02Safety · CPSC
Which dehumidifiers caught fire
11.9mU.S. units covered by nine recall actions
The full CPSC recall record and the SaferProducts complaint dump, filtered to dehumidifiers. Nine recall actions between 2001 and 2023, covering roughly 11.9 million units in the United States, every one of them for overheating or fire. Three factories account for about 9.7 million of that total. Complaints in the database are submissions filed by consumers, not confirmed defects.
See the recall history →03Efficiency · ENERGY STAR
The ENERGY STAR register: 535 certified models
535certified models in the register
The complete certified products register, pulled directly rather than browsed. Tested portable capacity stops at 50.0 pints per day, and 128 brand names trace back to 75 filing companies. The register is also where the multi-brand families become visible: one filing, several labels.
Open the register breakdown →04Owner experience · UC San Diego
62,317 owner reviews
62,317dehumidifier owner reviews
Our analysis of the Amazon Reviews 2023 research dataset from the McAuley Lab at UC San Diego. Noise is a common theme in the Florida slice: 15.6% of reviews against 9.9% nationally. On top of the state cohort we counted cohorts by where the machine stands, in condos and apartments, in bedrooms and in garages. Aggregates only, no quoted reviews.
See the review analysis →05Water damage · FEMA / NFIP
Florida water damage hotspots
448,536Florida flood claims
448,536 NFIP flood claims from 1978 to 2026, worth $19.31 billion. Houses built before 1980 account for 71.4% of the money. Basements make up 0.6% of the register for the entire state, and slab-on-grade houses carry a median payout seven times higher than a house on pilings.
Open the claims map →Beyond the five
The people and companies behind the work.
Alongside the five datasets, we examine Florida licensing records and the companies behind dehumidifier brands.
The market · Florida licence register
Mold remediators by county
5,306active licences
3,936people
12counties without a remediator
Florida publishes an open register of every licensed mold assessor and remediator in the state. We counted it: 5,306 active licenses held by 3,936 people, because one person in three holds both. Twelve counties have no active remediator on the books. Broward runs 1.57 times ahead of neighbouring Miami-Dade per head of population, and we tested three explanations without finding one. The state overwrites this file weekly and keeps no archive, so a time series only exists if somebody saves the copies.
Read the licence register analysis →Working with the source data
A guide to CSV files, status codes, update schedules, and counting licenses without counting the same person twice.
The companies behind the equipment
Trademark records, parts catalogs and warranty terms trace the connections between AlorAir, Argendon, BaseAire and other brands in the TOOVEM portfolio.
Read the investigation →
