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Ideal Home tested the Meaco 12L Low Energy Platinum Dehumidifier for 10 days and reported that it lowered humidity in the home within a few hours and helped dry laundry. The review lists a running cost of 4p per hour, but also notes a difficult-to-remove water tank and limited effect on burnt-toast odour.
Ideal Home has reviewed Meaco’s 12L Low Energy Platinum Dehumidifier, reporting that it lowered humidity at home within a few hours and helped with drying laundry during a 10-day test. The review lists the appliance at £182.99 and says it costs 4p per hour to run, while also pointing to practical drawbacks including a small water tank that was awkward to remove and empty.
The reviewer tested the 12-litre-per-day compressor model in a three-bedroom family home, first in a utility room and then in a north-facing bedroom and near a bathroom. The test covered humidity control, laundry drying and the unit’s air-purifier mode. Ideal Home reported that humidity levels fell within a few hours, and that the appliance helped draw moisture from the air around drying washing. The review did not describe it as the most efficient laundry-drying dehumidifier the reviewer had tested.
The unit measures 48.5 by 32.5 by 24.8 centimetres, weighs 10 kilograms and is recommended for rooms up to 50 square metres. Its listed specifications include a 2.5-litre tank, a 157-watt power rating, a 41-decibel noise level, an automatic humidity sensor and a timer. A continuous-drain option is available, but the review says the hose must be bought separately. It has no Wi-Fi connection, dedicated laundry mode or castor wheels.
Ideal Home also tried the air-purifier mode by burning toast with the windows shut. The reviewer said it made little difference to the smell compared with opening the windows. The appliance comes with a HEPA filter for its purification function and has a collapsible carry handle, but moving it around a room can be less convenient without wheels. The review notes that the tank filled quickly and was difficult to detach; pouring it out was messy because the tank has no handle.
Humidity Control With Trade-Offs
For households dealing with condensation, damp or indoor laundry, the review offers a practical assessment of a compact appliance rather than just a list of specifications. Its reported reduction in humidity within hours suggests it may help manage moisture in the tested home, while the reviewer’s experience drying washing indicates a possible alternative to relying on a tumble dryer. Those results are from one household and do not establish how the unit will perform in every room or home.
The stated 4p-per-hour running cost is a selling point for people comparing the ongoing expense of moisture control with other ways of drying clothes. It is a figure reported by the source, not a guaranteed bill for every user: actual electricity costs depend on the appliance’s operating time and the applicable electricity tariff. The relatively small tank and the inconvenience of emptying it also matter in daily use, particularly if the unit runs for long periods or collects water quickly.
The air-purifier function broadens the product’s advertised use, but the test offers limited evidence for odour removal: in the reviewer’s toast test, opening a window worked about as well. Readers considering it for air cleaning should distinguish the presence of a HEPA filter from a demonstrated result across different pollutants or conditions. The review’s findings support a narrower conclusion: the tested appliance helped with humidity and laundry, while its other function was less convincing in that particular test.
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What the Ten-Day Test Covered
The source describes the Meaco 12L as one of two products in the company’s Low Energy Platinum range; the other is a 20-litre model that also includes air-purifier functionality. Meaco positions the range for managing damp, condensation and mould, and for use in rooms such as bedrooms and living rooms. Those are product aims, not independent findings that the appliances prevent or resolve mould in every setting.
Ideal Home says the reviewer used the 12L model for 10 days, operating its different modes and controlling it through the buttons on the appliance. A child lock was often enabled during testing. The review also identifies the model as having a Quiet Mark award and gives a noise rating of 41 decibels; it does not provide comparative noise measurements against other dehumidifiers in the supplied material.
The conditions described include colder, wetter seasonal weather, when indoor laundry can take longer to dry and condensation can become more noticeable. The review’s test was conducted in one family home, so its observations are useful as a single-product review but are not a controlled comparison of performance across different homes, temperatures or humidity levels.
“I’ve found that it has reduced humidity levels throughout my home within a few hours.”
— Ideal Home reviewer
Limits of the Review Findings
The supplied review details do not give measured starting and ending humidity levels, the exact time taken to reach a particular humidity target, or a controlled comparison with another model. They also do not explain the assumptions behind the 4p-per-hour cost estimate, such as the electricity tariff used or how long the compressor runs in typical conditions. The figure should be treated as the review’s stated estimate rather than a universal operating cost.
It is also unclear how performance would vary in larger or colder rooms, in homes with different moisture sources, or during longer-term use. The test reports that the tank filled quickly but does not quantify how often it needed emptying. The review’s burnt-toast test is a single odour check and does not establish how effectively the HEPA filter handles other airborne particles. No broader claim about preventing mould or improving health can be drawn from the supplied test alone.
Check Current Price and Running Cost
Readers considering the appliance should check Meaco’s current listing for the latest price, availability and included accessories; the review gives a price of £182.99, which may change. Anyone planning to use continuous drainage should confirm the hose requirements, since the review says a hose is sold separately. The source does not describe a new product announcement or a scheduled follow-up test, so no further milestone is stated.
Before buying, households may also want to compare the unit’s room-size recommendation, tank capacity and lack of wheels with where it will be used. The reported running cost should be checked against the home’s electricity rate and expected operating time. The review’s findings describe one 10-day test and do not guarantee the same results in other homes.
Key Questions
How much does the Meaco 12L dehumidifier cost?
Ideal Home listed the price as £182.99 when it published the review. Prices and availability can change, so check Meaco or a retailer for the current listing.
What does the review say it costs to run?
The review states a running cost of 4p per hour. It does not provide the tariff or operating assumptions behind that estimate, so actual costs may differ according to electricity rates and how long the unit runs.
Did the test find that it helped dry laundry?
Yes. The reviewer said it helped draw moisture from the air around drying clothes, but also said it was not the most efficient laundry-drying dehumidifier they had tested.
Does it work as an air purifier?
The unit includes a HEPA filter and air-purifier mode. In a burnt-toast odour test, however, the reviewer found little difference compared with opening the windows. That single test does not establish performance against other pollutants.
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 also has no castor wheels, Wi-Fi connection or dedicated laundry mode; a continuous-drain hose is sold separately.
Source: idealhome.co.uk
