Quick Answer: Kenmore’s current lineup is two models in one shared cabinet: the KM50 (50 pints/day, about $250) and the KM70 (70 pints/day, about $300), both with a 15-pint tank and no built-in pump. Kenmore dehumidifiers have been swept into two separate CPSC recalls under two different manufacturers over the years — and as of September 10, 2026, the Kenmore name itself changed hands again: Curtis International signed an exclusive North American license to make, distribute, and market Kenmore appliances going forward, with first products due in Q4 2026. Whatever you buy today under the Kenmore name may not be built the same way a year from now.
Kenmore is one of the oldest appliance names in American homes, but it has never actually made anything. Sears licensed the badge to outside manufacturers for generations, and in the current KM-series dehumidifier lineup, that licensing arrangement is mid-transition again. Here’s what Kenmore currently sells, the two recalls worth checking before you buy or inherit an older unit, and the brand-ownership shakeup that could change what “Kenmore” means on a dehumidifier within the next year.
Kenmore dehumidifiers at a glance
| Model | Best for | Capacity | Tank | Pump | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore KM50 | Best overall / bedroom or office | 50 pints/day | 15 pints | No — gravity drain hose only | about $250 |
| Kenmore KM70 | Best for a basement or larger room | 70 pints/day | 15 pints | No — gravity drain hose only | about $300 |
Both models ship in the identical 23-inch by 15-inch by 12-inch cabinet with frost control, a digital display, and a built-in timer — the KM70 pulls more water per day out of the same-sized shell and tank, which means it needs emptying more often at full capacity than the KM50 does.
Kenmore dehumidifiers by the numbers
- 2: separate CPSC recalls tied to the Kenmore dehumidifier name under two different manufacturers — a 2012 Whirlpool-built recall and the 2013/2023 Gree-built 13-brand platform recall — more documented recall history than any other brand covered on this site.
- 78: Consumer Reports’ published overall test score for the Kenmore KM70 in its own bench testing, earning a “Recommended” rating.
- September 10, 2026: the date Curtis International announced its exclusive North American license to manufacture, distribute, and market Kenmore-branded appliances — a brand-ownership change less than a month old as of this guide.
- Q4 2026: when the first Curtis-made Kenmore products are due to launch, per Curtis’s own announcement, with “additional categories and products” to follow over time.
- 100+ years: how long Kenmore has operated purely as a licensed brand name rather than a manufacturer, per both Curtis’s and Kenmore’s own leadership quotes in the September 2026 announcement.
1. Kenmore KM50 — Best Overall
Kenmore KM50 Dehumidifier
- 15-pint removable tank, frost control for cooler rooms, a digital display, and a built-in timer — no pump, so plan on a nearby drain or outlet for the included gravity hose.
- 23 x 15 x 12 inches — the same cabinet size as the higher-capacity KM70, just tuned to a lower pints-per-day rating.
- No independent Consumer Reports bench score published for the KM50 specifically, unlike its KM70 sibling — treat it as the lighter-duty half of the same physical design rather than a separately lab-tested unit.
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For every other sub-$300 option across brands, see our best budget dehumidifier guide.
2. Kenmore KM70 — Best for a Basement or Larger Room
Kenmore KM70 Dehumidifier
- Consumer Reports' own bench test scored this model 78 overall, earning a "Recommended" rating — the only Kenmore dehumidifier on this site's radar with an independent lab score attached.
- Same 15-pint tank and 23 x 15 x 12-inch cabinet as the KM50, pulling more water per day out of the identical tank size — expect more frequent emptying at full load than the lower-capacity model.
- No built-in pump or continuous-drain hose option as of this guide, unlike pump-equipped 70-pint units from other brands covered on this site.
For pump-equipped alternatives at a similar capacity, see our best dehumidifier with pump guide.
Two recalls, two manufacturers — what’s actually in your attic or basement
Kenmore’s recall history is more tangled than any other brand on this site, because it spans two unrelated manufacturing arrangements:
- 2012 — Whirlpool-manufactured recall. The CPSC recalled roughly 980,000 dehumidifiers sold under the Whirlpool, Kenmore, and ComfortAire names over a fire hazard tied to a specific range of model and date codes.
- 2013/2023 — Gree-manufactured platform recall. Kenmore was one of 13 brand names — alongside Danby, Frigidaire, GE, and SoleusAir, per this site’s best Danby dehumidifier guide — built on a shared Gree-manufactured platform first recalled in 2013 and reannounced by the CPSC in 2023 for continuing fire reports on unregistered units still in use.
Neither recall touches the current KM50/KM70 lineup, which uses newer model numbers outside both recalled ranges. But if you’ve inherited an older Kenmore unit or are buying secondhand, the brand’s two-manufacturer recall history makes checking the exact model and date code against CPSC.gov more important than it is for most brands covered on this site — one recall isn’t enough to rule out the other.
Kenmore just changed manufacturers again — what that means for buyers
Kenmore has never made its own appliances. Sears built the brand over more than a century by licensing the name to outside manufacturers, and that licensing arrangement kept changing hands long after Sears itself stopped being the company behind it. Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy in 2018; Transformco, formed by Eddie Lampert’s ESL Investments in 2019, bought the Kenmore name and intellectual property — but not a factory. Transformco’s role since has been purely as a licensor, finding manufacturers to actually build Kenmore-badged products.
The newest chapter: on September 10, 2026, Curtis International announced an exclusive North American license to manufacture, distribute, and market Kenmore-branded appliances across “refrigeration, small kitchen appliances, commercial appliances, and other major appliance categories,” with first products due in Q4 2026 and more categories “introduced over time.” Curtis’s own CEO called Kenmore “one of the most recognized and trusted names in appliances,” while Kenmore’s CEO pointed to “over one hundred years” of trust in the name — both framing this as brand continuity, not a changeover.
What that announcement doesn’t say matters here: it doesn’t list dehumidifiers by name, and it doesn’t say what happens to the current KM50/KM70 lineup once Curtis’s own products start shipping. In practice, that means a Kenmore dehumidifier bought today is still whatever arrangement produced the current KM-series, while a Kenmore dehumidifier bought a year from now could legitimately be a completely different product under an unchanged logo — the same brand-name-outlives-the-manufacturer pattern this site has already documented on Costway, Danby, and Keystone, just playing out in real time on Kenmore specifically.
How to choose a Kenmore dehumidifier
- Match your room size to pints/day, not the cabinet size. The KM50 and KM70 ship in the identical 23x15x12-inch shell — only the compressor rating tells you which room size each is actually built for.
- Plan for manual tank emptying or a gravity hose. Neither current model includes a pump, unlike several competing 50-70 pint units on this site that do.
- Check the model and date code on any older or secondhand Kenmore unit against CPSC.gov. Two separate recalls, under two different manufacturers, have touched the Kenmore name over the years.
- Don’t assume today’s manufacturer will build tomorrow’s Kenmore dehumidifier. The brand’s license changed hands again in September 2026, with new products due by Q4 2026 under a different manufacturer than whoever built the current KM-series.
- If buying for a reliability track record, lean on the KM70’s published Consumer Reports score. The KM50 shares its cabinet but doesn’t have its own independent bench test on record.
The bottom line
The Kenmore KM50 (about $250, 50 pints/day) is the best overall pick for a bedroom or office, and the KM70 (about $300, 70 pints/day) steps up to basement-and-larger-room duty with a Consumer Reports “Recommended” score behind it — both share the same 15-pint tank and cabinet, with no pump on either. The thing worth remembering before you buy: Kenmore has never manufactured its own appliances, its dehumidifiers carry two separate recall histories under two different manufacturers, and the brand’s license changed hands again just last month, to Curtis International, with new products due by Q4 2026. The Kenmore on the shelf today may not be the Kenmore on the shelf a year from now. Compare the full field in our best dehumidifier pillar, size your space with our dehumidifier size guide, or confirm whether Amazon Prime is worth it for dehumidifier shoppers before you check out.