We had a bit of a revelation in 2020 after buying a Meaco dehumidifier following moving house - it's great for removing moisture from the air and, therefore, helping to dry washing indoors, and for avoiding condensation build-up.

For 2021 there's a new Meaco dehumidifier in town: the Meaco Arete 1 (with the Arete 2 and 3 models - which feature differing control panels - coming later in the year). Here's a summary of new features that this dehumidifier offers.

Meaco Arete: Designed like a piece of furniture

  • Can position against wall, unlike previous designs
  • Integrated wheels, hidden from line of sight
  • Newly designed integrated control panel
  • Bucket with clear-view window
  • Hidden carry handles

In the UK you're most likely to plonk a dehumidifier down in its most needed place and leave it there. Meaco tells us that's exactly how customers in the UK use its products - to the point that they're not even stowed away in the summer months. There's a hidden carry handle, positioned to the centre of gravity, if you do need to lug it about though.

Meaco Arete lifestyle photo 3

As such, the Arete is designed to be more furniture-like in its form, hiding away unnecessary visual distractions, while even including integrated wheels - a lacking of the earlier ABC model which we highlighted - hidden away from visual line of sight.

The Arete is also specifically designed so that pushing it close up to a wall won't matter - the air is projected out the back but sidewards, rather than right into the wall itself - unlike most dehumidifiers which require a 30cm gap or greater.

The integrated bucket, which catches the water from the air, is removable from the front and even has a clear-view window so you can see the water level. The bucket itself has an integrated handle - which the ABC lacks - and water can be poured out from either corner at equal measure.

Meaco Arete lifestyle photo 4

There's also a new control panel, which simplifies the layout and highlights two main control methods - smart humidity and laundry controls - onto larger buttons. The Arete 2 and Arete 3 models will have even more comprehensive control panels.

Meaco Arete: Quietest dehumidifier ever designed

  • 40dB at quietest level (half that of previous models)
  • Night Mode with no light/digital sound output

Meaco's products sell themselves on being quiet - most of its packaging contains Quiet Mark ratings to confirm this. The Arete is said to run as low as 40dB - which, compared to the 46dB of the ABC model, is twice as quiet. Really, 40dB is around the same as a refrigerator being on (a sound you'll barely notice unless it's very quiet).

There's also a new Night Mode which disengages all digital sounds and lighting and sets the fan to its lowest mode so that, should you need it close to sleeping quarters, it's not going to ruin your night's sleep.

Meaco Arete: More environmentally conscious

  • Packaging is 100% recyclable material
  • No plastic hosing included
  • HEPA filter integrated

The Arete is also more environmentally conscious - and on more than one level. Yes, the packaging is now 100 per cent recyclable (something Meaco is doing for all products with a sub-8kg weight), and there's no plastic hosing included to reduce unneeded waste (just five per cent of customers use a hose - so if you need one then a length of garden hose is designed to fit specifically).

Meaco Arete studio shots photo 1

But it's also better for your actual live-in environment, thanks to a HEPA filter. Meaco has used such filters for certain air purifier products in the past, but now it's a standard in this range of dehumidifiers. This means air entering will be cleaned too, which will be a great assist for removing viruses, pollen and other irritants (the filter is H13 medical grade, an improvement over H11 in earlier models).