GE Energy Smart 35 Pint Dehumidifier Review

The GE Energy Smart 35 Pint Portable Dehumidifier is small, elegant and easy to carry around your space. It quickly controls humidity in small spaces such as bathrooms and bedrooms. In this sense, it meets the important requirements that a dehumidifier of this size must meet.

GE 35 Pint Portable Dehumidifier Review: Specs

Libra: 36.5 pounds
Dimensions: 19.5 x 13.25 x 10 inches
Bucket capacity: 8.5 pints
Total capacity: 35 pint
Automatic defrost: Yes
External drain connector: Yes
Hose included: NO
Guarantee: 1 year

But it lacks the advanced features that other top dehumidifiers in this price range seem to have, including things like an app to control the device remotely and an auto-shutoff feature. It’s also louder than all the other dehumidifiers I’ve tested.

If you’re looking for basic functionality to control humidity in a small room and don’t mind the noise, the GE 35 pint dehumidifier will do the job. But for the price, you can get a similarly sized unit with more features.

GE 35 Pint Dehumidifier Review: Price and Availability

The GE Energy Smart 35-pint Portable Dehumidifier is priced at $219 when purchased directly from the store. GE website. It is also available on Amazon for $209 and various retailers, including Home Depot. If you purchase the unit through GE’s website, the dehumidifier will be shipped free of charge and covered by a one-year limited warranty.

GE 35 Pint Dehumidifier Review: Design

Picture 1 With 4

GE 35 Pint Air Dehumidifier — (Photo source: Future)

The GE 35 Pint dehumidifier is small and elegant. The clean white casing makes the device fit easily into the aesthetics of any room and does not take up too much space in smaller rooms, such as the bathroom. The wheels and molded handles make it easy to move the device.

While GE’s website doesn’t list a maximum square footage, other retailers say the unit can handle up to 3,000 square feet, putting it in the same category as much larger units.

To handle this big task, GE includes a hose port for continuous draining, but the hose itself is not included. If you decide to use a bucket instead of continuous draining, the GE unit includes an empty bucket alarm so you know when it’s time to pour some water out. A filter change reminder is also built in.

The GE 35 Pint dehumidifier does not have an auto-off function. Instead, GE offers a Smart Dry function that automatically adjusts the fan speed to the humidity in the room. However, the device will continue to operate until you manually turn it off. The humidistat is adjustable, so you can set the device to your desired humidity level. GE recommends 40% humidity for ideal comfort.

To do this, you need to be in the same physical space as the dehumidifier, as GE does not include any app functionality with this device. There are digital LED controls on the top panel of the dehumidifier that you will need to use solely to control the device.

GE 35 Pint Dehumidifier Review: Performance

GE 35 Pint air dryer open

GE 35 Pint air dryer open (Photo source: Future)

I set up a GE 35 pint dehumidifier in my basement bathroom, which is about 100 square feet. It gets pretty humid during and after a shower—about 85% to 90% humidity without a ceiling fan on.

During my first test, the humidity level reached about 90%. I turned on the dehumidifier, and after an hour and a half, the GE dehumidifier had reduced the humidity in the room to 35%.

When I checked the unit, it was still running even though it had reached the set humidity level. This dehumidifier does not have an auto shut-off function, so it will continue to run even after reaching the set level. I found this a bit odd, as it means more care for the unit.

The second test yielded similar results: in just over an hour, the humidity dropped from 90% to 35%. In a larger basement of about 700 square feet, the unit ran for about an hour and forty minutes to reach the 35% humidity setting. Keep in mind, however, that the humidity level when I turned the unit on was about 65%, so there was less moisture to contend with.

GE touts its Smart Dry feature, which adjusts the fan speed based on the humidity level in the room. When I checked the unit after an hour and a half of operation, the fan seemed to be running at the same speed as when the humidity was much higher. I checked the decibel reading again, and it was the same as when I first turned on the unit. It’s possible that the low setting is just as loud as the high setting, but this seems to indicate that the fan hasn’t changed speed.

Speaking of that decibel level, my meter averaged 66 decibels. That makes the GE Dehumidifier the loudest I’ve tested to date by about 10-15 decibels. GE states on its website that the lowest sound level is 47 decibels and the highest is 50 decibels. My numbers don’t quite reach that range, by a pretty wide margin.

GE 35 Pint Air Dehumidifier

GE 35 Pint Air Dehumidifier (Photo source: Future)

When the dehumidifier is running on high fan speed, it draws about 315 watts, according to my smart plug. That’s about what I’d expect from a device this size. If you use this dehumidifier occasionally, you probably won’t notice a significant difference in your electricity bill. If you use it consistently for days or weeks, expect a slight increase.

I have been testing this dehumidifier for a few weeks now with no issues. However, it is worth noting that many consumer reviews on various retailer sites mention complaints about a faulty sensor after 2-3 months of use. This seems to be indicated by the E1 code. If this happens within the 1-year limited warranty period, be sure to contact GE for a replacement.

GE 35 Pint Dehumidifier Review: The Verdict

The GE 35-pint dehumidifier handled overly humid spaces, as long as they were fairly small. Think a small-to-medium bathroom or bedroom. But it’s noisier than other units of its size and is rather small for larger spaces—certainly much smaller than the 3,000 square feet advertised on some retailers’ websites.

This dehumidifier also lacks a few key features, such as an auto shut-off and an app to control the device remotely. In that case, you’re probably better off opting for the HomeLabs 22 Pint Dehumidifier, which does have these features. And if you’re looking for value for money, the Midea 20 Pint Cube Dehumidifier performed well as our top budget pick. However, it does have a smaller pint capacity in comparison.

In any case, the GE 35-pint dehumidifier works well in small spaces like my basement bathroom. There are units in this size and price range that offer more convenient features and quieter operation.