Midea Cube Dehumidifier Review

The three sizes, on figures that were actually measured

A dehumidifier’s headline pint rating is the manufacturer’s claim. The figure worth trusting more is the one measured to the federal test procedure and published by ENERGY STAR, alongside two numbers the box never shows: the Integrated Energy Factor, which is liters of water removed per kilowatt-hour, and the annual energy consumption the program certifies.

Two things in that table are worth slowing down for. First, the federal-test capacities land essentially on the rated ones - 35.82 against a claimed 35, 49.67 against a claimed 50. That is not universal in this category, and it is a point in Midea’s favor. Second, the efficiency row is not flat. Third, if the water cannot leave by gravity, the drainage decision outranks both - see best dehumidifiers with a pump.

The finding the listings bury: the small one is the least efficient

The 35 and 50-pint Cubes both certify at 2.01 liters per kWh. The 20-pint certifies at 1.70. That means the smallest Cube removes roughly 18% less water for every kilowatt-hour it uses.

It does not make the 20-pint a bad buy - in a single closed bedroom it still uses the least electricity overall, because it is doing a smaller job. What it does mean is that buying the 20-pint for a space that is really a 35-pint job is the worst of both outcomes: a machine that runs longer to keep up, and does so less efficiently. If you are between sizes, the efficiency data is a genuine argument for sizing up rather than down.

The bucket is the actual product

Every dehumidifier roundup lists tank size. The reason the Cube earns its own review is that its whole design is organized around the bucket problem, and Midea’s manual describes it in more detail than the product pages do.

• The fill level is adjustable. The manual’s table gives four settings. On the 35 and 50-pint models they run from about 2.25 gallons (roughly 24 lb when full) up to 4.25 gallons (roughly 40.5 lb). On the 20-pint model the range is 1.5 to 3 gallons. The point of the lower settings is weight: a full 4.25-gallon bucket is heavy to carry up basement stairs, and you can trade interval for a load you can actually lift.
• It nests. The unit sits on top of the bucket when running and nests down into it for storage - Midea calls this lift-and-twist - so a machine you only use half the year takes up less space the other half.
• Four installation modes. The manual lists Bucket Mode, Bucketless Mode, Continuous Draining through a hose, and Drain Pump Mode on the pump models only. Bucketless mode lets you stand the unit directly over a drain without the bucket at all.

That last distinction catches people out. The 35 and 50-pint models reviewed here are the non-pump versions. Continuous draining on them relies on gravity - the hose has to run downhill to a drain. If your basement has no floor drain and the nearest one is above the unit, you need Midea’s separate pump model, and you should check which one a listing is actually selling.

How it runs, from the manual

• Three operating modes. Set mode runs until the room reaches your humidity setpoint and restarts when it rises again. Max mode runs continuously on high fan. Continuous mode runs continuously with the fan speed adjustable. The setpoint cannot be adjusted while in Max or Continuous.
• Two fan speeds, High and Low. Worth stating plainly, because some listings for this category imply more.
• Setpoint in 5% steps, with a timer that sets an automatic start or stop up to 24 hours ahead.
• Auto defrost. When frost builds on the coils the compressor cycles off to clear it.
• Filter cleaning every two weeks, with a reminder on the panel.
• Smart control through Midea’s app, and a bucket-full signal on the display when the set fill level is reached.

The limits Midea states itself

The manual is direct about two constraints that decide whether a Cube suits your space, and both matter more than any specification on the box.

• Not below 41°F. Midea says to place the unit where the temperature will not fall below 41°F (5°C), because the coils can frost over at lower temperatures and performance drops. An unheated garage or crawl space in winter is outside what this machine is designed for. The defrost cycle protects the coil; it does not make a refrigerant dehumidifier work well in the cold.
• Clearance. At least 8 inches of space on all sides and at least 16 inches for the air outlet. Pushed into a corner it recirculates its own dry air and loses capacity.

The cold-space limitation is common to compressor dehumidifiers generally, and it is one of the reasons we treat crawl spaces separately in crawl space and garage humidity.

What Midea does not publish

• A rated wattage for any of the three sizes on its US product pages. That is why this review costs them from ENERGY STAR’s certified annual energy figure instead - which is arguably the more useful number anyway.
• A noise figure in decibels on the product pages we read. A compressor dehumidifier makes compressor noise; we will not put a number on it that Midea has not.

Which size to buy

The underlying pint arithmetic - and why dampness level moves the answer as much as square footage - is in what size dehumidifier do I need. If the room is a bedroom specifically, the noise question matters more than capacity, which we cover in best dehumidifiers for bedrooms.

Who should not buy a Cube

• Anyone with liquid water arriving - standing water, efflorescence on the walls, damp that returns within a day. The EPA’s guidance is to keep indoor humidity below 60 percent and to dry wet materials within 24-48 hours; a leak is neither of those problems, and no dehumidifier fixes it.
• Anyone treating a closet, a gun safe or a stored caravan. That is a job for a desiccant or thermoelectric unit, compared in best budget dehumidifiers.
• Anyone needing to pump water uphill who is looking at these non-pump models.
• Anyone whose room reads inside 30-50% already. Measure first - a hygrometer costs a fraction of any Cube, and is a dehumidifier worth it walks through the reading that decides it.

The verdict

For a typical damp basement, the 35-pint Cube is the one we would buy. It has the best certified efficiency in the range, a federal-test capacity that matches its label, and a bucket design that addresses the real reason dehumidifiers get switched off. The 50-pint earns its extra $25 a year only in a space that genuinely needs the capacity. The 20-pint is the right size for a single bedroom and the wrong economy anywhere bigger.

Deduct for what Midea will not tell you on its product pages - wattage and noise - and check that you are buying the pump model if your drain is above the unit. Credit for labels that ENERGY STAR’s own test figures back up. Below even this tier sit the enclosure-only devices, which have one genuine home - RVs, campers and boats.