To clean a dehumidifier, unplug it, empty the bucket and wash it with warm water and a little mild dish soap, then rinse. Pull out the air filter and wash it in warm soapy water, letting it dry completely before refitting. Vacuum the grilles and wipe the case with a damp cloth. Clean the filter every couple of weeks of steady use.
What you need#
Mild dish soap, a soft sponge or bottle brush, a vacuum with a brush attachment, a microfiber cloth, and somewhere to let the filter dry. That's it. You don't need bleach, and GE's dehumidifier care instructions specifically say not to use abrasives or bleach.
How to clean a dehumidifier, step by step#
- Switch it off and unplug it. Every cleaning step starts here.
- Empty the bucket. Look at the corners and under the lip for slime. A pink, orange or grey film is bacteria or mildew, and it's what makes a dehumidifier smell like a damp towel.
- Wash the bucket. GE's method is to part-fill it with clean water and a small amount of mild detergent, swirl it around, empty it and rinse with plain water. For film that won't swirl off, use a soft sponge. Don't pry the float out of the bucket. It's the small plastic part that tells the machine when the bucket is full, and if it's damaged, the unit can't tell when to stop.
- Take out the filter. It usually slides out from the front or back grille. Check the manual if it isn't obvious.
- Clean the filter. For GE's models, the filter guidance is to wash it in warm, soapy water, rinse it well and let it dry completely. Don't put it in the dishwasher. If yours is a pleated or carbon filter marked as replaceable, don't wash it; replace it.
- Vacuum the grilles. Use the brush attachment on the intake and outlet grilles to lift the dust that collects on the slats.
- Wipe the case with a damp cloth and a little mild detergent, then dry it.
- Refit the dry filter and bucket, plug it back in, and reset the filter light if it has one.
The filter has to be properly dry before it goes back in. A damp filter in a machine that pulls humid air through it all day is a good way to grow the smell you just cleaned out. Wash it in the morning and refit it in the evening. Don't run the unit without the filter while you wait, because the dust goes straight onto the coils instead.
Should you clean the coils?#
Behind the filter you'll see the metal coils and fins. If they're furred with dust, run the vacuum's soft brush over them on low suction, going with the direction of the fins so you don't bend them. Don't spray water or cleaner on the coils, and don't take the case apart to get at them. A dehumidifier is a small refrigeration unit, and the sealed parts inside aren't something to open at home.
If you keep the filter clean, the coils rarely need more than this.
How often to clean a dehumidifier#
| Part |
How often |
Notes |
| Bucket |
Empty whenever it's full; wash every 1 to 2 weeks |
Wash sooner if you see film or smell mustiness |
| Air filter |
About every 2 weeks of steady use |
GE's filter light comes on after 250 hours of running |
| Grilles and case |
Monthly |
Vacuum and wipe |
| Coils |
A few times a season, if dusty |
Soft brush only |
| Drain hose |
When you clean the bucket |
Check for kinks, slime and a dislodged end |
| Whole unit |
End of season, before storing |
Clean, dry fully, store upright |
That 250-hour figure is worth translating. In a damp basement where the dehumidifier runs around the clock, 250 hours is a little over ten days. The light is a timer, not a sensor, so in a dusty room or a home with pets, check the filter before the light tells you to.
Using a drain hose?#
Continuous drainage saves you emptying the bucket, but the hose can kink, slip off the floor drain or grow slime inside. Check it whenever you clean the bucket. Run warm water through it to clear any gunk, and make sure the outlet sits lower than the dehumidifier so water can actually flow out. A clean bucket won't help if the water can't drain.
Why does my dehumidifier smell?#
A musty smell almost always comes from standing water: a bucket that's been sitting partly full, a filter refitted while damp, or a slimy drain hose. Clean all three. If it still smells after a full clean and a few days of running, check the manual's troubleshooting section, or contact the manufacturer.
When cleaning doesn't fix it#
Some problems aren't dirt. If the unit leaks, stops collecting water in conditions where it used to, keeps shutting off, or shows frost on the coils, note the error code and settings and look up the troubleshooting guide for your model. Don't open the sealed refrigeration system yourself.
Storing it for the season#
Empty and wash the bucket, clean the filter, and leave everything to dry for a day or two with the bucket out. Store it upright in a dry place. Packing it away with a damp bucket means you'll open it next spring to a smell.
Getting the setting right#
There's no point running it harder than you need. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent. A setting around 45 to 50 percent is plenty for most basements and saves wear on the machine.
A dehumidifier and a humidifier do opposite jobs and need different care. If you run both at different times of year, our humidifier cleaning guide covers the other one. Set a ChoreLists.com reminder every two weeks for the filter while the dehumidifier is in use, and it won't wait for the light. If you also run an air purifier, its filters are on a separate schedule.