A force of nature in the laundry room - the LD48 Pro+ dehumidifier from Wood's tested
13.2.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Martin Jungfer
The sportswear is now dry so quickly after washing that there is no excuse for the next training session. Thank you LD48 Pro+, you Swedish elemental force of a tumble dryer!
Dehumidifiers are real champions when it comes to drying laundry quickly and efficiently. They remove moisture from the air in the room. The air they blow out is warm. The laundry dries faster. Drying cabinets or fan heaters are not nearly as efficient, dehumidifiers are more in the same league as a tumble dryer.
In the past, we used two fairly inexpensive Chinese-made dehumidifiers in the basement of our detached house to dry the hanging laundry of our three-person household. They cost around 350 francs each at the time. Recently, one gave up the ghost. The offer from Wood's came at just the right time - I should try one of their models. Will do.
When the LD48 Pro+ arrives, I'm faced with quite a beast. The device weighs a hefty 19.5 kilograms, is almost 60 centimetres high, 46 centimetres long and 35 centimetres wide. I quickly find out why the dehumidifier is so heavy: it is made largely of galvanised metal, made in Sweden. That has its price, of course. But Wood's also offers a ten-year guarantee on its appliances. During this period, many of the factories in China that produce for other brands are likely to have long since closed or switched to the production of Stanley Cup imitations.
Wood's is a champion in Sweden.
A champion in Sweden
Wood's is a real institution as a brand in its home country of Sweden. The company was originally founded in Canada almost 100 years ago. It launched the first dehumidifiers on the market there in 1950 and quickly established itself. The brand has been at home in Sweden since 1970. In tests, Wood's appliances have won a series of victories, from air purifiers to air conditioners and humidifiers.
I urgently need some «Lagom», i.e. Swedish serenity when testing, because the LD48 Pro+ is annoying at first. This is due to the only weak point I identified on the dehumidifier: the control panel. This is a touch display. One with a wobbly film on top. It doesn't feel good when I have to tap on it. And I have to. Because the display switches off when it's no longer tactilely stimulated. So I have to wake up the black surface, even if I just want to know which mode the device is currently in. My wish list for Wood's says: make a real touch display with glass. Or, even better: something with buttons. Thank you!
After a few weeks, I got used to it and accepted the control panel. I also studied the operating instructions in more detail. This is how I discovered the secret of the LD48 Pro+'s various operating modes. There are four of them:
- Fan: Here, the fan runs inside the device, which is handy if you just want to get the air moving a little. You can also define a target value for the humidity; if it is exceeded, the compressor starts to dehumidify. In winter, when the climate is very dry, I can dry my laundry using only room air and without a compressor to save energy.
- Easy: This is actually also just the Fan mode, except that the target value of 50 per cent for the humidity is defined here. If the value is below this, the compressor and fan switch off.
- Laundry: This is my favourite mode, which I select when I have just hung the laundry out of the machine onto the line and rack. Then the LD48 Pro+ gives its all; the fan hums at the highest level (of two), the compressor runs and it only switches off again when I change the mode manually.
- Normal: In this mode, you have maximum control because you set the speed of the fan and the humidity target.
In all modes, except «Laundry», I can leave the LD48 Pro+ to its own devices. Depending on how I have set the target value for the humidity, the appliance switches on when there is something to do. Or it stays off when there is less humidity in the air. It's so simple that it doesn't even need an app or a smart home connection.
The dehumidifier only needs 0.5 watts in standby mode. If it is running at full speed, it draws up to 630 watts, and in normal operation it still draws 450 watts, although my test device is the most powerful in the Wood's series, made for an area of 180 square metres. Even though I get a decent wage at Galaxus, it hasn't been enough for a villa with this much basement space so far.
There is also the LD40 with the same dimensions, which is made for areas up to 100 square metres. And requires less power: 250 watts maximum, normally it operates with 180 watts.
However, the effective consumption depends heavily on the humidity and room temperature - this applies to all dehumidifiers. This makes the quality of the sensors all the more important. Wood's relies on Swiss-made sensors, but without naming the manufacturer. With accurate sensors, the appliance stops at the desired humidity level. Because the LD48 Pro+ also measures the temperature, it can adjust the compressor and fan performance. For example, if the air temperature has risen slightly due to the waste heat utilised, the dehumidifier works more effectively.
What tested in the laboratory say
The maximum power that the appliance draws says little about how effective and efficient it is. Laboratory tests, in which the LD48 Pro+ and devices from the competition have to reduce the humidity in a closed room at a certain temperature over a defined period of time, for example, would provide information on this. This results in a dehumidification performance of litres per hour. Such tests do exist: The TCS has put dehumidifiers in a 30 degree room with 80 per cent humidity. The LD48 Pro+ was not included. However, Wood's also carried out such a test itself. The result: a dehumidification performance of 31 litres in a 24-hour period. The devices tested by TCS managed around 20 litres, i.e. 50 per cent less.
What I notice in everyday life
Instead of reporting laboratory data, I can tell you about my everyday experience. I already mentioned above that the LD48+ Pro is large. It is also loud. That doesn't bother me too much if it does what it's supposed to do in the basement: Dry laundry quickly. But the appliance is clearly not suitable for the bathroom, living room or even bedroom. This is because, when the fan and compressor generate vibrations, the metal body can contribute to the noise. I measure 61 decibels when the dehumidifier is operating at full power. On the lower fan setting, it's a more pleasant 52 decibels.
I am still and always surprised at how quickly the Wood's dehumidifier dries the laundry. In our basement room with a floor area of around 18 square metres, the laundry from two full loads is usually dry overnight, even if there are heavy jeans or jumpers. It helps if I roll the dehumidifier under these items of clothing and position the flaps so that most of the warm air is blown out there.
If I ever got fed up with moving it around, I could also mount it on the wall with a separately available kit - provided I have the right screws and wall plugs given the weight. In rented flats with a communal laundry room, this would probably be the more practical solution. If only so that nobody trips over the cable.
The fact that the LD48+ Pro has a huge water tank is particularly useful: 11.4 litres. This guarantees a long running time. This is because dehumidifiers normally stop working when the tank is full. And with smaller devices, this happens faster and you have to empty the tank more often.
Alternatively, I can connect a hose with a ¾-inch thread to the appliance. The water is then fed directly into the drain or sink. This is particularly practical when I'm going on holiday but still don't want to risk damp in the cellar.
The LD48 Pro+ comes ex works with an anti-mould filter that filters mould spores, pollen, soot and cotton lint out of the air. I don't think I've ever had such clean air in my cellar. One filter lasts for a year and replacements cost around 25 francs, or less in a pack of five.
The LD48 Pro+ doesn't need much more maintenance. Perhaps vacuuming or wiping the coils from time to time, that's it.
In a nutshell
Strong Swede
The LD48 Pro+ is a revelation. Cheap dehumidifiers have been working in our cellar for many years. At some point, the laundry was already dry. But since the Wood's appliance took over the job, I know what effective laundry drying means. The Swedish appliance works quickly and therefore runs for less time than the competition. Overall, the new powerful dehumidifier uses less electricity than the two smaller appliances that were previously in use. The higher purchase price is amortised over the appliance's service life of at least ten years.
Once I have familiarised myself with the programmes, found my favourite and set it, I leave the LD48 Pro+ in charge of the room climate in the cellar. The only thing I have to do is empty the huge water tank from time to time.
I almost deducted a star for the annoying display, but after a few weeks I got used to it and consider this shortcoming to be forgivable. Because when it comes to dehumidification, the Wood's appliance even exceeds my high expectations. For the vast majority of cellars, the smaller and slightly cheaper LD40 should also do the job.
Pro
- 10-year guarantee
- Solid workmanship, manufactured in Sweden
- Low power consumption
- Very low maintenance
- Target humidity adjustable in 1 per cent increments (30 to 80 per cent)
- Fast, efficient drying of wet clothing
Contra
- Loud at over 60 decibels at the highest level
- Touch display of horror
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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