Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 dehumidifier review: Battle damp and dry your laundry
It’s not the quietest, or the most powerful, 20l dehumidifier, but it’s a solid, affordable option with an impressive laundry drying mode
Pros
- Simple and easy to use
- Effective laundry and auto modes
- Low power consumption
Cons
- No night or silent mode
- Rivals have more drying power
The Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 doesn’t make any claims about advanced technology or groundbreaking features. What the RHDH2002 does cover is all the basics most people want from a dehumidifier, including an automatic mode and laundry-drying features at an affordable sub-£200 price.
It’s compact and easy to use, and is available in a choice of relatively stylish white and black designs. I’ve been testing it out to find out if its performance is up to scratch.
Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 dehumidifier review: What do you get for the money?
The RHDH2002 is a mid-sized dehumidifier with a maximum extraction rate of 20l of water per day, designed for spaces up to 50m² in size. That should cover large rooms, open-plan living spaces and the average one-bedroom apartment, with the water draining into a 3l tank, or continuously through the short hose provided. The dehumidifier turns off automatically and an alert is sounded when the tank is full.
Its dimensions measure 35 x 24.5 x 51cm (WDH), and it weighs 14kg. This, along with the lack of a carrying handle, makes it a bit of an effort to lug around a house, though I managed to get it upstairs and downstairs without too much trouble.
Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 dehumidifier review: What features does it have?
The RHDH2002 has four basic modes, which you cycle through using a single button on the top panel. You can set it to run continuously, or to run until it reaches a target humidity level, adjustable through the plus and minus buttons.
The SMD or “smart” mode is designed for regular long-term use, keeping the relative humidity to a comfortable 45 to 55% level depending on the current room temperature. Finally, the Dryer mode runs the dehumidifier at full tilt for up to eight hours, or until the water tank is full, blasting warm air at your wet laundry from a 30 to 50cm distance.
Beyond this, you have a choice of three fan speeds – low, medium and high – and a timer that will either switch the dehumidifier on from standby, or off when it’s already active. It works in half hour increments for up to ten hours, then one hour increments for the maximum 24 hours.
Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 dehumidifier review: How well does it work?
While it’s not the last word in drying power, the RHDH2002 is an effective dehumidifier. Relative humidity in my test room started at 68%, and the RHDH2002 dropped this to 62% in one hour and 60% in two. That’s not the kind of performance that threatens the likes of the Duux Bora (78% to 57% in the same period) or Meaco Arete Two (76% to 61%), but it’s perfectly respectable. Once the humidity hit 50 to 55% levels, I found switching to SMD mode kept the moisture under control with minimal fuss. During this period, the RHDH2002 occasionally kicked in to dry the air, but only for short periods.
The RHDH2002 is also good in smaller spaces. Deployed in a small upstairs bedroom, it took the humidity level from 64% to 51% over two hours, roughly matching the performance of the more expensive 14l DeLonghi Tasciugo AriaDry Multi.
What’s more, its laundry-drying performance is very good. I set it running on Dryer mode with a full rack of damp washing, and after six hours most of it was close to dry, including jeans, a chunky sweatshirt and thick thermal tops. Within a further two hours, every item in the rack was cupboard-dry. Power consumption, meanwhile, should suit the most frugal households. I found it used 208.6W while dehumidifying with the fan on its highest setting, and 198W with the fan set to low.
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Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 dehumidifier review: What could be improved?
There’s no night or silent mode, and even on the lowest fan speed the RHDH2002 puts out 36.6dBA, making it slightly noisier than the Meaco Arete Two or the pint-sized VonHaus Dehumidifier 12l. At the highest fan setting, you’re looking at 44.6dBA. That’s not fearsomely loud by dehumidifier standards, but you’ll struggle to sleep through the rumble if it’s in a nearby room.
The 3l tank is also on the small side for a 20l dehumidifier. In particularly moist conditions, you’ll need to empty it several times per day. Be careful when you’re doing so, as I found that if I poured it from the left-hand side, the waste water had a tendency to splash out.
Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 dehumidifier review: Should you buy it?
The RHDH2002 isn’t as good a dehumidifier as the Meaco Arete Two, ProBreeze PB-08 or Duux Bora, but it’s easy to use, energy-efficient and decent value for money. It’s neither particularly quiet nor excessively loud, but its laundry drying skills are surprisingly strong. I wouldn’t put it right at the top of my dehumidifier shortlist, but it’s a good, affordable option if you can’t stretch to our top-ranked models.
