Do you really need a dehumidifier? (And why I got two)

Getting a dehumidifier was never on my bingo card. But it has somehow become one of my favorite appliances this year.

I used to love the rain. There’s something relaxing about hearing it outside while you’re tucked comfortably in bed, especially when the cooler temperature makes it easier to sleep. It also brings back memories of class suspensions that lead to unplanned movie dates.

That changed last month when monsoon rains battered Metro Manila for days. Our area was spared from flooding, but our house wasn’t completely spared. One of our gutters leaked, sending rainwater from the second floor down into my toy room.

And that’s where things got painful.

I’ve been collecting toys for decades, with some pieces more than 15 years old and difficult, if not expensive, to replace. A lot of them got drenched.

My first concern was getting the water out. I spent hours sweeping, mopping, moving boxes, wiping shelves and trying to save whatever had gotten wet.

Eventually, the floor was dry. I thought the worst was over.

It wasn’t.

Over the next few days, mold started appearing on boxes and other items. I had to open toys I hadn’t touched in years just to check whether moisture had gotten inside. Then there was the smell. No matter how much I cleaned and aired out the room, that unmistakable damp, musty odor refused to disappear.

That’s when someone asked me something I had never really considered: How humid is the room?

I had no idea.

Until then, humidity was something I associated with the weather forecast and that sticky feeling you get after stepping outside. I had never really thought about what prolonged high humidity could do inside the house.

Collectors should pay attention too. Toys, bags, watches, cameras, sneakers, books and other collectibles can get damaged when stored in persistently damp conditions, from mold and damaged packaging to corrosion and deterioration of materials such as leather.

My leaking gutter made the problem impossible to ignore. But you don’t need a leak or flood to have excessive indoor humidity. Sometimes the warning is simply a damp closet, a warped box, condensation or that familiar musty smell.

Someone suggested getting a dehumidifier.

Simple enough, I thought.

Then I went online and things got confusing fast.

Living with humidity

THE Philippines is naturally humid. PAGASA notes that average monthly relative humidity ranges from around 71 percent in March to 85 percent in September, although indoor humidity will still depend on ventilation, air-conditioning and what happens inside the room.

Cooking, showering and drying clothes indoors all add moisture to the air. The US Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping indoor relative humidity below 60 percent and ideally between 30 and 50 percent where possible.

That doesn’t mean every home needs a dehumidifier. But if a room consistently feels damp, smells musty, develops condensation or keeps growing mold, excess humidity may be part of the problem.

Humidifier, dehumidifier or air purifier—wait what?

A humidifier adds moisture. A dehumidifier removes it. An air purifier filters particles and pollutants rather than controlling humidity. Air conditioners also remove some moisture while cooling, but that isn’t their main job.

And don’t confuse a dehumidifier with an aroma diffuser. A diffuser may make the room smell nicer, but if excessive humidity is causing that musty odor, you’re only covering up the symptom. The moisture is still there.

If you have an actual leak, fix that first. A dehumidifier won’t repair a gutter or remove mold that’s already there.

Choosing the right L

Dehumidifiers are often labeled 10L, 20L or 30L, but those numbers usually refer to how much moisture they are rated to remove over 24 hours under specified test conditions, not the size of the water tank.

Actual extraction varies depending on temperature, humidity, room size and ventilation.

Room size matters, but so does how damp the space is. Beyond capacity, check tank size, continuous drainage, humidity sensing, noise, power consumption and how easy the unit is to move.

Putting the LG PuriCare Dehumidifier to work

Despite the trauma, the timing couldn’t have been better because LG Philippines sent over the LG PuriCare 30L Dual Inverter Compressor Dehumidifier (MD19GQGE0), when they heard about my problems.

I had already bought a different dehumidifier, but for my needs it simply couldn’t do the job.

The LG PuriCare is designed to remove excess moisture from indoor air, with a rated dehumidification capacity of up to 30 liters per day under conditions of 30°C and 80-percent relative humidity. Its transparent water tank holds 5 liters, while LG’s Dual Inverter Compressor uses a twin rotary design and comes with a 10-year warranty.

The unit also features humidity and temperature sensors, automatic humidity control, continuous drainage, Laundry Mode, Jet Dry, Spot Mode, Silent Mode, UVnano, automatic internal drying and a washable pre-filter.

Through Wi-Fi and the LG ThinQ app, users can remotely monitor and control the unit, adjust settings and schedule operation from a smartphone.

But specs become far more interesting once you actually switch the thing on.

I first used the LG PuriCare in our living room, which measures approximately 25 square meters. When I switched it on, the display showed relative humidity at around 70 percent. I set it to Auto and left it running for about an hour.

When I checked back, the reading had dropped to 55 percent and there was already a noticeable amount of water in the tank.

After that first test, I moved it to my toy room, which still felt very stuffy. The display showed 95 percent. I expected it to be high, but that was still surprising.

I left it running for a couple of hours and when I came back, the tank was already half full.

That immediately made the humidity display more useful than I expected. For the first time, I wasn’t merely deciding whether the room “felt damp.” I could actually see what was happening.

And there’s something mildly disturbing about seeing that water.

It had been in the air surrounding my toys.

A little heat  and noise comes with the territory

THE first thing I noticed was the warm air coming from the unit. The room became noticeably warmer, which initially made me wonder whether something was wrong.

It was normal.

Unlike an air conditioner, which transfers heat outside the room, a portable dehumidifier operates entirely inside the space, so some heat is expected.

That’s worth knowing if you plan to use one in a small bedroom. Lower humidity can make the room feel more comfortable, but a dehumidifier isn’t an air conditioner and shouldn’t be expected to cool the space.

Does it make too much noise? A bit.

LG lists operating noise at 39dB on High and 34dB on Low.

At its normal setting, I found the LG PuriCare Dehumidifier noticeable but unobtrusive, comparable to an electric fan. But it didn’t bother me while I was working or watching TV.

Silent Mode made it even less noticeable, just enough to let you know it was still running.

Laundry and shoe drying

Laundry Mode initially seemed like a nice extra, but for families living in condos without outdoor drying space, it could be especially useful during long stretches of rain when uniforms and work clothes need to be dry by morning.

Then there’s the dreaded “kulob” smell. If you’ve ever tried drying sneakers indoors, you know how easily dampness and odor can linger.

The LG PuriCare Dehumidifier supports targeted drying using T/Y-hose attachments for areas such as closets and shoes, and the attachments were included with my unit.

I tried the shoe attachment on one of my sneakers and it felt completely dry after a couple of hours, compared with simply hanging it and still finding it damp and smelly the following day.

For those with lots of sneakers, leather shoes, bags or other items stored in enclosed cabinets, this could be more useful than it first sounds.

The tank tells the story

ONE feature I underestimated is the transparent 5-liter tank.

There’s something satisfying, and slightly alarming, about physically seeing how much water the machine has pulled from the room. When the tank is full, operation automatically stops, the bucket-full light turns on and a warning buzzer sounds. After about half a day of use, I had collected roughly three-quarters of a tank. The tank itself was easy to remove and carry without spilling.

If you plan to operate the PuriCare continuously in one location, it also supports continuous drainage through a hose.

Moving it around

AT 16.7kg, you’re probably not going to want to carry the PuriCare around the house. Thankfully, you generally don’t have to. The casters made it very easy to move from the bedroom to the bathroom, kitchen and even another house. It feels like pulling a medium-sized piece of luggage, which makes one machine practical for several rooms.

The product you never knew you needed

AFTER using the LG PuriCare, I understand why a dehumidifier can feel like an unnecessary expense until you actually live with one. It is an investment, especially if you live in a humid home or have things you want to protect for years. But once you start seeing the humidity readings drop, the tank fill with water and damp clothes or shoes dry faster, its value becomes much easier to understand.

And I’m not exaggerating when I say the difference in the room was noticeable almost immediately. The space felt lighter and fresher in a way that no amount of cleaning or air freshener sprays had managed to achieve.

More importantly, that stubborn musty smell I couldn’t get rid of finally disappeared. The LG PuriCare Dehumidifier has become one of those products I never knew I needed until I had one. And if you have any precious collection you care about, it may turn out to be one of its best friends, too.