Humidifiers and dehumidifiers offer a convenient way to condition the air in your home, and can also help to control dampness, clothing quality, and medical conditions such as asthma.

Humidifiers work by putting moisture into the air. This is useful if your house tends to get dry because of radiator use or air conditioning.

Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air, which is particularly useful in British homes where dampness and condensation can occur.

When looking for a humidifier or dehumidifier to suit your home, it’s worth bearing in mind the following buying points:

Rate and time of action

Dehumidifiers will usually give a rate of extraction per day – this can range from 6L to 20L! Obviously the higher the extraction rate, the more moisture will be removed, and the rate corresponds roughly to your house size, so a small house would not require a very large extraction rate. Dehumidifiers have different extraction rates at different temperatures, so any information given on this is also worth looking at. You should also look at whether the dehumidifier has a continuous drainage facility; if it doesn’t, bear in mind that you will have to periodically empty the unit of water so that it can work.

Humidifiers will usually specify a number of hours worth of water that they can contain, corresponding to how many hours the unit can humidify for before it needs topping up with water.

Humidistat and humidity control

Humidistats are a feature on some dehumidifiers and mean that the dehumidifier will cut off at a certain temperature, thus saving electricity. Both dehumidifiers and humidifiers may have a ‘humidity’ control, which will enable you to set the humidity you want the unit to keep the room or house at.

Weight and dimensions

You may need to move the unit between rooms, so it’s important to look at how portable in terms of weight it will be. In terms of style and dimensions, there are all types available, from bright red to walnut.

Additional features

You may want to look out for the following:

Anti-frost device – on dehumidifiers to stop water icing over

Multi-speed fan – to allow the unit to work at different speeds

Auto-shut off – to stop dehumidifiers from overflowing if they don’t have a continuous draining facility

Fragrancer – this will add fragrance to a room whilst carrying out its function!