Midea 22 Pint Dehumidifier Review: A Real 22 for One Damp Room

The Midea 22 Pint Dehumidifier (MAD22C1AWS) is a sensible buy for one damp room: a bedroom, a home office or a small finished basement room that stays above 41°F. ENERGY STAR certifies it at 22.31 pints a day on the current DOE test (65°F, 60% relative humidity), so the 22 on the box is real. It drains to a hose, restarts itself after a power cut, and costs less than Midea's Cube 20.

Two catches. Its efficiency (IEF 1.70) is the small-dehumidifier tier: Midea's 35-pint sibling pulls 65% more water per day and uses about 15% less electricity per pint. And ignore the "1,500 sq ft" on the listing. ENERGY STAR sizes dehumidifiers by how damp the space is, and a very damp room calls for 25 to 40 pints.

There isn't much owner history on this exact model; most Midea owners online have the Cube or Costco's 50-pint pump unit. So our verdict rests on the certification, Midea's manual and the arithmetic.

Who it suits

• Good fit: one room or a small basement room that is damp but not wet, at or above 41°F, where a hose can run downhill to a drain or you can empty a bucket daily.
• Size up to the 35: if the room sits at 75% humidity or more, or you will run it most of the day. The 35 removes 65% more water for 40% more electricity a year, and does it more efficiently per pint.
• Buy a crawl space unit: for anything that drops below 41°F. The listing names crawlspaces; Midea's manual says to keep it where the temperature won't fall below 41°F because the coils frost over.
• Look elsewhere: for a sealed closet. The manual says not to run it in small spaces and wants 8 inches of air on every side and 16 inches at the outlet. It also says a dehumidifier does little for an adjacent closet unless air moves in and out of it.

Placement decides how well it works. Close the room's doors and windows while it runs, as both ENERGY STAR and Midea's manual advise, and keep it away from a clothes dryer, heater or radiator. Expect the room to get a little warmer; a dehumidifier releases the heat it pulls out of the air, and ENERGY STAR calls that normal. In a bedroom, put it where the warm outlet air isn't blowing at the bed.

The numbers behind the 22

ENERGY STAR's records, current DOE test (65°F, 60% RH):

Do the efficiency math. A full rated day on the 22 removes about 10.6 liters and uses about 6.2 kWh. The 35 removes about 17.4 liters for about 8.6 kWh. Per pint, the 22 uses roughly 18% more electricity (2.01 ÷ 1.70). If the room needs the dehumidifier running most of the day, the bigger unit finishes sooner and costs less per pint; ENERGY STAR itself says it's better to oversize a dehumidifier than undersize it. If it only runs a few hours a day, the 22's lower purchase price wins.

Watch the old ratings when you compare. In June 2019 DOE moved the portable test from 80°F to 65°F, and capacities fell for the same machines. ENERGY STAR's rough conversion puts an old-test 30 at about 20 pints today and an old 40 at about 25. So if you're replacing a pre-2019 dehumidifier labeled 30 or 35 pints, a current 22 has roughly the same capacity, not less. ENERGY STAR calls that table a rough correlation, and so do we.

The "1,500 sq ft" on the listing isn't a measurement. ENERGY STAR's sizing chart for a small or medium space asks for 20 to 30 pints when the air is slightly to moderately damp (50 to 75% RH) and 25 to 40 pints when it's very damp (75 to 90%). A 22 fits the first case. In the second, buy the 35.

Living with it

• Humidity control: set from 35% to 85% in 5% steps. The display reads the room from 30% to 90%, and Midea quotes its accuracy at plus or minus 5%, so put a cheap hygrometer across the room in week one. EPA guidance is below 60%, ideally 30-50%.
• Modes: Turbo or normal fan, Continuous (runs regardless of the setpoint) and Comfort (sets the level itself), plus a 0-24 hour timer.
• Drainage: empty the bucket, or attach an ordinary garden-type hose (not included) to the rear outlet and run it level or downhill to a drain. There's no pump. If the drain is higher than the unit, you need a condensate pump or a raised shelf.
• Power cuts: it restarts with its previous settings automatically.
• Filter: the manual says clean it every two weeks; a light reminds you every 250 hours of running.
• First use: run it continuously for 24 hours, per the manual.
• Noise: Midea's listing says 47 dBA without naming a fan speed. Expect a compressor and a fan.
• Bucket and weight: Midea doesn't publish either for the 22 in its manual, support page or Amazon bullets. If you can't run a hose, ask the seller before you buy.

One owner on a home-heating forum put a plug-in meter on theirs in a basement: about 250 watts while running, roughly a dollar a day, holding the space near 50%. Their only complaint was the 5% humidity steps.

Reliability, service and the warranty

We have no model-specific failure pattern to report, good or bad, which is itself a reason to buy where returns are easy. Dehumidifiers of every brand tend to fail the same ways: iced coils or a sealed system that stops pulling water after a few years. This one uses R32, a flammable refrigerant, and the manual says only a Midea-authorized servicer should touch it.

The manual's error codes are worth knowing: AS (humidity sensor), ES (coil sensor), P2 (bucket full or out of place) and EC (refrigerant leak detected). Midea says to unplug and replug for AS and ES, and to call service if they persist.

The warranty is one year from purchase. Midea pays for parts and repair of defects through its authorized servicers; you pay for diagnostics, removal, transportation and reinstallation. Midea service is 1-866-646-4332. Register it and keep the receipt.

How it compares

• Midea MAD35C1AWS-A: Midea's 35-pint bucket model: 36.71 pints a day at IEF 2.01. It costs a little more and is the better buy for a very damp room or a small basement.
• Midea Cube 20: slightly less capacity (20.16 pints), the same efficiency, and the Cube's lift-off design; it cost more than the 22 when we checked. Our Midea Cube review covers its humidity-reading quirk.
• Frigidaire FHDD2233Y1: matches the Midea on paper (22.27 pints, IEF 1.70) and cost a little less when we checked. It came on the market in 2025, so it has even less owner history.
• A 50-pint: for a whole basement, skip the small sizes. Our LG 50-pint review compares the certified 50s, all at IEF 2.01.

Should you buy it?

Yes, for one moderately damp room above 41°F with a drain within reach or a person willing to empty a bucket. It's a certified 22, it costs less than the Cube 20, and it restarts on its own. If the room is very damp or the unit will run most of the day, pay a little more for the 35-pint sibling and save on every pint. And set a separate hygrometer beside it; the built-in reading is good to plus or minus 5%.