Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier review: dries laundry in record time

Price on writing: £260 | Buy now from Meaco

How I tested

I tested the Meaco DD8L Pro in my three-bedroom home over the course of 3 months during the winter. I used the dehumidifier in a bedroom and on my upstairs landing to dry laundry, clear condensation and tackle damp. Using a timer to measure how long it took to dry a load of laundry from my washing machine, I took detailed notes on ease of use, effectiveness and noise levels.

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My verdict

Meaco are by far the most frequently and highly recommended dehumidifier brand on the Mumsnet forums. I've reviewed five of their best-selling dehumidifiers now, and it's clear why. They're designed specifically for UK homes, they're fairly priced, easy to use and they get the job done. The DD8L Pro is no exception.

As a desiccant dehumidifier, the DD8L Pro comes in just one size, and out-performs compressor models like the Meaco Arete One when it comes to drying laundry and tackling damp in cold or unheated rooms.

I tested Meaco's dehumidifier + fan hack with the Meaco Sefte Pedestal Fan, which the brand claims can dry a load of washing in 1 hour 40 minutes. My laundry clocked in at 2 hours 25 minutes, which is very impressive, and certainly quicker than using the dehumidifier alone. It's worth noting that the room I used to test this hack in was medium-sized rather than small, which makes a difference to drying time.

When I set the dehumidifier up in my upstairs landing, it was pretty noisy on laundry mode, and could be heard all around the house. If you want to turn the power off, it takes a good few minutes for the fan to wind down, too. However, the night mode reduces the noise a lot, so while it won't be as powerful in this quieter mode, it can be run overnight without disturbing light sleepers.

The dehumidifier connects the Meaco app, where you can control it remotely, check humidity levels and set schedules. The digital screen on the dehumidifier itself shows lots of information, with intuitive touch-screen controls to switch between modes, set a timer or engage the child lock.

The DD8L costs a little more per hour than a compressor model, and up to 16p on full power. However, the smart energy mode is designed to respond to the temperature and air quality of your home, adjusting fan speed to get the best out of the dehumidifier without using any unnecessary energy.

With a 2 litre water tank, the DD8L needs empty fairly regularly. When drying a load of laundry, I had to empty it half way through - which demonstrates how effectively it extracts moisture from the air. The water tank slides out of the side of the dehumidifier base, has a carry handle and corner clips for easy emptying.

Dehumidifiers can be heavy, and this one is a hefty 8.7kg, so I really appreciated the well-designed handle at the back, which makes the dehumidifier easy to pick up and move around the house. It doesn't come with castors, although these can be purchased separately, and the DD8L Pro's handle is a big improvement on the small side grooves on the Arete One.

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How quickly does the Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier dry laundry?

Meaco claim this dehumidifier can dry a load of laundry in just 1 hour 40 minutes at a cost of 32p. While I wasn't able to recreate this time exactly, I was testing it in a medium-sized rather than small room, which will lengthen drying times as the dehumidifier has more air and therefore more moisture to deal with.

The trick to drying laundry quickly with a dehumidifier is to place a fan next to it. The fan keeps the air circulating, which helps the dehumidifier do its job more quickly and effectively, cutting down the time it takes for your washing to get dry.

The DD8L Pro costs 16p per hour on laundry mode, and the Sefte Pedestal Fan costs less than 1p per hour, even on full power, so this is a super- cost-effective way to dry laundry both quickly and cheaply. The drying times you can achieve with a fan and dehumidifier working together rival that of even the best tumble dryers.

The DD8L has a dedicated laundry mode, which uses full power for a fixed length of time. It automatically defaults to 6 hours, but you can press the timer button to adjust from one to 24 hours before it turns off. I found I needed to empty the water tank after a couple of hours on this mode, which is a quick and simple process.

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Is the Meaco DD8L Pro Desiccant Dehumidifier good value for money?

The DD8L has an RRP of £260, which is £80 more than the roughly equivalent 12L Arete One. The price is typical of a desiccant dehumidifier, as the parts and technology are costlier to produce. The DD8L operates at temperatures between 1-40°C, whereas the Arete needs to be in a room over 5°C to work properly.

Lastly, the DD8L boasts a wider range of modes and features (including app connectivity) compared to the Arete One. It's more efficient and faster at drying laundry, too.

However, the Arete One doubles as an air purifier, whereas the DD8L ionises dust and pollen particles in the air. Ionising does help improve air quality, but not as effectively as a HEPA filter like the Arete One.

It all comes down to slightly different uses - if you want a dehumidifier to dry laundry in record time, or keep damp under control in an unheated room, the DD8L is your best bet and a good price for an excellent product.

For air purification and keeping damp in check in a heated room, the Arete One is a better option.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She researches and reviews the products Mumsnetters swear by, with a particular focus on home essentials.

From a highly recommended retractable washing line to the best quiet fans money can buy, and Mumsnet's favourite dehumidifier to the steam generator iron that'll cut your ironing time in half, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the very best products on the market.