Renters, Rejoice: This DeLonghi Dehumidifier Saved Me From Winter Mould and Mildew

I went away last month for a quick stint up north, and I came home to find my cold Melbourne rental a complete and utter breeding ground for mould and moisture. Of course, mould spores were the last thing I wanted infiltrating my humble abode — not to mention, they can be horrible for your respiratory system, if not deadly. So, after the agent brought someone in to eradicate what was left of it, I knew I had to make sure it was gone (and would stay gone) for the rest of the rainy season. That’s where my new trusty DeLonghi Tasciugo Ariadry dehumidifier came in.

Before we dive in, what does a dehumidifier and air purifier actually do?

Sceptical at first, I was willing to try anything to prevent my mould monstrosity from coming back, and according to HealthLine (and the mould guy who came to assess my house), a dehumidifier would not only be a great addition to my decor, but it’d do wonders when it came to sucking in air to remove all the moisture in the room and then, in turn, filtering back warm dry air.

An air purifier, on the other hand, purifies the air and reduces the concentration of airborne contaminants in the home like dust, pollen, mould, odours and smoke. Usually, this is because it goes through an in-built HEPA filter. Luckily, the DeLonghi Tasciugo Ariadry is a 2-in-1 device and offers both dehumidification and purification, so I got to trial the best of both worlds. This meant I could beat the moisture and remove any toxins simultaneously.

What should you be looking for when purchasing a dehumidifier?

Tank capacity and room size: Depending on how big or small the room is that you’d like to use your device in, you’ll want to ensure you get a dehumidifier with an appropriate tank capacity. Think smaller for dedicated areas like a single bedroom or study, and bigger for larger areas like multiple rooms, open plan dining areas or the whole house. This handy guide will give you the specifics before you dive in.

Portability: If you’re planning on moving it from room to room, you’ll also want to look into its portability because you don’t want something that’ll be a two-person job to move.

So, how did my Delonghi Tasciugo Ariadry 2-in-1 dehumidifier and air purifier stack up?

Specifications

Before I confess my love for this godly device, let me break down a few specs for you.

First of all, this baby offers a 5-litre tank capacity, which is compatible with a room size of up to 90m3. It’s also got four action filtration, including a HEPA type filtering, an active carbon filter to remove odours, a bio silver to reduce bacteria, and an anti-dust and bio-silver filtration. This is a game-changer for people with allergies, those sensitive to dust particles or anyone (read: me) worried they’ve got any remaining mould spores lingering in the air.

It’s also the perfect size, weighing only 13.5kg, so you can move it around with ease. It’s small enough to neatly tuck into a corner while you’re using it or a small cupboard when you’re not, too.

Gold stars for the set-up

I dread going to IKEA for the horribly awful experience you have to endure during the set-up. So, as you can imagine, I was equally as scared to set this bad boy up, except in a turn of events, it only took me five minutes of reading and following the manual to have a fully functioning device.

Smartphone connectivity

You’ll also be happy to know that this DeLonghi dehumidifier offers smartphone connectivity, so I was able to get the DeLonghi app on my phone and sync up the device. This allows me to do a bunch of cool stuff from the comfort of my bed, including turn it off, switch it to a different mode, check the tank and filtration level, change its dehumidification percentage and even switch on ‘real feel’, which alters the dehumidification to what the room needs at the time.

You can also schedule it to turn on while you’re out and set a timer for use while you sleep or go out.

Less moisture in the air 

Now, moving on to the juicy stuff – the first thing I noticed when I’d had it on for a few hours was that the moisture in the air was significantly reduced. I know this because I used to be able to leave a new book on my desk, and the pages would curl at the amount of humidity in the air. Same with my clothes — they’d feel damp to touch despite being washed and dried days ago. Now, the air feels drier, and I haven’t had any issues since.

It stacks up great against mould and mildew

The musty, damp and mouldy smell that used to linger in my room has also disappeared. As someone who spends a lot of time working and relaxing in there, it has been horrible not being able to shake the smell in the air. Now, it’s totally gone, which also gives me peace of mind that the mould and mildew are still at bay.

The app also has a mould tracker built in, which tells you when your room is reaching a humidification level that breeds mould and moisture, so you can chuck it on until you get it back down to ideal levels. This function was a godsend, I tell you. Just don’t get too addicted to checking it like I did.

It’s also a good alternative to investing in a tumble dryer

When I’d do a load, my clothes would take three days (if not more) to dry. Then when it finally did dry, they’d smell all damp because of how long they’d been wet on the clothes horse. Now, with the dehumidifier in my house, I can just pop the indoor clothes horse next to the device and put it on laundry mode. The load is dry within hours — no industrial dryer required.

It’s big enough to last a long time without having to empty the tank

I keep my DeLonghi dehumidifier on for a large portion of the day and will only really turn it off when I sleep or go out for short periods, but even so, it tends to last me a whole day (24 hours) before I have to empty the tank depending on how wet the day is.

This is great because it isn’t a nuisance to empty as it’s mostly self-functioning. The only time it fills quite fast is during laundry mode (which is to be expected). The device does turn off when it’s full, though, so you don’t have to worry about an overflow situation.

Overall verdict

I am obsessed, and if there’s one product I would recommend to anyone who is struggling with mould or mildew in their rental this winter, it’s this one.

Where to buy: eBay ($609 with code ‘SNSAUGUST’), Amazon ($649), Catch ($649), The Good Guys ($699)

If you want to compare this baby with a few of the other best dehumidifiers for mould in Australia, check our full round-up here.