Besides Whirlpool, which has the biggest share of the dehumidifier market, popular brands include Frigidaire, Amana, General Electric and Kenmore. And although dehumidifiers are only seasonal appliances, there's a wide variety of sizes and capacities to choose from. Pat Lamison, extension educator for the Family and Consumer Science Department of Michigan State University, agreed. For a room up to 1,600 square feet, Ellis said, a humidifier should hold about 30 pints of water, which it will take out of the air and condense into a bucket over a 24-hour period. Bigger rooms and bigger units can produce up to 50 pints of water a day.
Some experts recommend going with a large model.
That helps avoid problems of overflowing water or having to make repeated trips to the basement to check on it. Most manufacturers make the units so you can attach a hose and run it into a drain. That keeps the units running continuously, Lothschutz said. If there is spillover, you can turn on the furnace, open windows and run fans to dry out the basement as fast as possible to prevent mildew. Many units with hoses automatically shut off as soon as the bucket is full, Lothschutz said.