Well, hasn’t this weather kept us on our toes! And who knows what the rest of this summer has in store for us…
The weather in the UK has always been a topic of conversation, and for good reason. We’re famous for our ever changing climate, rainy days and recent heatwave spells.
British summers are often unpredictable: In recent years we’ve had everything from endless rain to intense heatwaves – just take a look at 2026 so far!
Two things remain the same here in the UK. Firstly, most of the UK will experience high relative humidity all year, not only in the winter months. This is because the UK is an island, so hot, moisture-laden air blows in from the Atlantic and southern Europe, making the air humid, even in the summer.
And secondly, no-one has a crystal ball on what the rest of the summer’s forecast will be! Our weather is famously unpredictable. This means many of us will be hanging out washing in the morning only to rush out when the downpour comes to bring the washing back in to dry indoors in the afternoon.
All of which brings dehumidifiers into the equation. They’re not just a solution for the colder months, they can help you create a comfortable home environment and take care of the laundry all year round.
We’ve created this guide to explain the benefits of using a dehumidifier in summer; how they can help those with allergies, basements and garages; and how to dry your washing on a rainy day in summer – with a surprising tip for maximum energy-efficiency.
How has this weather impacted the air treatment industry?
We usually find that customers are more interested in dehumidifiers in Autumn, as we all get ready to face the wetter, cooler months ahead and we’re looking for solutions to dry our laundry and manage the humidity levels at home.
We’ve actually seen our new and award-winning MeacoFan Sefte®s and our MeacoFan 1056P in our best-selling list much earlier in the season than we would expect, right behind the Arete® One 12L Dehumidifier and Air Purifier… what a mix!
What we’ve noticed, here at Meaco, is a continuous shift in customer patterns. It was only 5 years ago that we only used to sell dehumidifiers exclusively from November to February, whereas now we’re selling dehumidifiers year-round. As we’ve had unpredictable wetter periods in the previous years’ summers, we’ve seen a higher interest in dehumidifiers in months like July and August. Equally due to spells like the late heatwaves of last year, we have seen customers are still interested in fans later in the year.
So, there has been a big change in a small amount of time. A lot of those changes are a result of our increasingly unpredictable weather and climate change.
As the British climate continues to evolve, so must our strategies to dry laundry and maintain a balanced and comfortable home environment. While the weather may fluctuate greatly, air treatment products can help even out these changeable conditions. Balance your home environment, reduce humidity levels and dry laundry with a dehumidifier, even on the rainiest day. And on the hottest, muggiest of days, create a pleasant breeze with a fan for yourself or to help dry your laundry.
At Meaco, we’re here to help.
How to use your dehumidifier and fan all year-round
So, how can you use Meaco products as a solution for keeping a comfortable home environment and drying your laundry all year round?
Firstly, you can dry your laundry inside, year-round with an energy efficient Meaco dehumidifier. Compared to using a tumble dryer, running a dehumidifier is cheaper, helps to stabalise your home’s humidity level and you can save your clothes from the harsh heat of a tumble dryer which helps them last longer. But, did you know that you can dry laundry even faster by using a MeacoFan as well?
If you have purchased both a Meaco dehumidifier and a MeacoFan, you can bring the two of them together to dry washing, making the process quicker and more energy efficient.
With a dehumidifier alone, you can expect your clothes to dry in a maximum of 6 hours. But by placing your fan so it’s oscillating and moving the dry air throughout the room, you can dry your laundry even faster. If you were drying your clothes outside, you would pick a day that was warm, dry and windy and that’s what you can replicate by combining a dehumidifier and fan.
Read more with the Meaco Way, combining dehumidifiers and fans for the ultimate indoor laundry solution.
Imagine this: it’s a muggy September day, and your washing machine has just churned out a load of laundry. Instead of hanging clothes in a damp and stuffy room, you can utilize your dehumidifier to extract excess moisture from the air. Dehumidifiers, especially those designed with a Laundry Mode, can work efficiently at drying clothes and reducing humidity levels, making your indoor environment more comfortable.
Now, introduce a fan into the equation. Place the fan strategically near your laundry, and it becomes a powerful drying assistant. By circulating the dry, dehumidified air around your damp clothes, towels or bedding it speeds up the drying process considerably. The result? Your laundry dries faster and more efficiently, even on the stickiest of summer days and the wettest days of autumn.
Running both a dehumidifier and fan can be energy efficient too. With our MeacoDry Arete® One 10L Dehumidifier and Air Purifier running at just 5p/ hour and the MeacoFan Sefte® running at just 1p/ hour, you’ll be looking after your clothes, your home and your wallet.
Combining dehumidifiers and fans, means that we are not only adapting to the unusual weather but it is also making our lives easier and more energy efficient, all year round. So, as we navigate this climatic rollercoaster, remember that sometimes, the best solutions arise from the most unexpected pairings.
Learn more with our Video Guide on “How to save nearly £300 a year when drying your laundry with a MeacoDry Arete® One Dehumidifier and Air Purifier”
From Spring allergies to Winter washing, learn more about maximising your dehumidifier all year on our blog: Make the most of your Meaco Dehumidifier all year round
Why does it feel hotter when it’s humid?
Humid air makes you feel warmer because it slows down the evaporation of your sweat. If the air is already saturated with moisture, it can’t easily absorb more water so the sweat stays on your skin, preventing the cooling process.
This is most common when thunderstorms are forecast. According to the Met Office, “Hot conditions increase the amount of energy in the atmosphere. As the warmed air near the surface rises, it begins to cool and condense, forming large, towering clouds known as cumulonimbus. These clouds can grow rapidly and are capable of producing heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.”
It’s when this low pressure system builds and humidity rises, we can experience that hot, sticky feeling. It’s uncomfortable and avoidable when we manage our home relative humidity.
While we said earlier, there’s no crystal ball when it comes to the UK weather forecast, we’ll often see thunderstorms during or after severe heatwaves.
How Does Using a Dehumidifier in Summer Help Keep You Comfortable?
By managing the relative humidity in your home (ideally to a target 55%RH), the air will be less saturated with water, so it can absorb more of it – i.e. the sweat that evaporates off your skin to cool you down. Using a dehumidifier reduces the number of water molecules in the air and allows the sweat to evaporate off your body rather than stay trapped on your skin. High humidity, on the other hand, leads to that uncomfortable, sticky feeling we often experience here in the UK climate.
Essentially, dehumidifiers help remove that hot sticky feeling that can keep us from getting a good night’s sleep or from working comfortable at home in summer.
Featured Products:
- Great in all seasons: combined Dehumidifier and Air Purifier
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6 responses
We have a 4 bedroom house. Would a 12L be big enough? It would be used mainly for laundry but I would like to keep the moisture out of the air to avoid mold.
Thank you for your comment.
If only for laundry – yes 12L is suitable.
If you’d like to leave it out in the open, to tackle the humidity in your home, please consider a 20L for this task.
Omar@Meaco
Hi,
Please advise whether this dehumidifier is suitable for hot climates. I.e. Caribbean climate.
I have problem with mould. Recommendation would be grately appreciated.
Hello,
Thank you for your enquiry. Yes our dehumidifiers are suitable, our products are available in hotter climates than Britain such as the UAE, Turkey & South Africa. Please check our full list of international sellers below.
https://www.meaco.com/pages/international-sellers
Thanks.
Omar@Meaco
Hi.We have a washing machine that tumble drys as well We are not impressed with the dryer it takes a very long time to dry our clothes and still feel damp and hot .?We need help to dry our clothes in winter Scotland .We see you advertise a Meaco. Humidifier with fan ? But just wanted a Humidyifer We are struggling pensions one in remission of cancer one with blood cancer ,no cure .So only two in our house..Can you help please .We don’t know what to buy ? Also need importantly ,how much thes items cost to run ?per hour and how long to rum them .We borrowed one Blyess for a night .Put on about six hours cllothes ok some of course that was heathy was. a little damp but ok .We have a small cup ord ie tiny room that hold the lond dryer to put clothes on which is near a radiater when heating on .Sorry. for such a long story but we need to dry our clothes as cheap as can the one I borrowed held 2 litres which was ok Please .please advice us if you can .I would rather pay higher price to. Bur a dehumidifier that runs at a lower cost Thank you .Please help .
Hi and thank you for your enquiry,
Our AreteOne range has both the dehumidifier mode and laundry mode, as well as air purification, you have the choice to select which mode to use.
For an AreteOne 12L – you’d be looking at approximately 4p per hour (these machines are exceptionally efficient to run).
It comes with a 6 hour programmer to dry your laundry with a water tank capacity of 2.5L.
Please click the link below to read more about this product, you can also give us a call and speak to our sales team:
https://www.meaco.com/products/meacodryarete1-12l
Omar@Meaco