At its press conference ahead of the official opening of IFA 2023 in Berlin, Miele announced its expansion into the laundry cabinet category with the launch of the Aerium laundry cabinet.
Like existing offerings on the market such as the LG Styler and Samsung AirDresser, the Miele Aerium is designed for garments that simply need refreshing or de-wrinkling. Despite this type of product’s success throughout Asia, the laundry cabinet remains virtually unknown in Europe, according to Miele.
The Aerium is two metres tall and 50cm wide and leverages Miele’s Knock2Open (available on its dishwashers) to open the door with two short knocks. Air is distributed throughout the entire cabinet and cleansed by passing it through a HEPA filter to freshen garments and remove pollen, spores, dust or other allergens.
In the cabinet, there are five special-purpose hangers (AeroHangers) for garments to be aired on the inside and outside. The hanging rail accommodates pants or scarves. On the shelf directly below, items such as hats or children’s toys can be freshened up. The rack can be folded up to allow more space for longer dresses. The lower area is designed for shoes, hats or gloves on the hinged air and steam outlets (AeroBars).
Miele has taken its energy-saving heat pump technology from its tumble dryers and steam generator from its steam ovens to produce steam to smooth and refresh laundry. Two 1.4L tanks – one for fresh water and one for waste water – are sufficient enough for several program cycles.
The Aerium laundry cabinet shown alongside the broader Miele laundry portfolio on the Miele stand at IFA.
There are three programs to choose from – PowerFresh to refresh clothing using steam, DryFresh for delicate garments without the use of steam and AutoDry to gently dry any garment type. With the first two programs garments are ready in as little as 45 minutes. Time can be adjusted manually to accommodate various fabrics, intensity of odour and number of items.
In all programs, garments are optionally scented using Miele’s FragranceDos feature. There’s also the option to add Hygiene to each of the programs. Hyonic Plasma technology generates an ionised air that removes allergens, bacteria and viruses at low temperatures.
The unit is operated via intuitive touch interface which is not visible when the appliance is switched off and can be controlled via the Miele app.
Scheduled to launch in Germany in the second quarter of 2024 with an RRP of 3,959 Euro (A$6,663), the Miele Aerium laundry cabinet will be available in Obsidian Black and Brilliant White.