Best For Offices: Vremi 4,500 Sq. Ft. Dehumidifier Energy Star Rated for Large Spaces and Basements

When it comes to dehumidifiers, the basic difference between types is durability and capacity. Residential dehumidifiers typically are designed for smaller spaces and are made of mostly plastic parts. Design-wise, residential dehumidifiers are made to look more aesthetically pleasing than their commercial counterparts.

Commercial or industrial dehumidifiers, on the other hand, are made of more durable materials (steel) that are designed to withstand more rugged conditions (temperature swings, etc). Most of these dehumidifiers have larger capacities (that is, remove more humidity) than residential models. They are also louder.

So what are the best commercial dehumidifiers? The answer depends on your intended use. For light duty use (minor flood restoration, small office or warehouse), a top-of-the-line residential dehumidifier should do the trick.

Serious flood restoration projects or demanding environments (like an indoor pool) require a more robust solution. We’ll get to that in a second.

First, let’s go over our pick for light duty use—after speaking with contractors and doing 17 hours of research into different models, we think Vremi’s 4500 square foot dehumidifier is best.

Where would you use this dehumidifier? Offices, retail stores or other light commercial applications. Small warehouses would also work—especially if you had a drain so you could continuously run this unit.

Good news: this large-capacity dehumidifier combines both performance and value. It removes 50 pints of water from the air per day, lowering the humidity to comfortable levels in a short period of time. The tank holds 1.8 gallons of water.

Here’s more on why we recommend this model:

What We Liked

• Built-in wheels. You’d think that would be a standard feature on dehumidifiers for ease of movement, but no. This model has wheels.

• Quickly lowered humidity. 

• Auto shut off when tank is full. 

• Drain hose outlet for continuous draining into a sink or floor drain.

• Turbo mode and auto defrost. The auto defrost is important, as ice buildup on the dehumidifier’s coils can cause the units to malfunction.

• Visible water level line on front of tank.

• Remembers settings after power outage.

What Needs Work

• Loud. 

• Tank fills up to top—and can spill when you open it. That is no fun!

• Can get hot to touch.

• Hose attachment could be tighter.

Best Reliable Workhorse: COLZER 140 Pints Commercial Dehumidifier

When it comes to dehumidifying light commercial areas like workshops or storage rooms, you need a reliable brand that will won’t conk out when you need it most. Colzer’s 140 pint dehumidifier is comes highly recommended by contractors we interviewed recommended the brand for its overall quality.

What We Liked

• Quiet. This dehumidifier would also work well in offices or retail stores.

• Drain hose included.

• Continuous mode enables unit to empty into a drain. Or if you don’t have a drain, the water can simply collect into the tank.

• Good customer service.

• LED control panel is easy to set.

• 24 hour on/off timer.

• Hidden casters + recessed handles = thoughtful design.

• Power outage memory function retains settings if loss of electricity.

What Needs Work

• Filters must be washed every 4 weeks. 

• Heavy.

Best Flood Cleanup: BluDri BD-76 Commercial Dehumidifier

Flood restoration requires a beefier dehumidifier—and a quick response to prevent mold and mildew is important. We interviewed seven contractors who do flood restoration and asked them what they’d recommend for the job. The most common answer: BluDri’s line of dehumidifiers . . . for this article, we’ll spotlight the BD-76,

What We Liked

• 150 pint per day. Yep, that is nearly 19 gallons of water. This is twice to four times the capacity of most residential dehumidifiers.

• Rugged design. This dehumidifier can work in construction sites.

• Long drain hose (included) and water pump allows for drainage.

• Auto restart if power fails.

• Works well for flood restoration for entire homes or large garages.

• Large, foam-filled wheels to move it around.

• Also good for warehouses or other industrial areas with more extreme environments.

What Needs Work

• Heavy! Yes, this dehumidifier weighs 81 lbs.! It isn’t easy to lug around.

• Control buttons could be more intuitive.

• Clear instructions would be most welcome!

Best Auto Defrost: Midea 4,500 Sq. Ft. Energy Star Certified Dehumidifier

One challenge for commercial humidifiers are damp and cold environments—some dehumidifiers don’t work well in those cases. If you have a basement in an office or warehouse in a cold climate, we’d suggest this model: Midea.

We loved the compact footprint of this dehumidifier—and it works well, according to the real world feedback from our readers

What We Liked

• Auto defrost mode. 

• Reliable performance.

• Built-in pump makes draining easier.

• Moderate noise. It’s not the quietest model—but we think the noise level is reasonable, based on interviews we did with contractors who used this model.

• Easy set up.

• Digital control panel is easy to use.

• Auto restart if power goes out. That’s critical for use in commercial applications like warehouses.

• Washable filter.

• Nice looking design makes it work both in commercial and small office applications.

What Needs Work

• When tank gets fill, it will be very heavy. 

• A bit pricey.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products like humidifiers and dehumidifiers since 1994. For this article, we interviewed seven contractors and did 17 hours of additional research to compare models and find the best for different applications.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported.