Dehumidifier Placement Guide: Should a Dehumidifier Be on the Floor or Up High?

Is the best place for a dehumidifier on the floor or up high?

This is the dilemma that many homeowners face when they buy a portable dehumidifier.

In another article, we looked at the best position to place an air purifier for the maximum effect. For instance, we said that you don’t want to place it too close to the wall. There might not be enough air movement.

In yet another one, we looked at the best position for a humidifier. Today, we find out where your dehumidifier will have the best effect: on the floor, when mounted on a wall, or when placed in a high position.

If you have runaway humidity at home, mold develops.  The mold spores float in the air and they settle in different places.

If you are building a new home, make plans to install a whole-house dehumidifier. This one takes care of the humidity levels in the whole house.

Read: The best place for a humidifier for plants

Should a dehumidifier be placed high or low?

Wall mounted vs floor mounted dehumidifier

Well, should a dehumidifier be placed on the floor?

Generally, it is not a good idea to keep any appliance directly on the floor, except a fridge, because it has wheels or something.

On the same note, it is not a good idea to keep a dehumidifier elevated too high above the floor. If you have to remove the dehumidifier bucket to empty it, that will be a lot of work if it is several feet off the ground.

But …

Yes, there is a but. If the temperature is high, well, we know the relationship between temperature and humidity.

Not only does heat make the air hold more moisture, but it is also a fact that damp air is lighter in weight than dry air.

Also check: Does a humidifier increase oxygen?

Damp air rises! If it were practical to hoist a dehumidifier high, it would do a faster job of removing excess humidity.

But it is just not practical.

How high off the floor should the dehumidifier be? 3 feet

How high off the floor should the dehumidifier be

The answer to the question of “should a dehumidifier be on the floor” is yes. But never directly on the floor. So, how high off the floor should it be?

If you are in doubt, you can check with the manufacturer. The rule of thumb is that the dehumidifier should be placed about 3 feet off the ground and not any higher than that.

Also, place it in a place that has good airflow. Remember, the dehumidifier sucks in the damp air, pulls out the moisture, and then it blows out the air, minus the moisture.

A dehumidifier needs a place with good airflow. Thus, you cannot place it under the furniture or in tight corners.

If you place it on a pedestal, make sure you can reach it easily when you have to take out the bucket to empty it. This is why we proposed a maximum of 3 feet from the ground.

If you are going to connect your Frigidaire 70-pint dehumidifier with a drain hose, make sure you place it elevated higher than the sink. That way, the water can drain into the sink using the power of gravity.

Where to place a dehumidifier on the floor

Okay, so floor it is, as we have decided here. Where on the floor can you place the dehumidifier? Find out where most of the humidity is coming from. If it is coming from the kitchen, you need to place the dehumidifier in the kitchen.

Perhaps you can even place it on the counter so that it drains water into the sink. For this, you would need to connect the dehumidifier to the drain hose.

The best place for a dehumidifier is close to the humidity source. If the humidity is coming from the basement, place it there. If it comes from the kitchen, place it there.

The best place to place a dehumidifier in the kitchen

Image of where should i put my dehumidifier in kitchen

From all the cooking, washing dishes, and boiling taking place in the kitchen, the humidity level can go up to 70 percent level.

That is high!

If left unattended, you will start seeing symptoms of mold. Instead of letting runaway humidity enable a mold infestation, it is better to arrest it early enough.

Place the dehumidifier on the kitchen counter. You can also place it on the floor if you do not need to connect the hose.

Run the dehumidifier in the kitchen for about 30 minutes when you are done cooking. This is going to lower the humidity to the required level.

The best place for a dehumidifier is in the basement

The basement is one of the biggest culprits for high humidity levels. If left unchecked, the humidity can spread to the rest of the house.

If mold starts growing in the basement, it will spread to the rest of the house and cause signs of mold toxicity in your family. This is why controlling indoor humidity levels is so important.

Where in the basement should I place a dehumidifier? Place it near the source of the humidity. Also, place it in an area that does not have things obstructing the flow of air.

Also, remember to buy the right size dehumidifier for the basement. If you get a small unit, it is going to work so slowly, and it might end up being ineffective.

Again, if there has been flooding in the basement, you need a big unit that you can run for many hours. Connect it with a drain hose and direct the water to the drain outside.

The best place to put a dehumidifier in a 2-story house

Best place to put dehumidifier in 2 story house

If you have a one-story house, you will wonder whether to place the dehumidifier on the ground floor or in the upstairs rooms.

Well, there is no way to say that you should have the dehumidifier upstairs or downstairs. The only way is to find out where the humidity is highest.

The idea is to place it at a source of high humidity. Once you identify it, you will know whether to place the dehumidifier high or low.

You can use a hygrometer to find out whether the second floor has higher humidity as compared to the first floor and the ground floor.

Usually, the floor with the biggest space will have higher humidity. Usually, the ground floor has less space. The topmost floor has the biggest space.

The floor with more heat will have higher humidity. Warm air retains more moisture than cold air. That is why warm places like Florida have high humidity all the time.

Perhaps it is just better to buy a dehumidifier for each floor.

The best place for a dehumidifier is in the bathroom

The bathroom is the main source of humidity for houses that do not have a basement. Now, when you take a hot bath or shower, the bathroom gets steamy.

If you let the humidity stay too long in the bathroom, mold can start developing in some corners and inside the cabinets.

Image of best place for a dehumidifier in bathroom

To prevent this, run your unit to lower the humidity. Here, you can get a dehumidifier that you can place somewhere in one corner of the bathroom, on the toilet tank, or in some other space. Mostly, this means you cannot buy a big unit.

If you have a big portable dehumidifier, you can place it on the floor, close to the bathroom door.

Luckily, you do not have to leave it there for so long because 30 minutes will be enough to lower the humidity in the bathroom.

Where to put a dehumidifier in the finished basement

Most people ask: Do finished basements need dehumidifiers? The answer is yes. Moisture in the finished basement is going to cause mold.

The mold spores from the basement can spread to the rest of the house and cause serious symptoms of mold exposure.

Place a dehumidifier in the basement, in a place that has enough airflow. That way, the unit can pull in the air easily and lower the moisture content of the air faster.

Make a habit of using a hygrometer to measure the humidity level in the finished basement. If it is higher than 55 percent, that is a recipe for mold growth.

Can I put a dehumidifier on the table?

It is recommended that the dehumidifier stay elevated. Never keep it on the floor because it will not be as efficient as it would be in a high place.

Wall-mounted dehumidifiers work so efficiently because damp air rises. However, since this is not always a practical option for many, using a table is perfect.

If you are using the portable dehumidifier to maintain the humidity level in your bedroom, place it on a table, not on the dressing table.

Make sure the height of the table from the floor is 3 feet or higher.

If you are using the dehumidifier in the kitchen, place it on the counter. That’s a perfect height. It will work great.

A dehumidifier in the bathroom is a necessity because this is a high-humidity place. Place it at least 3 feet from the floor.

Where is the best location for a dehumidifier?

Where is the best location for a dehumidifier
Crawl Space

The best position for a dehumidifier is right where most of the humidity is coming from. If you can capture the moist air at its source, you will prevent it from spreading to the rest of the house.

Even if you have a two-story house, you will need to place the dehumidifier in the crawl spaces so that the moisture can be captured from the source.

If you have a big unit with a high space rating, open the doorways to different rooms in the house. That way, it can dehumidify more air without having to get a portable unit for each room.

If you have a small closet dehumidifier to prevent mold formation on leather items, place it inside the closet. Generally, place it close to the source of the damp air.

Remember, you can use dehumidifiers to remove moisture even from damp carpets and floors.

Does a dehumidifier need to be in the center of a room?

Many things determine where you are going to place your dehumidifier in the room. The first one is where the electrical socket is located. The power cord can be about 6 feet, which is limited to big spaces.

The second consideration is the source of the moist air. If it is at a certain corner in the basement, that is where the dehumidifier with pump, or without a pump, needs to be.

Capturing moist air from the source prevents it from spreading to the other rooms in your home.

If your dehumidifier has a drain hose, you want it close to the window, elevated so that the water can flow out through gravity.

Wherever it is most convenient for your dehumidifier, keep it there. Just make sure you place it on a table or elevated place. It should be three feet from the ground.

Final thoughts

High humidity can grow mold and mildew on your clothes and leather boots, in the crawl spaces, in the kitchen, and in the bathroom.

This is why you need a dehumidifier. It removes moisture from the air, making the air dryer and warmer. However, you have to place it just right.

Should you mount the dehumidifier on the wall? It is not necessary, because emptying the bucket can cause some trouble.

It is best to place it on the floor or at most 3 feet high from the floor.

Other articles to read:

How do I stop humidifier dust?

Pure Enrichment humidifier not working

Why does my humidifier keep turning off