this should be changed every 3-6 months. 

Removing the water tank when it needs emptying is also fairly easy because it has handy cut-outs on the sides to slide it out. Although it is located at the back of the dehumidifier, so you'll need to spin the unit around to access it.

However, once removed, there's no handle for carrying the tank to the sink, and no lid on the water tank, so my advice would be to empty it before it gets too full, as otherwise, it’s a game of balance trying to get to the sink or drain without spilling any water. 

How it rates online

The ElectricQ 12L dehumidifier is rated really well online by people who’ve purchased it. On Amazon this dehumidifier has been rated an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy customers praise how quiet this dehumidifier is and comment on how fast it is at removing excess moisture from the air. Like me, users are particularly impressed by its laundry drying prowess.

There are no real negative reviews of this dehumidifier other than a couple of customers commenting on how the dehumidifier pushes out cold air whilst it works which isn't great during the winter months. 

Verdict

I’m sure by now you’ll have realised that I’m really impressed by this dehumidifier. I think the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier is the perfect choice for anyone who wants a small, compact dehumidifier that's good value for money and doesn’t cost a lot to purchase upfront or cost a lot to run. 

This dehumidifier is super easy to use, all the buttons are laid out clearly, and there isn’t much to learn, especially as it has a smart mode, so you can just switch it on and let it manage your home's humidity for you. Although it does lack Wi-Fi connectivity, so if remote operation or the ability to operate your dehumidifier via voice commands is important to you, you may prefer the Wi-Fi compatible Pro Breeze 30L High Capacity Smart Dehumidifier or Duux Bora Smart 20L Dehumidifier instead.

And whilst the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier doesn’t have a dedicated laundry mode like the De’Longhi Tasciugo AriaDry Multi Dehumidifier or Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode, if you're looking for an option that can help you dry washing faster indoors, I didn't find the lack of a dedicated laundry feature mattered. You just need to reduce the target humidity on the ElectriQ and I found it delivered the same results, speeding up the drying times of my wet washing considerably. 

The ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier also has a built-in carbon filter that I found really helped reduce odours from cooking fumes and pets, and improved air quality in my home in more ways than one. There’s also the option to install a HEPA air filter to turn this dehumdifier into an air purifier too, although that will bump up the price.

Is it the best dehumidifier overall? Well, if you only need a 12L extraction rate, then almost. Although I think the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier still just pips it to the post all-in-all. The 12L MeacoDry Arete One dehumidifier is more energy efficient, using just 151W of energy to the ElectriQ's 180W, offers a built-in HEPA air filter as standard, and is slightly quieter to run. However, the Meaco model is a little bigger, slightly heavier and (dependent on what discounts may be on offer at the time you shop) costs more upfront. However, there are a lot more size options available in the Arete One range to suit a range of home sizes, including models with a 10L, 20L, and 25L extraction rate.

Ultimately, it's hard to find fault with the ElectriQ 12L dehumidifier though, especially considering its price. If I were to be picky, I’d say it would be nice if the water tank had a handle and a cover to help prevent spillages and make emptying it easier. But that's not something that would make or break my decision to purchase this dehumidifier. It works fast and hard to extract moisture from the air, and it's one of my top recommendations for anyone looking for a good value dehumidifier.