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Ideal Home tested Meaco’s 12L Low Energy Platinum Dehumidifier for 10 days in a family home, reporting that it reduced humidity within hours and helped dry laundry. The review lists a running cost of 4p an hour, while noting that air purification made little difference to burnt-toast odour and that the water tank was awkward to remove and empty.
Ideal Home has reviewed Meaco’s 12L Low Energy Platinum Dehumidifier, a compact compressor model listed at £182.99, and found it reduced indoor humidity within a few hours during testing. The review also reports a stated running cost of 4p an hour, while flagging practical drawbacks including a difficult-to-remove water tank and limited effect in one air-purification test.
The tester used the unit for 10 days in a three-bedroom family home, moving it between a utility room, a north-facing bedroom and a spot outside the bathroom. The review says it was used to reduce humidity, assist with drying laundry and test its air-cleaning mode. The tester reported that humidity fell within a few hours, and that the appliance helped remove moisture from the air while laundry dried indoors.
Meaco lists the appliance as a 12-litre-per-day compressor dehumidifier with a 2.5-litre tank, a maximum recommended room size of 50 square metres and a noise level of 41 decibels. It has an automatic humidity sensor, a timer and a continuous-drain option, but no Wi-Fi connectivity or dedicated laundry mode. The drainage hose is sold separately, according to the review.
The review describes the appliance as compact and portable, weighing 10kg and measuring 48.5 by 32.5 by 24.8 centimetres. Its carry handle made it easier to move between floors, but the absence of castor wheels made it harder to reposition around a room where washing was hanging. The reviewer also found the tank filled quickly and was awkward to remove and pour out.
Humidity Control Beyond Condensation
For households drying clothes indoors or dealing with damp conditions, the review offers a real-home test of a machine marketed for humidity control and lower energy use. A dehumidifier can collect moisture from indoor air, and the reviewer found the Meaco model useful for laundry as well as reducing humidity. The listed 4p hourly running cost may interest shoppers comparing it with other ways to dry clothes, although the figure’s calculation basis is not supplied in the source material.
The results are not an independent measurement of performance across all homes. The trial lasted 10 days in one household, and the laundry-drying assessment was based on the reviewer’s experience rather than a reported controlled comparison. Buyers should weigh the reported benefits against the small tank and awkward emptying, as well as their room size, ventilation and how often they expect to run the appliance.
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What the Ten-Day Test Covered
The review places the model in Meaco’s Low Energy Platinum range, alongside a 20-litre model that also has an air-purifier function. Ideal Home tested the 12-litre version in response to the return of colder, wetter weather, when indoor laundry drying and condensation can become more difficult to manage. The reviewer also tested the unit in bedrooms and near a bathroom.
For its air-purification trial, the reviewer deliberately burnt toast with the windows closed and compared the effect with opening the windows. The review says the dehumidifier’s air-purifier mode made little noticeable difference to the odour in that test. The product includes a HEPA filter, and the review says the model has a Quiet Mark award; those details do not establish that it will perform the same way in every room or under every condition.
“It has reduced humidity levels throughout my home within a few hours.”
— Ideal Home reviewer
Limits of the Published Test
The findings come from a single home and a 10-day test. The source does not provide the room-by-room humidity readings, the amount of water collected, or a quantified comparison of laundry drying time. It also does not explain how the 4p-per-hour running-cost figure was calculated, including the electricity tariff or operating conditions used.
It remains unclear how well the air-purifier mode performs against other airborne particles or odours: the review reports one burnt-toast test, not a broader laboratory assessment. The source also does not provide a current independent check of the listed price or running cost. Results will depend on conditions such as room size, temperature, moisture levels and use.
Check Price and Running Costs
Readers considering the appliance can compare the retailer’s current price with other dehumidifiers and check whether the stated 4p hourly cost applies to their electricity tariff and expected use. They should also account for the separately sold drainage hose if they want continuous drainage, and consider whether a 2.5-litre tank is practical for their household.
Ideal Home’s report does not announce a follow-up test or a change to the product. Any broader assessment would need further testing across different homes and conditions, including measured humidity changes, water collected and laundry-drying times. Until then, the review’s conclusions are best read as one tester’s experience, with useful reported performance but clear handling and air-purification limitations.
Key Questions
How much does the Meaco 12L dehumidifier cost?
Ideal Home listed the price as £182.99 at Meaco when the review was written. The source does not confirm whether that price is still current.
What running cost does the review give?
The review says the appliance costs 4p an hour to run. It does not state the electricity tariff or operating conditions used to calculate that figure, so actual costs may differ.
Did it help dry laundry?
The reviewer said it helped remove moisture from the air while laundry dried indoors. The report does not give a measured drying time or a controlled comparison with other appliances.
Does the air-purifier mode remove odours?
In one test involving deliberately burnt toast and closed windows, the reviewer found little difference compared with opening the windows. The review does not establish how the mode performs against other odours or particles.
What are the main drawbacks reported?
The reviewer found the 2.5-litre tank awkward to remove and empty, and said it filled quickly. The unit has no castor wheels, which made it harder to move around a room, and the continuous-drain hose is sold separately.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
