To remind you all to throw out old hot water bottles

Yes, this. The water should never be boiling, ever, ever, ever.

don't overfill them?

Mine have all failed with small leaks, no bursts, over 30 years...

And this is the problem with buying tat off Amazon. The expiry date dial is a requirement in BS1970 which all hot water bottles sold in the UK have to adhere to by law.

Why Amazon (and eBay, and Aliexpress) are allowed to get away with selling illegal and dangerous goods is quite beyond me. They all have a legal and physical presence in the UK and should be held accountable to our laws.

Bin them, and buy from a reputable seller such as Robert Dyas.

Isn't it strange how you get preconceived ideas about things?

When as a kid we got electric blankets for the beds the hot water bottles were thrown away as old fashioned & no longer needed.

When my daughter had period pains I bought her a bag of cherry stones as still deemed hot water bottles too old fashioned!

The same thing happened to one of my children’s friends

No, it’s got nothing to do with how well it’s made, it’s because hot water bottles are usually made from natural rubber and the rubber itself degrades over time.
For the sake of a few quid I’d take the new one and throw away without a thought.

Suspect we are not the only ones!

I had a hot water bottle that was 35 years old - not used in years but kept around incase I need it. Only just recently binned it.

Thanks OP for raising this important point and hope that you get well soon x

Wow I never knew this!!

I’m sorry you had to go through this OP but thank you for sharing xx

I didn’t know they expired! My MIL has burnt herself from a hot water bottle (not this badly), so DP always tells me not to have it too hot (I love a hot water bottle, he’s always hot so doesn’t need one). We have a kettle you can set the temperature so I make them at 70 rather than 100 (70 is the lowest option). It’s still hot enough to keep me warm until I fall asleep and then I don’t need it anyway. I never even thought about it until he said.

I scalded myself making a hot water bottle once, poured it all over my hand and that was painful! Blisters all over my thumb, could’ve been worse. Took a while to heal. I was even laying on one for an ear infection a few weeks ago!

I hope you feel better soon and thanks for the warning, I’m going to throw them all out (we have a few!) and get new ones next winter. And I’ll warn MIL to do the same! x

Bloody hell Op!

Hope your recovery goes well & kudos for thinking of others at such a time.

I had no idea about this! Or what the flower meant on it, I've never noticed. Mine made April 2016. I always put down cold in first but use daily so will be buying a new one today.

Thank for the warning, and sorry about your poor legs. I hope you feel better soon and are well enough for your holidays.

Can I add a safety tip re. the microwave ones.

Don’t heat them in the microwave for longer than the manufacturer’s instructions. They will smoulder, and then burn. Turns out flames and microwaves are a poor combination. It’s particularly foolish to ignore the smell of burning until your child yells “Are you trying to set the place on fire?”

Hope you are better in time for your holiday, OP.

Wow! Thanks OP! Off to throw mine in the bin and get a new one. Hope you recover soon!

I was told to always let the kettle sit for 10 minutes before filling

wouldn't it be easier to not fully boil the water?

Ok that's my mine going in the bin as it must be at least 5 years old.

It depends how well made the bottle is.
maybe if you buy them from Amazon then perhaps you have to keep throwing them away, but I’ve had some for years and I use them all the time.
Also I always have a cover so maybe that helps.
Throwaway society I guess.

You have my sympathies, sane thing happened to me almost 40 years ago, can still remember the pain. I also did not know there is an expiry date

I now make sure the water is never hot enough to burn. Even a new one could split.

Omg that sounds so bloody painful, you poor thing.
I didn’t know they had expiry dates, I don’t use them myself but dds do for period pain, am going to round them up and bin them and order new today.
Sorry you’re been though this and I hope you heal quickly but thanks for raising it - I just thought they’d work forever! I mean I’ve definitely heard before that they can occasionally burst but didn’t realise they actually expired for real!

I have a microwave hottie. No water involved just 2 minute zap

Can i recommend Beurer heating pads? Recognised European brand. They plug in. No hot water, no danger of scalds and burns. Brilliant. Available from many online retailers.

ouch - looks painful

wheat bags are the way to go

It’s never occurred to me to throw out old hot water bottles so thanks for the reminder OP and so sorry you’ve found out the hard way. I’ve currently got an ear infection and swollen face so have a HWB on my face constantly. I bought the one on the left last year so I assume the 23 means 2023? In that case the one on the right is 2007 and that’s not my oldest one!