MeacoDry Arete Two 12L Dehumidifier / Air Purifier review: a stellar all-in-one solution for cleaner, drier air

Welcome to T3's review of the MeacoDry Arete Two, a 12-litre dehumidifier and air purifier in one compact easy-to-wheel package.

Meaco is a major UK player in the field of air quality products, most notably its excellent range of cooling fans, portable air conditioners and, in this instance, dehumidifiers for reducing excess moisture in the air and maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor environment while preventing problems caused by high humidity, such as mould, musty odours and damage to walls.

However, the Arete Two 12-litre model we’re looking at here doesn’t just draw moisture from the air or even dry damp laundry, it also serves as a general air purifier and cooling fan so you’re effectively getting three separate systems for the price of one.

Let’s delve a little deeper into the design and workings of the Arete Two and see if it’s a worthy contender for a top spot in our guide to the best dehumidifiers.

MeacoDry Arete Two 12L Dehumidifier / Air Purifier review: price and availability

The MeacoDry Arete Two 12L isn’t available in the US as of writing, but if you’re shopping in the UK, head straight to Meaco where the Arete Two 12L sells for £199.99. Alternatively, try John Lewis & Partners where it’s selling for the same price or Appliances Direct and Amazon where it’s going for £229.99 and £299.99, respectively.

MeacoDry Arete Two 12L Dehumidifier / Air Purifier review: design and features

A new addition to Meaco’s current roster of dehumidifiers, the Arete Two 12-litre is arguably the company’s most accomplished model yet and is accompanied by 10, 20 and 25-litre alternatives along with the full range from its earlier Arete One series, which you can read about in T3's 2022 review of the MeacoDry Arete One 10L.

At 49cm in height, 30cm in width and 22cm in depth, this compressor-based model is small enough to store out of sight when not required and fitted with small, smooth running castor wheels for easy transfer from room to room. It also comes with a pull-up carry handle that’s so well integrated within the top of the chassis that you might not find it. That said, at 10.9 kilos it feel quite hefty when manhandling it up a flight of stairs.

The Arete Two adopts a similar workmanlike design principal as the majority of Meaco’s products. It’s neither ugly nor particularly attractive – it just sits there performing the task it was designed for, and very quietly, too, I should add.

According to Meaco, this model is designed for ‘flats and one-to-three bedroom houses’ though it would also depend on room size, which should ideally be on the smaller end of the scale. It’s a perfect size, in my opinion, for drying out damp bathrooms and children’s rooms as well as direct placement close to a damp wall so it can draw out as much moisture as possible before restoration. And being of the compressor variety, it’ll operate in temperatures as low as 10˚C.

Head to the top of the unit and you can’t miss the large translucent plastic touch display which provides access to two main methods of air dehumidification – general and laundry. When turning it on, the Arete Two always defaults to auto Smart Humidity Mode and a preset target value of 55% which is considered an ideal level of humidity. 

In a nutshell, too high a humidity creates an environment for dust mites and mould – common triggers for asthma and allergies – while too low a humidity can lead to dry skin, eyes and hair, as well as a dry throat and a cough. Low humidity can also increase the risk of catching airborne viruses, like the flu. To change the machine’s default target humidity percentage, simply tap the droplet icon on the left up to six times and it will advance from a 70% target humidity all the way down to a low 40% target humidity. And once the preset target has been reached or the 12-litre water tank is filled, the machine will turn off. Furthermore, if you press the droplet icon a seventh time, it will switch the system to continuous mode and stay on until the water container is full and ready for emptying.

Conversely, if you tap and hold the droplet icon for two seconds, the compressor will turn off and the unit will switch to air purifying mode. Incidentally, there’s a sealed HEPA filter in the box so don’t forget to slide the rear cover open and fit it before use. There is only one level of fan speed for the air purifying mode but if you angle the top louvre towards you, you’ll feel a nice fresh breeze on the face – handy for hot summer days.

Moving over to the other side of the interface you’ll find the laundry drying mode. This option ramps up the fan speed to effectively dry clothing when hung on an airer in close proximity to the machine. And because this unit uses an energy efficient DC motor and just 136 watts of power consumption, it is much, much cheaper to run than a tumble dryer. Yes, it will take longer to perform the same task but at around just 5p per hour as opposed to a tumble dryer which is in the region of 85p an hour, the cost saving here is a no brainer. In fact, drying laundry is one of the main reasons many households opt for a dehumidifier.

Meaco has also added app connectivity to the Arete Two and this makes it so much easier to use than stabbing at a plastic interface. Once you’ve synced the app to you WiFi network you can start controlling the unit from anywhere and that includes changing target humidity levels, setting a timer from one hour to 24 hours, selecting air purification mode and child lock or switching between Smart Humidity, Smart Laundry and Night modes. The app also provides the wherewithal to set-up voice commands via Google and Alexa.

MeacoDry Arete Two 12L Dehumidifier / Air Purifier review: performance

When it comes to extracting moisture, the Arete Two is a commendable performer. While I thankfully don’t have any damp areas in my home that I know of, I did pop it into a wet  shower room for most of the day and it removed about 1.5 litres of moisture which wasn’t as much as I expected. But that’s the thing with dehumidifiers – you need to leave them on for a few days at a time to really work their magic so don’t expect amazing results after just a few hours of use. Give it plenty of time and when the Arete Two’s humidistat detects your preset level of humidity it’ll turn itself off and then turn itself on again if the humidity in the room increases. It will also turn itself off when the tank is full.

I also tested this machine’s laundry setting and was pleasantly surprised at how well it dried a pair of denim jeans. Granted, it took over two hours but the projected cost of this drying sequence was so much lower than a tumble dryer that I can really see the cost-saving benefits of a system like this, especially for those on a really tight budget or with space restraints. Despite the air purifying section being comprised of just one thin HEPA filter, it dealt with some incense smoke surprisingly well.

MeacoDry Arete Two 12L Dehumidifier / Air Purifier review: verdict

The MeacoDry Arete Two dehumidifier is a top-tier model that combines high performance, energy efficiency and decent air purification in one sleek package. It’s easy to store and move around, relatively simple to use – especially with the accompanying app – and at a snip under £200, it’s great value, too.