Dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is typically a household appliance that reduces the level of humidity in the air, usually for health reasons. Humid air can cause mold and mildew to grow inside homes, which pose various health risks. Very humid climates or air make some people extremely uncomfortable, causing excessive sweating that can't evaporate in the already-moisture-saturated air. It can also cause condensation that can disrupt sleeping, or prevent laundry from drying thoroughly enough to prevent mustiness. Higher humidity is also preferred by most pests, including clothes moths, fleas, cockroaches, woodlice and dust mites. Relative humidity in dwellings is preferably 30 to 50 percent.

By their operation, dehumidifiers produce an excess of water which has been removed from the conditioned air. This water, usually called condensate in its liquid form, must be collected and disposed of. Some dehumidifier designs dispose of excess water in a vapor, rather than liquid form. Energy efficiency of dehumidification processes can vary widely.

Dehumidifiers are also used in industrial climatic chambers, to control relative humidity within certain rooms to stay at levels conducive to processing of products.