The Best Compact Ventless Dryers of 2021

The Bosch 500 Series Heat Pump Dryer draws moisture out of clothes using heat pump technology rather than by heating up air from your home and venting it outside. You will need to drain water from the dryer via hose or periodically empty the small tank.

From an aesthetic point of view, this compact dryer looks great, even with a relatively simple white finish with its stainless door. It features 12 pre-programmed cycles on top of the typical time-dry, with the option to adjust the heat level and the dryness level you prefer.

We aren’t in love with its drying performance in any of the standard cycles. To be clear, our tests show the clothes get dry just fine; it just takes a lot longer to get there. Its normal cycle takes a full 105 minutes to get a load fully dry, a “quick” cycle takes 70 minutes, 85 minutes on delicates, and more than two hours for bulky items to only get 82% dry.

However, considering this machine is such an energy saver, and if you are willing to baby it and don’t mind the small capacity, this is an eco-friendly alternative to conventional vented dryers.

What we like best about the Blomberg DHP24412W is that it uses a heat pump to get clothes dry, which costs more up front but saves up to 25% electricity costs over conventional dryers in the long run.

I also boasts an impressive cycle list and easy-to-read large font size on the controls. Out of the 16 different cycles, though, only five are iterative, with three drying levels for Cottons and two for Permanent Press. The other 11 are all different modes, ranging from Jeans and Mixed Fabrics to Wool Refresh and Jogging Wear.

The DHP24412W's cycles took longer than those on full-size machines, but it was fairly quick for a compact and had no problems getting clothes dry. It even got a bulky comforter ready to be put back on the bed. That's no small feat—even for a larger dryer.

However, it stumbled twice during our testing: The Quick 30-minute cycle only got our test laundry 76% dry, leaving it sopping wet to the touch. The Bulky cycle lasted two hours, but only achieved 82% dryness.

This product is also sold at P.C. Richard under the Beko brand name.

The Miele TXR860Wp Eco & Steam Dryer comes with an expensive price tag, but it is a worthy investment.

With temperatures that will be gentle on clothes and 19 specialty cycles that are just right for any linen type, this dryer will help take care of your clothing without adding wear and tear. All of the cycles we ran lasted over an hour, making this not the fastest machine compared to vented dryers, but what you may not get in speed it makes up for in quality.

The maximum cycle temperatures stay below 150°F, the point in which we see clothing fibers start to degrade, meaning it will do a great job of protecting your clothes from heat, while still thoroughly drying them.

In the upper left corner of the machine, you’ll find a water jug where the condensation from your linens empties into. You will have to manually empty it when it reaches maximum capacity. While we did find this a bit cumbersome, the Miele TXR860 WP had a super easy installation that just requires plugging it into a 120V power outlet.

Hailing from New Zealand, the Fisher & Paykel DE4024P1 is a condenser dryer that gets the job done.

Our main takeaway after testing is that this model runs fast and hot, compared to other ventless dryers. The Everyday cycle ran for just an hour and a half and reached temperatures north of 170°F—ouch. Even the Delicates cycle reached a pretty scorching 150.7°F—a temperature we normally associate with a Normal cycle. A dryer should not get hotter than 150°F, or it will degrade your clothes.

The Bosch 800 Series Compact Condensation Dryer is the company’s top-end compact, ventless model in the U.S., with a standard self-cleaning condenser. It acts like a dehumidifier, condensing the moisture out of your clothes into a tray you can empty or drain into your standpipe or a nearby sink.

This dryer looks great, and it also uses drastically less energy than a conventional vented dryer. And, while it can get your clothes dry just fine, it’ll take a long time to do so—its Normal cycle takes more than 90 minutes to dry a load.

This machine’s biggest drawback is that its Cotton cycle got all the way up to 176.4°F in our tests, which is way above normal—a dryer should max out at 150°F—and can wear your clothes down more quickly over time.

If you’re in the market for a compact ventless dryer, the GE GFT14ESSMWW is a pretty good pick. It offers decent drying for its price point, though its performance is somewhat offset by its long cycle times and tendency to get too hot on most of its cycles.