A dehumidifier's extraction rate is an average of how much moisture it can remove from the air during a given timeframe. Most commonly this is measured in litres per day, so an extraction rate of 10L/per day means the dehumidifier should be able to extract 10 litres of moisture within 24 hours if running continuously. In practice, this also depends on the humidity levels of the room, and the ambient temperature. That said, if you find the Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy Dehumidifier on offer, and are willing to accept its flaws in exchange for its lower price point, this can be a great value buy that does the job and will make a big improvement to general damp issues. That said, this dehumidifier can also act as an air purifier, so there is an optional HEPA filter that you can fit into the dehumidifier. I’d recommend using it as this filter can help to clean the air whilst the dehumidifier is working.Bonus! The Arete One also offers Smart Laundry Mode for drying clothes; and Night Mode which switches the fan to low speed and disables both the lights and the audible 'tank full' alert beeps. Additionally, you can switch off the dehumidifier entirely and simply run it as a stand-alone air purifier, or you can choose to run the unit in continuous dehumidifying mode if you wish.

The intuitive control panel makes operation simple for everyone allowing you to get the results you want with no confusion. The large 4.8L tank means you will need to empty the unit less often than with comparable units for added peace of mind. The advantage of the size, drying power and capacity is that the Arete One can dehumidify larger areas than your average 10-12L dehumidifier. I’ve had it working on an upstairs landing and a large downstairs hallway, and in both cases, it did a solid job of controlling humidity and drying out areas affected by damp or mould, although in these sorts of environments you need to leave it running for longer periods to make an impact. The tank capacity dictates how much water the water tank of the dehumidifier can hold before it needs emptying. A larger tank capacity – such as the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier's generous 2.5L or 4.8Ltanks – means you won't be emptying it as frequently. I've been really pleasantly surprised by how quiet the MeacoDry Arete One dehumidifier is.Especially considering noisy operation is usually one of the biggest downsides of running a compressor dehumidifier.And whilst its energy use is low compared to many dehumidifiers on the market, it can't beat the super energy-efficient MeacoDry Arete One in this regard. The Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy dehumidifier uses 220W, whereas the comparable MeacoDry 12L Arete One uses just 151W of energy, and doesn't cost that much more upfront at full RRP. The MeacoDry also offers a built-in air purifier, a larger 2.5L water tank, better laundry drying performance, and quieter operation. The laundry setting is a nice idea but I haven’t found it to be particularly effective. It’s probably fine for smaller loads or if you’re ironing your clothes. It's not on for long enough to get my clothes to the level of dry that I would like. Instead I just put it on constant overnight and then switch it off in the morning. This dehumidifier also offers a night mode which keeps the fans on low in case you want to use it in a bedroom overnight, but, I found the MeacoDry Arete One very quiet whichever mode I had it running in. Saying that we have tested it downstairs in our open plan living/dining room, as well as in our horribly damp kitchen, and it was really efficient there too. Definitely a good choice for a bigger house or living space. Read next: The best washing machines for clean, fresh laundry How easy is the MeacoDry Arete One Dehumidifier to operate? Are there lots of settings to find your way around?

Our reviewer Tina tested the MeacoDry Arete One over the course of a year in her 2-bedroom house. She tested it mostly in the spare bedroom while drying laundry, noting how effective it was at drying washing and reducing moisture, mould, musty smells and humidity levels. For comparison, Pro Breeze's most energy-effecient comprssor dehumidifier, the Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy Dehumidifier, uses 220W to the MeacoDry 12L Arete One's 151W, and costs roughly 6p per hour to run.The Pro Breeze Low Energy dehumidifier also has several other issues that the MeacoDry 12L Arete One does not, as you'll find out in my Pro Breeze 12L Low Energy dehumidifier review. The alternative is a Peltier dehumidifier, which, although not specified, is likely the method the Silentnight 39899 600ml Dehumidifier uses. In contrast to a compressor dehumidifier, a Peltier dehumidifier uses a far quieter thermo-electric process to extract moisture from the air.What do you do if you already produce some of the quietest and most energy-efficiency dehumidifiers on the market? With Meaco’s new MeacoDry Arete One, the answer is to go even lower with power consumption and even quieter – and with some higher capacity options, too. That extraction level may not sound like much, and this certainly isn't a dehumidifier that can cope with large damp problems or help to dry washing. But, in practice, our tests found it worked well when left running in the bedroom overnight in our tester's single-glazed Victorian terrace. It reduced the build up of condensation around windows in the morning, and the air in general also felt fresher whenever it was running. It also did really well to help eliminate steam and fumes in the kitchen whilst cooking.