The MeacoDry Arete Two Dehumidifier

I tried a dehumidifier with 'Smart Laundry' feature that dries clothes in no time for 3p per-hour

Gone are the times of laundry taking 46 working days to dry in the house over winter

14 Oct 2024, 13:53 by Rachel Sloper · The Mirror

We're officially in the thick of it. The days of damp laundry cluttering your house for weeks on-end that never seems to dry properly are well and truly upon us.

Not only can it make your home look chaotic and disorganised, it can also really impact air quality and, without proper ventilation, escalate to mould and damp issues in the house which can lead to health issues. Short of turning to the tumble drier (previously dubbed 'demon appliances' by Martin Lewis because of their high running costs), many of us are left with little choice when the weather becomes too wet and cold to dry laundry outside, but to unfold the dreaded metal clothes airers and trip over them all winter.

Living in a well-insulated and ventilated new-build home, I'd never given much thought to buying a dehumidifier as we don't tend to struggle with damp. But when I learned that Meaco's latest model - the MeacoDry Arete Two Dehumidifier - comes with its own Smart Laundry setting, I knew I had to give it a try.

Buy the MeacoDry Arete Two Dehumidifier

MeacoDry Arete Two 10L review summary
£159.99

Pros:

Dries clothes quickly
Compact and easy to move around the house
Control remotely via the Meaco app
Full water tank warning in-app
Looks great

Cons:

No push alert function for full water tank warning
Water tank can be fiddly to empty

Amazon
Buy Now

Testing the MeacoDry Arete Two

Straight out of the box, there was very little set-up involved. I unwrapped and slotted the included HEPA filter into place, and left it in place to settle for six hours before first use, as per in the instructions.

While I waited, I watched a brief YouTube clip from Meaco on how to get the best results from the Smart Laundry setting. The brand recommended running the laundry on an extra spin and drain cycle before unloading from the washing machine to drain any excess water, before facing the fan sideways-on to the laundry airer to ensure maximum air circulation through the clothes as they dry. If you can place the airer in front of a radiator to boost the process with warmer air, this will cut drying time too, but is not essential.

Operating the Meaco was so simple. The device was quick and easy to set up on our wifi via the Meaco App, just select 'power', 'mode', and then 'Smart Laundry' to get things going remotely, or using the sleek touch-screen onboard controls, simply press the power icon followed by the 'Smart Laundry' icon, which looks like a large t-shirt. This starts the six-hour program.

The onboard controls were easy to use

In Smart Laundry mode, if the unit reduces the room's humidity below the set target, it will go into a fan-only mode which will continue to dry the laundry. The best part? According to Meaco, it costs just 3p per hour to run, whereas a tumble dryer can cost upwards of 85p per hour - a massive saving of 82p per hour.

This gadget has truly revolutionised my winter laundry routine. It is so quiet to run that I can put a load of washing on in the evening, load it onto the airer and set the dehumidifier up to run for six hours overnight. The next morning, I'm greeted with clothes which are dry and ready to put away, before folding away the airer and freeing up precious space in my kitchen for the rest of the day. Bliss.

Some items, as they would on an outdoor washing line or in the tumble dryer, do take longer than others to dry - I have found that thicker hoodies and some pairs of jeans were still very slightly damp by the end of the cycle, but they did not take much longer to dry if I left the unit running for an extra hour or so in the morning.

Meaco recommends placing the laundry airer sideways on between a radiator and the dehumidifier unit to maximise airflow.

Although the 10L model is the smallest dehumidifier model Meaco currently makes, the tank held enough water when testing to run roughly two full Smart Laundry programs before it needed emptying. When the tank is full, it shuts off the machine and displays an icon to alert you to empty it.

You can also check the water tank levels in the Meaco app, which is handy, though I did feel this would be more useful if the app supported a push alert function so you got a notification without having to go into the app to check when the tank was full. I've fed this back to Meaco and am told this is a feature developers "would like to implement in the future", so it may be possible in the future as the app is updated.

The Meaco app displays an alert when the water tank is full

The Meaco made quick work of drying my laundry

The process of emptying the tank is straightforward enough, if a little fiddly at first. The tank is a large drawer that slides out from the front of the unit, and you tip the contents into a sink or drain. I did find that it tended to spill a little walking the tank across to the sink when full, albeit only minimally through the two holes on the top of the tank. The tank itself was wider than my sink, so I had to position it just right above the sink to avoid spillages, but this was something I got the hang of by the second or third time.

Verdict

The smallest of the dehumidifiers we tested at Mirror Choice, the 10L Meaco Arete Two is small but mighty. What this nifty little Meaco does well is make quick work of drying laundry indoors when the weather gets too wet and cold for drying outside.

Beyond the cost savings, I also love how quiet it is to run - 38db - which is quieter than the average library, its compact size and the fact that the unit is built on castors, so it's really easy to manoeuvre around the house.

This model also comes with the Meaco app for your smartphone, so you can control it remotely from wherever you are. This comes in really handy for things like checking the water tank levels - though it would be handy if you were able to set it up to send push notifications to your phone so you get an alert when the levels get too high and it needs changing.

If you're looking to solve the problem of drying laundry indoors over winter, the MeacoDry Arete Two is a solid investment. Long-term it will save a serious amount of money compared to running a tumble dryer amid sky-high energy prices, and beyond its laundry features, it could also help to prevent damp and mould build-up if you're struggling with excess moisture around the house.