This new budget dehumidifier is 'designed to keep your home feeling fresher and the air cleaner' – here's why I rate this compact, quiet, energy-efficient model

The MeacoDry Arete One 6L, RRP £129.99 on Meaco, is the brand's newest (and smallest) model in the Arete One range. It's a compressor dehumidifier designed for smaller spaces of up to 25 square metres. I've lived with the 6L for a couple of weeks in my home, using it to tackle condensation and high levels of humidity in my period home.

The best dehumidifiers bring humidity down, stop damp in its tracks and even speed up your laundry drying time. So when I tested the MeacoDry Arete One 6L, I put it through the same checks we use for every model to see how well it handled all three - and how simple it was to live with.

At a glance

Meaco has a bit of a cult following when it comes to dehumidifiers, and it’s easy to see why. The brand is known for no-nonsense, reliable machines that suit UK homes, older, draughtier ones (like mine) included. The MeacoDry Arete One 6L is the smallest dehumidifier in the popular Arete One range, designed to keep your home feeling fresher by tackling moisture and cleaning the air at the same time., without taking up too much space.

It’s a compressor model, so it works best in rooms warmer than 15°C, and it comes with a built-in humidistat that keeps an eye on moisture levels for you. There’s also the option to pop in a HEPA filter to help clear dust and allergens, and all the parts are simple to remove and clean.

In my at-home testing, the 6L slotted naturally into daily life: it quietly kept condensation at bay in smaller rooms, freshened the air in spaces that tend to feel a bit musty, and even gave laundry-drying a noticeable boost. Like the rest of the Arete family, it’s designed to be straightforward and easy to use, and it lived up to its reputation. It was also super quiet and inexpensive to run as a dehumidifier, though, as you'll hear, it took longer than the 6-hour laundry mode feature to dry my laundry.

Specifications

• RRP: £129.99
• Type: Compressor
• Colours: Available in Pebble and Charcoal
• Extraction rate: 6L/day
• Water tank capacity: 1.8L
• Max room size recommended: 25m squared
• Noise level: 32dB – 35dB
• Power: 101W
• Dimensions: H39.5 x W28.8 x D21.4cm
• Weight: 7.9kg
• Portable?: Yes
• Automatic humidity sensor: Yes
• Continuous drain option: Yes (using standard garden hose, hose not included)
• Laundry mode: Yes
• WiFi connectivity: No
• Timer: No
• Operating temperature: 5-35 °C
• Child lock: Yes
• Filter type: Washable dust filter + free HEPA filter
• Warranty: 5 years

How I tested

I tested the MeacoDry Arete One 6L in my home for two weeks, using it in a variety of real-life situations to see how it handled everyday moisture problems.

I moved it between my landing, a small bedroom and a larger, more humid room to check how well it tackled condensation, dried laundry and improved air quality.

I used the smart laundry mode, night mode and variable humidistat, and compared the onboard humidity readings with my handheld meter to check accuracy.

I also paid close attention to noise levels, energy use and how often I needed to empty the tank.

By testing it across different rooms and tasks over a couple of weeks, I got a clear sense of where this 6L model really shines - and where it starts to reach its limits.

Unboxing

The MeacoDry Arete One arrived securely packaged in heavy-duty cardboard, which is fully recyclable. However, the dehumidifier and the plug were wrapped in protective plastic, so I had to recycle the plastic separately. Inside the box, there's a quick-start guide, a full instruction manual, and a free H13 HEPA filter for air purification.

The dehumidifier has a sturdy carry handle that slots discreetly into the top of the unit when not in use, making it easy to pick up and move around. It doesn’t include a hose for continuous drainage, though, so if that’s something you’ll need, you’ll be happy to know that the hose adapter inside the water tank lid connects to any standard garden hose.

Set-up

The electric cable provides 1.8m of flexibility, which is good, though I would have liked to have seen a cable tidy at the back of the unit to tidy away unsightly excess cable.

Getting the MeacoDry Arete One ready to operate is super straightforward, as there’s no WiFi connectivity or app to set up beforehand. Admittedly, this might turn some people off, especially if you love smart, connected devices and want to control everything from your phone. But it does make life a little easier when it comes to setting up.

First, I had to remove the bag from the HEPA filter and insert it into the back of the unit. You simply slide the combined filter case and dust filter into place, pop the HEPA filter into it, and slide the whole thing back into place.

This step is optional, since the dehumidifier already has a standard filter in place. But the additional HEPA filter means the dehumidifier acts as an air purifier while it extracts moisture, which is a win if you tend to have poor indoor air quality.

It also means that you can use your dehumidifier as an air purifier in the summer months, when humidity isn’t as much of an issue, so you get to use the device all year round and save money on buying a separate air purifier, which is a pretty great bonus feature.

Before first use, Meaco recommends leaving the dehumidifier to stand for 6 hours. This allows any refrigerant that may have shifted during transit to settle. Once that’s done, you can plug it in and press the power button.

The MeacoDry Arete One also comes with a laundry mode, night mode, and variable humidistat, which lets you set a target humidity anywhere between 40 and 70%, or opt for continuous dehumidification. The digital display clearly shows the current humidity, and all modes are accessible via the intuitive control panel at the top of the unit.

A sleep mode and child lock are also included, so you can rest easy at night without excess noise from the fans, and prevent tiny fingers from making accidental changes to settings - two small but welcome features in a family home!

It’s designed to sit right up against a wall, thanks to its inset air intake, and setup only takes a few minutes. Once turned on, the device takes about 10 minutes to accurately measure the room’s humidity before it starts working efficiently.

Overall, the whole setup was straightforward and intuitive, and the addition of the HEPA filter gives it a clever dual-purpose functionality that really impressed me.

Design

I really like the design of the MeacoDry Arete One. It’s compact enough to tuck neatly into a corner, and you can push it right up against the wall without affecting the performance. It’s definitely more attractive than most dehumidifiers, with a modern, sleek feel. The matte white casing gives it a subtle, stylish look, avoiding the shiny, utilitarian appearance you often get with other units. While I tested the charcoal design, you can also buy it in the lighter pebble design.

The water tank is simple to unclip, and at the front, there’s a clear water level indicator. On top of the device, the air output sits just below the pop-up carry handle that can be discreetly slotted back into the unit when not in use. The entire top section is finished in black matte plastic, with the control panel neatly centred for easy access. At the back, the filter housing is also finished in matte black, keeping the look consistent and understated.

Ease of use

The control panel itself is intuitive and easy to navigate. You’ve got a power button, humidity setting, smart laundry mode, and sleep mode, with the current humidity clearly displayed underneath. Just below that, four small symbols indicate which modes are active, including the child lock and water tank status.

Other thoughtful touches include a pull-up handle for easy portability, an inset air intake allowing the unit to sit flush against a wall, and a five-year warranty, which gives real confidence in the product. Overall, it’s a very easy-to-use dehumidifier that balances convenience with good functionality.

Performance

I tested the MeacoDry 6L in several spots around my home, using it for laundry, tackling condensation, and purifying the air. It didn’t just manage moisture - air quality was noticeably improved too, pulling down airborne particles into a ‘good’ range. I also checked its onboard humidistat against a handheld device and found that the humidity levels generally matched those displayed on the MeacoDry Arete One 6L control panel, which gave me more confidence in its readings.

With my tumble dryer out of action due to a product recall, I was keen to see how well the MeacoDry Arete One 6L handled laundry. I tried the dedicated laundry function beside an airing rack on my landing, but it struggled to dry clothes effectively, probably because it had to handle humidity in quite a large space.

It performed much better in a smaller bedroom with the door closed, and my standard laundry load dried fully in around 12 hours. For larger or multiple loads, you’ll likely need to run it for longer, but at just 3p per hour, it’s far cheaper to run than my heated air dryer, which would cost around three times as much, and much less than my tumble dryer.

Living in an old house, I’m used to condensation on windows and the occasional patch of mould or damp, particularly in one bedroom. I popped the MeacoDry in there at 8.30 am when the humidity was 73%. By midday, it had reduced the level to 63%, noticeably cutting condensation and helping to keep surfaces drier. A few hours later, it had pulled humidity levels down to a very respectable 53%. I was pretty happy with this result, especially in a room prone to moisture problems, so it will help reduce the risk of mould and condensation.

Overall, the MeacoDry Arete One 6L is versatile and reliable, particularly useful in smaller rooms or for short-term moisture control. That said, it’s not a quick fix for large laundry loads or very damp spaces, so expect longer run times if you’re tackling bigger jobs. Similarly, don’t expect it to dehumidify very large spaces or multiple rooms, as it’s simply not built for those types of spaces.

Energy use

If you're wondering how much it costs to run a dehumidifier, it largely comes down to the wattage of the device. The higher the wattage, the more it will cost per hour. The MeacoDry Arete One 6L is very economical in this respect. It uses around 101W at 20°C and 60% relative humidity, which works out to roughly 3p per hour based on the current electricity rate of 26.35p per kWh.

Running it for 12 hours comes to around 36p, which is far cheaper than drying a full load in my tumble dryer, which would cost at least 74p. Even my heated airer costs noticeably more at 91p for a nine-hour session. Overall, the Arete One 6L offers impressively low running costs, making it a great choice if you want to keep energy bills down while still getting your laundry dry.

Noise levels

During my testing run, I found the MeacoDry Arete One 6L to be very unobtrusive, quietly humming away in the background. It operates between 32 dB and 35 dB, depending on the fan speed, which is roughly equivalent to a quiet conversation or the background hum of a fridge. It’s far from the louder whirring you sometimes get with bigger dehumidifiers, so it’s easy to have it running without it being annoying.

I also tested it in laundry mode on my upstairs landing at night, with the bedroom door open, and it didn’t disturb my sleep at all. At lower fan settings or in night mode, the dehumidifier became almost completely indiscernible - just a soft background hum that faded into my home’s ambient noise.

The night mode is particularly useful if you don’t need to dry laundry but want the dehumidifier running quietly. It’s impressively quiet for a small, efficient dehumidifier, making it easy to leave running overnight or if you work from home.

Portability

Given that the MeacoDry Arete One 6L is a fairly small dehumidifier, there are no issues with portability, unless perhaps you’re moving it with a full tank. But even then, it’s fairly lightweight, and the slot-away handle is strong and sturdy enough to move the unit around. There are no castors/wheels, though, so if you have limited mobility, you may want to take that into account.

Maintenance

The front-facing water level indicator on the MeacoDry Arete One 6L makes it easy to see at a glance how full it’s getting. When it’s time to empty, the tank is simple and easy to remove and empty.

To keep your unit running smoothly, Meaco recommends cleaning it regularly. Wipe down the exterior with a soft, dry cloth, and clean the main filter at least every two weeks to maintain the impressive five-year warranty. You can vacuum it using the dust attachment or hose on your regular vacuum cleaner, or wash it in soapy water no hotter than 40 °C. Make sure the filter is completely dry before popping it back in - it may take 24 hours or so, so it’s a good idea to schedule this for when you don't need to run the dehumidifier.

The HEPA filter should be replaced once it changes from white to grey, which is roughly every three months, according to Meaco. A replacement pack of three costs around £19.99 from the Meaco site, though you might find cheaper options elsewhere.

It’s also a good idea to give the water tank a quick wipe whenever you empty it, as this prevents mould or bacteria from building up.

How does the MeacoDry Arete One 6L compare with other dehumidifiers?

When you compare the MeacoDry Arete One 6L with its bigger sibling, the MeacoDry Arete One 20L, the differences really come down to power and capacity. The 20L model is built for whole-home moisture management, with a huge 4.8L tank, almost double the energy draw, and an extraction rate that easily outperforms the 6L in larger or consistently damp spaces. It’s also significantly heavier at 15kg, so it’s not as easy to move around.

But the flip side is performance: the 20L is excellent for year-round use, noticeably faster at drying laundry, and remains impressively quiet for its size. If you have bigger rooms or a household-wide damp, the 20L is a better investment. For smaller bedrooms, flats, or occasional moisture control, the 6L is far more manageable, cheaper to run, and easier to live with day to day. Or, you could opt for something right in the middle, such as the MeacoDry Arete One 12L.

The Duux Bora Smart 30L is almost the opposite in scale to the MeacoDry 6L, designed for large rooms and open-plan spaces. It can extract up to 30L of moisture per day, offers continuous drainage with the supplied hose, and has a much larger 4L tank. Where the Meaco keeps things simple, the Bora delivers full smart-home functionality.

The Duux app gives you real-time air quality readings, remote control, scheduling, and seamless integration with Google Home and Alexa. It’s also impressively quiet for its size at 30–36dB and includes thoughtful extras like a carbon filter, laundry mode, child lock, and night setting. But its larger footprint, heavier weight, and 315W energy draw make it far better suited to larger homes, while the Meaco remains the more space-friendly and energy-efficient option for smaller living areas.

How does the MeacoDry Arete One 6L rate online?

The 6 L model is very new, so there aren’t many customer reviews for this specific unit yet. However, the MeacoDry Arete One range is well-established with existing customers, with over 2,500 Amazon UK ratings and around 91% of customers giving it four stars or above.

Users consistently praise the range for being quiet, efficient, and easy to use. One reviewer of a similar Arete One model said: 'An excellent little dehumidifier… much quieter and has intelligent features like a sensing fan that runs periodically. It has a night mode and can be used as an air purifier.' Another highlighted its laundry performance: 'A full load on a clothes horse is bone dry overnight… extracts a LOT of water in a short period of time… not ‘whisper quiet’ but doesn’t intrude more than a fan or background TV noise during the day.'

So overall, while the 6L version is new, the strong reputation of the Arete One range suggests that purchasers will also find it reliable, quiet, and effective, as I’ve done, making it a solid choice for single rooms and bedrooms.

Verdict

After two weeks of real-world testing, the MeacoDry Arete One 6L proved itself as a dependable little workhorse for smaller rooms in my home. It quietly tackles condensation, keeps the air feeling fresher, and even helps your light laundry dry faster without hiking up your energy bills.

It’s not perfect, though. The modest 6L capacity and small water tank mean it will struggle with big, damp problems or multiple laundry loads. And if you’re after smart features or app control, this one doesn’t have them.

Compared with more expensive or larger models, like the Duux Bora Smart 30L (£349.99) or the MeacoDry Arete One 12L (£179.99), the Meaco 6L is smaller and slower, but that’s also what makes it quieter, lighter, and easier to place flush against a wall. For its price, simplicity, and low running costs, it’s ideal for flats, bedrooms, or any smaller space that needs reliable humidity control. If you need something for a larger home or heavy-duty drying, you’ll want a bigger model, but for day-to-day use, this is quietly efficient, fuss-free, and surprisingly versatile.