Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode review

This Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode review puts Pro Breeze's latest launch through its paces to find out if it's now the best dehumidifier for drying clothes on the market.

Dehumidifiers are fast becoming one of this year's must-have home appliances. As well as removing moisture from the air, which can help if your home suffers from dampness and mould, the best dehumidifiers can also help to reduce indoor laundry drying times, and improve indoor air quality. 

Alongside Meaco, Pro Breeze is one of the biggest names in the dehumidifier market, usually offering appliances with solid performance at a mid-range price point.

The Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode is the brand's latest launch, and is a compressor dehumidifier that offers a dedicated clothes-drying mode. It also offers a powerful extraction rate for its mid-range price point, being able to extract 20L of moisture from the air per day. 

And, as a step up from the brand's bestselling Pro Breeze 20L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode, the Premium model promises to do all the same things as its predessor, but with quieter operation and lower running costs. And all for only £10 extra investment. Sounds good to us!

I tested the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode in several rooms in my home; the kitchen to see how quickly it could extract steam and cooking fumes, my living room and bedroom to assess noise levels when I was trying to relax, watch tv, or sleep, and in my laundry drying area to see how its dedicated 'Laundry' mode performed when drying wet washing indoors. 

Read on to see why I now rate it as one of the best dehumidifiers for drying clothes indoors.

Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode review

Specifications

• Type: Compressor
• Extraction rate: 20L/day 
• Water tank capacity: 5.5 Litre
• Max room size recommended: 35m²
• Noise level: 42dB 
• Power: 440W 
• Dimensions: H61 x W35 x D20cm
• Weight: 13kg
• Portable?: Yes
• Automatic humidity sensor: Yes
• Continuous drain option: Yes
• Laundry mode: Yes
• WiFi connectivity: No
• Operating temperature: 5°C - 32°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, whether that's the best patio cleaner for a spotless backyard, or the best mattress for a good night's sleep. I live in a Victorian terrace in Newport, South Wales, with my partner Chris and our two terriers, a Westie called Maggie and a Sealyham called Murray.

Unboxing

The Pro Breeze Premium 20L Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode arrived in a large cardboard box. This isn’t a light machine, in fact, it weighs in at 13kg, but thankfully, there are cutouts on the side of the box, which made lifting it and bringing it inside a whole lot easier. 

There isn’t much that can’t be recycled when it comes to the packaging. Just two large polystyrene blocks that are used to keep the dehumidifier in place. Everything else can be folded down and placed within regular household recycling. 

Inside the box, you’ll find the unit, an instruction manual and a small piece of plastic pipe, which can be used if you want to run this dehumidifier in continuous mode, but more about that later. 

One thing I did struggle with when unboxing this machine was actually getting it out of the box. Unlike other models, this doesn’t have an extendable handle on the actual machine, so it was difficult to dislodge and pull out. So either make sure you have someone on hand to help you or carefully cut the box to release the dehumidifier. 

Assembly and set-up

One of the joys of this dehumidifier is that it arrives assembled. The only thing that needs putting together is attaching the hose if you want to run it in continuous mode.

Set-up is also simple. The Pro Breeze Premium 20L Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode doesn't come with App or Wi-Fi connectivity, so there's nothing to download. But I’d recommend just reading through the instruction booklet so you can get a good feel of what modes it has and what buttons do what before using it for the first time.

As this is a compressor dehumidifier, you will just need to let the unit sit for a couple of hours before you use it for the first time. This is to make sure that the refrigerant inside settles. 

Design

After testing out most of the Pro Breeze dehumidifier collection, I think the Pro Breeze Premium 20L Dehumidifier is – as its name might suggest! – the most premium-looking dehumidifier in the range.

It's a little taller than most, but its sleek and slimline design means it blends effortlessly into the home. And its all-white gloss exterior gives it a statement finish.

At the front of the unit there is a smart-looking LED digital screen that displays the current humidity level when the dehumidifier is turned on. There's also a humidity indicator light that will display red when the humidity is high and green when it settles to a normal level.

And an LED control panel sits flush on the top of the appliance. This lights up once the dehumidifier is powered up and running.

There is cable storage at the back of the unit, which you pull out when you want to wrap the cables around it, and can push back in flush with the when not in use.

Ease of use

As mentioned, the Pro Breeze Premium 20L Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode doesn't have Wi-Fi or App connectivity, so the dehumidifier is operated via the control panel on the top of the appliance.

At first glance this control panel may look a little overwhelming, but I found it incredibly easy to use once you get familiar with what buttons do what.

Each button has a symbol which gives a rough idea of what function it controls, but you will need to read the instruction manual to figure out exactly how to get the dehumidifier doing what you want.

I did find the buttons weren't as responsive as I expected during my tests; you will need to give each a firm press to select your setting. But this can also be a good thing as it avoids any accidental selections.

Overall, I found this one of the easiest dehumidifiers to use out of all the options I've tested. Especially thanks to its Smart humidity sensor which automatically controls the dehumidifier for you to achieve your desired humidity level. More on that later.

Performance

The Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode can extract up to 20 litres of excess moisture from the air per day, making it perfect for larger spaces up to 35 square meters.

It also has a very decent-sized 5.5-litre water tank which means you won't continually be emptying it in order for it to do its thing. (Once you've got your home's humidity levels under control at any rate).

And, on testing, I found the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode performed exceptionally well.

Living in a Victorian terraced house, our home does suffer with damp and mould, and this dehumidifier extracted enough moisture from the air to fill the water tank in just four hours when I first powered it up.

One thing I really like about the Pro Breeze 20L Premium is that it has a couple of different automatic modes so you don’t have to worry about manually choosing the right setting.

The Normal dehumidifying mode will work to bring a room's humidity to whatever humidity level you prefer (between 30% and 80% humidity), before switching off.

Strong dehumidifying mode will set the target humidity at a very low 30%. (Usually between 40-60% humidity is recommended). Although a word of warning; in this mode the fans run at high speed and cannot be adjusted, so this is an extremely noisy setting. However, I don't think you'd really need to operate it in Strong mode in normal circurmstances within the home.

There is then a Continuous dehumidifying mode where the dehumidifier constantly operates without stopping. In this mode the fan runs at low speed and cannot be adjusted. This is a little quieter and if you're trying to dry out a very damp space then this is a great option. Just be aware that if you use the continuous mode then you'll need to attach the supplied continuous drainage hose and ensure the hose has somewhere to drain freely.

However, in my opinion the most useful mode is the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier's Automated Humidity Detection. This smart humidity sensor monitors the room's humidity and switches the machine off once it reaches the optimum level – a big help when it comes to being more energy efficient and lowering running costs.

And, of course, then there's the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier's Special Laundry Mode. Pro Breeze says this function will 'reduce the drying time of damp laundry indoors by absorbing moisture in the air from wet clothes. Using the latest technology, it's capable of extracting up to 600% more water than similar-sized dehumidifiers'.

I was particularly eager to test out this clothes drying function as in our draughty Victorian terrace house, wet washing can often take days to dry. And as anyone in a cold house will be able to relate to, I'm always looking for ways to stop clothes smelling damp when drying them indoors .

I tested the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier's Special Laundry Mode's performance whilst drying a variety of wet washing, but really pushed it to its limits by seeing how well it could dry thick towels and bedding. These items normally take ages to dry indoors in my house, but the Pro Breeze 20L Premium performed well above my expectations and did a really excellent job of clothes drying.

In the morning I hung the wet items over a clothes horse and left them, along with the dehumidifier, in a room with the door closed. By the time I was ready to go to bed I found that it had dried all of the wet washing, including the thickest of the towels in record time.

Along with the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier, the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier's Special Laundry Mode is definitely the best dehumidifier for clothes drying out of all the dehumidifiers that I've tested. 

Another feature that I think really helped it perfrom well when drying washing, is the auto-swing function that will rotate the louvres through 120 degrees. This circulates the air, whipping moisture away from the wet washing quicker and so speeding up drying times even more.

The Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier doesn’t have an air purifier function like the MeacoDry Arete One it does, but it does have an active carbon filter which is designed to trap dust and other airborne pollutants.

After use, I definitely found the room felt 'cleaner' and 'lighter' feeling. The Pro Breeze also did a good job of removing the damp smell that can occur after heavy rainfall, and when I used it in the kitchen area it captured the lingering smells from cooking, making the house smell much fresher.

Overall, I was really impressed by the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier's performance.

Energy use

Of course, with the cost of living and climate crisis, it's important to take into account the energy usage of any home appliance, and you'll likely be wondering how much a dehumidifier costs to run. 

Running costs vary depending on the size, make and model of dehumidifier you opt for. However, despite Pro Breeze making efforts to lower the running costs of the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode when compared to its predecessor, the Pro Breeze 20L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode, the latest model still uses a fairly hefty 440W to operate. 

The Pro Breeze 20L Premium is powerful, so higher energy usage isn't unexpected, but compared to the MeacoDry Arete One 20L Dehumidifier which averages energy usage of 216W that is still fairly high. 

For comparison, at current energy costs, the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier uses around 6p of electricity per hour, and the Pro Breeze 20L Premium uses nearly twice that at roughly 12p per hour.

However, when you compare that to how much it costs to run a tumble drier, then as Martin Lewis' money saving laundry drying tip explains, a dehumidifier can still work out a more economical way of drying clothes quickly indoors, especially if you're considering pairing it with one of the best heated clothes airers on the market.

Noise levels

The other area the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode aims to improve upon the performance of its predecessor, the Pro Breeze 20L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode, is in noise levels. 

The main bug-bear owners of the bestselling Pro Breeze 20L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode note is its noisy operation which is reflected in its decibel rating of 48dB. The Pro Breeze Premium promises reduced noise levels of 42dB in comparison. 

I haven't tested the Pro Breeze 20L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode, but whilst the upgraded Premium model certainly does a great job of drying clothes and sucking moisture out of the air, I can't say that it's a quiet dehumidifier. In fact, this is probably one of the noisiest dehumidifiers I’ve tested overall. Especially when compared to the MeacoArete Dry Arete One Dehumidifier which I could barely hear running, even on its highest fan settings. Sorry Pro Breeze.

Portability

At 13kg, this is one of the heavier dehumidifiers in the Pro Breeze range. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t easy to move around. 

First of all, this dehumidifier comes with castor wheels on the base of the machine. You can remove these if you don’t want them on, but they work really well for pushing the machine from room to room. They don’t quite run as smoothly on carpeted floors, but it’s lighter work than picking it up. 

The bit that this dehumidifier really struggles with is the handle. Rather than a fold-up handle like you see on other models in the range, such as the ProBreeze 12L and the ProBreeze 30L, this 20L Premium model has recessed hand-holds in the body of the dehumidifier. 

I found this made it really difficult to carry the weighty appliance up and down stairs. It’s not too bad just transporting it from room to room, but between floors, it’s awkward. This isn’t a small dehumidifier by any means, and as well as weighing 13kg, it’s tall. So if you’re trying to carry it up and down stairs you have to lift it quite high to avoid tripping. I think a handle works so much better in these situations. 

That said, you may not need to move this dehumidifier around too much. It has a generous 35sqm range, so if you’re in a small to medium-sized home, it should do its job if placed in one central location.

Maintenance

The Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode has a generous 5.5L water tank, so keeping on top of emptying it isn't too much of a chore.

The water tank is on the back of the dehumidifier, and there's a window to see how full the tank is, although it's not very easy to see through. That doesn't really matter though because once it's full a water tank full indicator will illuminate on the dehumidifier and an alert buzzer will beep 20 times. The dehumidifier also automatically shuts off once the water tank is full.

The water tank is a little stiff to remove, so I found I needed two hands to pull it out. Once removed, the tank has a handle, so carrying it to the sink is made much easier and means that you’re less likely to experience any spillages.

There is also a washable pre-filter and an active carbon filter on the back of the dehumidifier which is designed to catch any dust particles in the air (something which it had its work cut out for it doing in my home!).

Pro Breeze recommends you clean the filter on a regular basis. This is a simple job though and won’t take too much time. But it will ensure your dehumidifier remains efficient.

To do so, the inlet frame just slides out of the back of the unit. I found this really easy to get in and out every time I cleaned it. The main frame can be washed but do remove the active carbon filter before you do this. To clean the filter, give it a vacuum using the brush attachment. Also, do make sure you completely dry the main frame before you put the carbon filter back in.

The water tank should also be cleaned regularly to stop any mould growing. I always have a bit of kitchen roll handy for when I empty the tank. The lid comes off, so it’s easy to dry it thoroughly before reinserting it.

How it rates online

At the time of writing, the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode can be purchased through Amazon or ProBreeze directly. 

It’s currently rated really well online, with those who’ve bought via ProBreeze giving it 5 out of 5 stars. Although, it’s only received 36 reviews as this is a pretty new model. Most comments left are on how well it dries laundry, with a couple mentioning how the 5.5-litre water tank means they don’t have to empty it as much. 

Over on Amazon, it’s received 4.5 out of 5 stars from owners. Like me, a lot of users are impressed by its performance when it comes to drying clothes. It’s also been hailed as easy to use too, which I totally agree with, as it’s one of the easiest dehumidifiers I’ve used so far.

As I found during my testing, the only real negative Amazon reviewers mention is the noise levels of the unit. 

Verdict

For anyone who wants to reduce damp within the home, or has a lot of laundry to get dry indoors during the winter months, then I think the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode is a great choice. 

It’s easy to use, with pre-set modes so you just need to click a button and get it to work. The built-in humidity sensor is also ideal if you want to just leave your dehumidifier to control the humidity without having to manually operate the machine. 

And, the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode's laundry function really is one of the best I've tested. It works to dry clothes quickly which means no more damp-smelling clothes. 

There are just a couple of things that I think let this dehumidifier down. For a start, the handle is really difficult to get to grips with, so if you’re planning on moving this appliance around the home frequently then you may want to consider another model that has a proper handle. If you’re just moving it from room to room, you may not find it such a problem as the castors do work well on a range of flooring. 

Its noise levels are another issue. This isn’t a dehumidifier that you’re going to want to have on whilst you’re trying to rest or sleep, and you'll likely get annoyed by having it running in the background whilst you watch TV as it's one of the noisier dehumidifiers I've tested. This may not be a problem if you're using it to dry washing and have a dedicated laundry room, but if you want a dehumidifier you can use whilst you're getting on with daily life then I'd recommend the MeacoDry Arete One instead. You can read more in my MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier review. 

The comparable MeacoArete 20L Dry Arete One Dehumidifier with its 216W energy usage is also more energy efficient which means lower running costs than the 440W Pro Breeze Premium model. 

Similarly to the Meaco, the Pro Breeze 20L Premium doesn't have any Wi-Fi connectivity, and can't be operated via App control. This is a bit of a shame for an otherwise premium product, especially as the Pro Breeze 30L Premium High Capacity Dehumidifier with Smart App Control does have these features. Adding this in to the 20L model would have been a great addition.

However, the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode does win on price. At the time of writing, its RRP is £199.99. That's just £10 more than the less energy efficient and (by all accounts noisier) Pro Breeze 20L Dehumidifier with Laundry Mode, and significantly less than the MeacoDry Arete One 20L Dehumidifier's £259.99 RRP.

Overall, if you can put up with its increased noise volume, I think the Pro Breeze 20L Premium Dehumidifier with Special Laundry Mode is a great buy. It's definitely the best dehumidifier for drying clothes that I've tested, and anything that makes wet-weather laundry days easier is a win for me.