Meaco MeacoDry Arete One 12L Review

For a bedroom, run it in Smart Humidity mode targeting 50-55% and switch on Night Mode before bed — this dims the display and drops the fan to its quietest 35dB setting, which most owners describe as no louder than a fridge on its lowest hum.

For drying a small load of laundry (a single airer's worth), the laundry mode runs for six hours before automatically switching off. It won't dry as fast as the 20L Arete Two on a full multi-airer load, but for one or two items overnight it's more than adequate and considerably cheaper to run at 3p/hour.

The 2.5L tank is smaller than the Arete Two's, so in a genuinely humid room expect to empty it every 1-2 days rather than every 3-4.

Placement matters more than most people expect. Stand the Arete One in the room you are actually trying to dry, a little way out from the wall so air can move around it, and keep the door and windows closed while it works. In a bedroom, that usually means a spot near the window that streams with condensation, rather than tucked behind a wardrobe. The hidden castors and carry handle make it easy to shift it into the bathroom or hallway later, but a dehumidifier moved around all day never gets to finish the job in any one room.

Aim for a relative humidity of roughly 40-60%. Below that the air starts to feel dry, and above it condensation, mould and dust mites become more likely. A cheap hygrometer, like the one listed in the accessories, tells you what the far corner of the room reads, which can differ from the number next to the machine. Once the target is reached, Smart Humidity mode cycles the unit rather than running flat out, which is the sensible way to keep electricity use down.

On running costs, the sums are simple: the unit's power draw multiplied by the hours it runs, multiplied by your own tariff. Meaco quotes a low hourly figure for this model, so a few hours overnight is modest, but a clogged filter makes it run longer to reach the same target. That is why the HEPA filter deserves attention. Meaco recommends changing it about once a year in an average home, sooner with pets or a dusty flat. Empty the tank before it is full, rinse it now and then, and let it dry rather than putting it back damp.

This is not the right machine for a large, genuinely damp house, or for a family drying several airers every week. In those cases, the Meaco Arete Two 20L is the better fit. If you only need something tiny for a wardrobe or a very small space, the Pro Breeze 500ml is a different class of product altogether.