Dehumidifiers are particularly helpful if a room in your home has a musty smell, you notice condensation build-up on windows, or if the food in your pantry goes stale quickly. These devices remove excess moisture from the air, which can be helpful to those living in a warmer climate, an older building, or rooms that have issues with mold and mildew growth. Over time, our damp bathroom had started to get visible water damage on the walls from condensation, so we decided to try Eva-dry’s Edv-1100 Electric Petite Dehumidifier to see if it could stand up to the moisture. Read on to see how it worked out.
Performance: Small but mighty
The Eva-Dry Petite unit is specifically designed for spaces like closets, laundry rooms, bathrooms, and other smaller sized spaces up to 1,100 cubic feet (or rooms roughly less than 150 square feet), so we decided to test out the Eva-Dry Petite Dehumidifier in the dampest place we could find—our bathroom. Our 50-square-foot bathroom was the perfect testing ground due to its lack of ventilation. Hot shower steam without a ventilation system leaves walls vulnerable to long-term damage from excess moisture, or worse, eventual mold. As advertised, the unit was able to remove 8 ounces of moisture from the air in our bathroom over the course of a day. The moisture collects in a small removable reservoir that can hold as much as 16 ounces of water at a time before it needs to be drained manually. Another convenient feature is that when the reservoir reaches its capacity of 16 ounces, a light turns on and the machine automatically shuts off. While the unit is small at 8 inches in height, this is great for portability and placing it discreetly in a space. Another major size-related plus is that it doesn’t require coils or refrigerants like larger units.
Design: Dated but effective
The design of Eva-Dry’s Petite Dehumidifier is disappointing. While it’s incredibly easy to use and compact enough to hide, it looks dated. It has a white plastic base and a blue collection tank that would have looked futuristic in the 1970s. We thought the “Eva-Dry” branding on the machine cheapened its look. Despite its design fallbacks, it’s simple to use with just one on/off switch and a green LED operating light. We like the auto shut-off feature and orange indicator light when the machine has reached capacity. Clean up is easy–just remove the tank and dispose of the collected water. The unit also has rubber feet at the bottom so it won’t leave any unwanted marks on the floor. While we do like that the unit is incredibly small, especially with how much area it can cover, we wish the design was simpler and more attractive. On the plus side, since it is so compact, it can easily be hidden and out of sight.
Setup and Maintenance: Simple
Setting up the Eva-Dry Dehumidifier was incredibly easy. The appliance comes with an AC/DC power adapter that plugs into the back of the machine and then into the wall. The lengthy electric cord is almost 6 feet long. The manufacturer suggests giving the machine a once over cleaning with a soft cloth both outside the appliance and inside the collection tray before turning on. Once plugged into the wall, we switched it to “on” and it was ready to go. The Eva-Dry could not be easier to maintain. Once every few days we removed and emptied the tank. We also loved that this model came with a “spill-proof reservoir.” A small stopper labeled “empty here” can be found at the corner of the water tank. This small detail made it impossible to spill any of the collected contents and also allowed us to let the tank fill completely. Unlike other models we tried, this feature proved to be more helpful than we thought as they require you to remove the entire top which can be tricky and almost guaranteed to spill every time. However, we did not like that we were not able to remove the lid entirely to clean the tank completely. Over time, we think that might become an issue in trapping bacteria. To prevent this, we were diligent about removing all of the contents promptly and filled it regularly with warm water and soap to keep it clean.
Noise: Less than a whisper
Eva-Dry’s Dehumidifier uses “Whisper Technology” to maintain a low noise output. The manufacturer claims the average noise output for all thermo-electric dehumidifiers they tested was 53.2 dB. The Eva-Dry EDV-1100 measures just 50.9 dB, about 2.3 dB below average. We were amazed by how little noise can be detected from this machine and think it’s one of its biggest selling points, especially if you use this in a bedroom.
User-Friendly Features: No complicated directions
The Eva-Dry is the simplest appliance possible with just one on and off switch, and you never have to worry about temperature. The only setting you need to watch for is when the LED indicator light goes from green to yellow, signaling it’s time to empty the water reservoir. If you are looking for a machine to cover a larger area, you may want to look into an appliance with more control settings since the Eva-Dry is about as basic as you can get.
Price: Great dehumidifier if you are on a tight budget
The Eva-Dry retails for $59.95 and is a good option for situations with modest humidity control needs. It does not come with any bells and whistles, but if you can’t spend more than $60, it’s a solid choice for your smaller space. If you can spend about $20 to $30 more, you can find other options with a little more bang for your buck.
Eva-Dry Edv-1100 Electric Petite Dehumidifier vs. Tenergy Sorbi 1000ml Air Dehumidifier With Air Purifying Function
We compared the Eva-Dry’s Edv-1100 Electric Petite Dehumidifier’s performance to the Tenergy Sorbi 1000ml Air Dehumidifier with Air Purifying Function model. Both machines are compact but side-by-side, the Tenergy is just about as tall as the Eva-Dry but twice as wide. Eva-Dry’s unit measures just 6 x 8 x 5 inches compared to Tenergy’s 8.5 x 7.7 x 12.4 inches. In terms of capacity, Eva-Dry covers about 150 square feet and collects a maximum of 16 ounces of moisture, whereas Tenergy Sorbi can cover 200 square feet and collect up to 25 ounces of moisture. When it comes to performance, we think the Tenergy’s ability to both purify and dehumidify the area is unbeatable, although the Eva-Dry also does a good job of dehumidifying the area and does so at a whisper, which is considerably quieter when compared to Tenergy. The Eva-Dry is about $30 cheaper than the Tenergy, but based on looks, the Tenergy design is more modern. While Eva-Dry’s compact size makes it easy to hide, its design is disappointing and looks like something you might find in your grandparent’s closet. So, we would choose the Tenergy based on its ability to cover a larger area, accumulate more moisture, and attractive design. If you are looking for a quick-fix for a moderately damp room, then the Eva-Dry Petite Dehumidifier could be a good remedy. The Eva-Dry falls short when compared to other products on the market that are sleeker and have a few more bells and whistles.
