In stockRussell Hobbs RHDH2002 20 Litre Dehumidifier Review
Our verdict: The best value 20-litre dehumidifier in this comparison — strong extraction power for a noticeably lower price, at the cost of running louder than the premium alternatives, so it's better suited to a living room, kitchen or utility room than a bedroom.
The Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 is a 20L/day compressor dehumidifier aimed squarely at buyers who want serious extraction power for damp, condensation and drying laundry indoors without paying a premium brand price — a straightforward, no-frills alternative to the Meaco and Pro Breeze models further up this comparison.
- ✓ Noticeably cheaper than the Meaco and…
- ✓ Smart timer plus a dedicated laundry-drying…
- ✕ Noticeably louder than the Meaco
Russell Hobbs moisture control unit specifications
Pros of this Russell Hobbs dehumidifier
- ✓ Noticeably cheaper than the Meaco and…
- ✓ Smart timer plus a dedicated laundry-drying…
- ✓ 600mm continuous drainage hose included for…
- ✓ Well-known household brand with widely available…
- ✓ Clear water-level window on the tank…
- ✓ 3-litre tank is larger than most…
Cons of this Russell Hobbs moisture extractor
- ✕ Noticeably louder than the Meaco
- ✕ Only a 1-year warranty as standard
- ✕ No smart app or voice control
If overnight bedroom use is the priority, the Pro Breeze 20L OmniDry WiFi Dehumidifier runs quieter and still costs less than the premium Meaco models.
Russell Hobbs damp extractor: pros and cons in detail
The RHDH2002's main appeal is value: it undercuts the Meaco and Pro Breeze 20L models here without giving up much extraction power, and its 3-litre tank and clear water-level window mean less frequent, easier emptying. A well-known household brand also means spares and support are easy to find. It is not without trade-offs — at roughly 47.5dB(A) it is noticeably louder than the Meaco, Bosch and De'Longhi models in this comparison, so it is less suited to overnight bedroom use, and the standard warranty is only 1 year, extendable to 2 with free registration, against Meaco's 5.
Our detailed scoring
Compared against other 16-20L-class units
Scoring calculated from the manufacturer's official specs, compared against the real range for this type of appliance — a scale specific to each metric, not this site's catalogue.
About Russell Hobbs's moisture control unit range
Russell Hobbs is one of the UK's most recognised small-appliance brands, and the RHDH2002 applies that mass-market, value-focused approach to dehumidifiers: a 20L/day compressor unit built to compete on capacity and price rather than smart features. It's aimed at the same buyer as the Meaco Arete Two 20L and Pro Breeze 20L OmniDry — someone dealing with rising damp, condensation on windows or slow-drying laundry in a larger room — but at a noticeably lower cost.
The trade-off for that price is refinement rather than raw performance: the RHDH2002 extracts a genuinely useful 20 litres a day and includes a smart timer and laundry mode, but it runs louder than the quieter, more expensive compressor units on this site, and its 1-year standard warranty is shorter than Meaco's 5-year cover. For a kitchen, utility room, hallway or living room where noise matters less than in a bedroom, that trade-off is easy to justify.
Russell Hobbs doesn't try to compete on quietness or smart features here — the RHDH2002 is a value play, and it's priced accordingly against the Meaco and Pro Breeze 20L units covered elsewhere on this site. For a household mainly worried about the running cost of buying and operating a dehumidifier, rather than app control or whisper-quiet operation, that positioning makes sense.
That value positioning has made the RHDH2002 a regular feature in UK appliance reviews aimed at budget-conscious buyers, and it's one of the reasons it appears so often in searches alongside "cheap dehumidifier" and "dehumidifier deals" rather than premium comparison terms — Russell Hobbs is competing on getting the fundamentals right at a lower price point, not on innovation.
Who this Russell Hobbs dehumidifier is for, and how to use it at home
For drying laundry indoors, Russell Hobbs' laundry-drying boost mode is the fastest way to use this unit — position it next to a clothes airer in a room with the door closed, and expect a similar drying time to the pricier 20L compressor models, since extraction rate is the main factor, not brand.
For damp and mould control in a larger room — living room, kitchen-diner or open landing — the RHDH2002's 20L/day rating and 50m² coverage make it a solid match. Because of its noise level, it's better suited to daytime use in these rooms than as an overnight bedroom dehumidifier; if you want to run something overnight, one of the quieter 12L models further up this page is a better fit for a bedroom specifically.
Connect the included 600mm drainage hose if you want to leave it running unattended for more than a day at a time — the 3-litre tank is larger than most rivals, but at full extraction in a genuinely damp room it can still fill within 24 hours.
If you're torn between this and a quieter, pricier 20L alternative, think about where in the house it'll actually live: a kitchen, utility room or hallway rarely needs whisper-quiet performance, and that's where the RHDH2002's noise level matters least while its lower price and larger 3-litre tank work in its favour.
For rising damp or penetrating damp affecting a ground-floor room, remember that a dehumidifier — this one included — treats the symptom (excess moisture in the air) rather than the underlying cause. If damp is coming from a structural issue like a failed damp-proof course or a leak, running the RHDH2002 will help keep the room more comfortable and slow mould growth, but it won't fix the source, and a builder or damp specialist is the next call.
What UK buyers say about this Russell Hobbs moisture extractor
Ideal Home summed this model up as one that "gets the job done" rather than leading the pack on performance, while Expert Reviews found it a capable laundry-drying dehumidifier for the price. In independent testing, relative humidity in a test room fell from 68% to 60% within two hours — a solid but not class-leading result compared with pricier rivals. Amazon UK customers rate it around 4.5 stars, with many specifically praising its power relative to its lower price.
Sources: Ideal Home, Expert Reviews, Amazon UK customer reviews.
Our verdict on this Russell Hobbs damp extractor: 4.4/5
Buy the Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 if you want strong 20L/day extraction power at a meaningfully lower price than the Meaco or Pro Breeze equivalents, and you're using it somewhere noise isn't the top priority — a kitchen, utility room or living room rather than a bedroom. If quiet overnight running matters more than price, the Meaco Arete Two 20L is the better-specced, quieter alternative. If you'd rather cover a smaller room for less, the Pro Breeze 12L OmniDry is worth comparing too. It's also worth weighing against the Bosch Dry 4000 if you're specifically prioritising a quieter, better-warrantied unit and can stretch the budget — the Bosch trades some raw capacity for noticeably lower noise and a longer standard guarantee.
Check price on Amazon.co.uk — £154.00Accessories this Russell Hobbs dehumidifier might need
A few extras that are genuinely useful with this model, not just upsells:
Universal continuous drainage hose (2m)
The included hose is only 600mm long, which isn't always enough to reach a drain, sink or outside gutter depending on where the unit sits. A longer 2-metre universal hose extends that reach so the RHDH2002 can run unattended without the 3-litre tank needing to be emptied by hand. Check the connector size matches the drainage port before buying.
View product
Digital room hygrometer
Handy given this model has no smart app to check humidity remotely — a hygrometer left in the room does the same job manually, showing the real percentage rather than relying on the unit's own timer and settings.
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Compare this Russell Hobbs moisture control unit with similar models
| Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 20 Litre DehumidifierTHIS REVIEW 4.4/5 £154.00 In stock |  Pro Breeze 20L OmniDry WiFi Dehumidifier4.5/5 £169.99 In stock |  Ebac 2650E 18 Litre Dehumidifier with Air Purification and Laundry Mode4.6/5 £315.00 In stock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction power | 20 litres/day | 20 litres/day | 18 litres/day |
| Noise level | Approx. 47.5 dB(A) | Under 38 dB(A) | — |
| Tank capacity | 3 litres | 4 litres | — |
| Value for money | 4.4/5 (£154.00) | 4.5/5 (£169.99) | 4.6/5 (£315.00) |
| Check price on Amazon | Read the review | Read the review |
Frequently asked questions
How loud is the Russell Hobbs RHDH2002?+
At roughly 47.5dB(A), it's louder than the premium Meaco, Bosch and De'Longhi models in this comparison — comparable to a running fridge. It's fine for a living room or kitchen during the day, but not our first choice for sleeping next to overnight.
Is it good value compared with the Meaco and Pro Breeze 20L models?+
Yes — it offers the same 20L/day extraction rate at a noticeably lower price. You give up some quietness and the longer warranties those brands offer, but the core moisture-removal performance is comparable.
What's the warranty?+
1 year as standard, extendable to 2 years free of charge if you register the product with Russell Hobbs after purchase — worth doing as soon as you unbox it.
Does it have a laundry mode?+
Yes, a dedicated laundry-drying setting is included alongside the smart timer, aimed specifically at speeding up indoor clothes drying.
How big a tank does it have?+
3 litres, which is larger than most 12L-class units and helps offset the need for frequent emptying given the 20L/day extraction rate, though in a very damp room it can still fill within a day at full output.
Does it have Wi-Fi or app control?+
No — control is via the built-in smart timer and mode buttons on the unit itself, with no smartphone app or voice assistant integration.
Will it dry out a whole flat or just one room?+
It's rated for rooms up to 50m², so it can meaningfully affect humidity in an open-plan flat if doors are left open between rooms, though like any single dehumidifier it works fastest when confined to one closed space at a time.
Does it come in different colours?+
Yes, Russell Hobbs sells the RHDH2002 in both white (RHDH2002) and black (RHDH2002B) finishes, with identical specifications between the two.
Is it suitable for a caravan or boat?+
It can be used in a caravan while connected to mains power, though at 14kg and with a mains-only compressor design, it's less practical for a boat or a caravan without a reliable electricity hook-up than the more portable EcoAir desiccant model covered elsewhere on this site.
Can it be left running while I'm at work or away for the day?+
Yes, provided the tank has enough capacity for the time you'll be away or the continuous drainage hose is connected — the unit's auto shut-off will stop it safely if the tank fills before you're back.
Is it heavy to carry upstairs?+
At 14kg it's on the heavier side for this size class, though most units in the 20L/day category weigh somewhere between 12kg and 16kg, so it's not unusually heavy for its capacity — expect to need both hands rather than moving it one-handed.
Does it have a child lock?+
The RHDH2002 doesn't feature a dedicated child lock function, unlike some pricier rivals — worth factoring in if young children will have easy access to the control panel.
Where is it best positioned in a room?+
Give it clearance on all sides for airflow, keep it away from curtains or soft furnishings that could block the intake, and place it on a hard, level floor rather than carpet so the auto shut-off sensor and drainage work reliably.
Other moisture control units worth comparing to this Russell Hobbs
In stockPro Breeze 20L OmniDry WiFi Dehumidifier
Runs quieterThe best value 20L dehumidifier for drying laundry and general damp control — a genuine Which? Best Buy winner that undercuts the Meaco Arete Two on price without giving up much capability.
In stockEbac 2650E 18 Litre Dehumidifier with Air Purification and Laundry Mode
The dehumidifier to buy if you specifically want a British-made unit built to last well over a decade, and don't mind paying a premium and giving up app control to get it.
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Russell Hobbs RHDH2002 20 Litre Dehumidifier
£154.00