To remind people NOT to use hot water bottles?

I cut my finger badly on my kitchen knife once but I didn’t put it in the bin afterwards.

Love a hot water bottle, much more that the other options tbh - cheaper too. I always put boiling water in (on top of a little cold) and had quite a few get a little leak on me, and still never been burned. People should be sensible but i certainly won't stop using hot water bottles.

Total rubbish. There's nothing wrong with hot water bottles. The issue is that some people weren't taught by their mothers as kids NEVER to fill a bottle with boiling water - just in case something like this happens.

I'm not giving up my 2 (yes, 2) bottles just because some other people are too stupid to use them properly.

YABVVU.

Sometimes I find it difficult to believe some of the nonsense people put up on here! HWBs have been around for years and years (with copper warming pans before that). I appreciate that some people are stupid and don't take the appropriate precautions around using them, but whatever happened to common sense? There is nothing more comforting than a lovely warm HWB - infinitely preferable to lying on something electrical in bed!

I am life long HWB user. I will however replace both mine and DS's this winter.
I've just checked my Amazon orders and they are both coming up for 3 years old.

Advise people not to drink tea or coffee, either, OP - loads of serious burns from cups of those, too. Handles breaking on cups, uneven surfaces, accidental spillages… Lethal, I tell you, lethal…

😂

In the Netherlands they use metal ones with a screw top. Advantage is it can't randomly burst or come undone that easily. Of course it then needs a slightly thicker cover. But still...

So it was because he was drunk, not because he used a hot water bottle. He was too drunk to wake up when the bottle burned his skin. I hope he's ok but it's a bit like saying ban cars because the driver was killed while driving when drunk.

I use them and will continue to use them. I get replace at 3 years or if the bottle is under 3 years but has done 2 full winters of use. I use hot but not boiling water, don’t overfill, expel extra air and use a cover so there is a barrier between the rubber and my skin.

I’ve had a wheat bag combust in flames a while after being taken out of a microwave so I’m not too fond of them but some of my kids prefer them.

I’ve also seen pretty much every accident known to man over the years but would never tell people not to walk on the pavement for example - had quite a few people die after cars lost control, mounted pavements and hit them. You just need to be sensible about things and accept there is risk in pretty much every single aspect of life.

I've not read all the links in the OP but what is typical with these stories in the media is that no one asked the 'victim' what they did wrongly.

There are risks to everything, even pouring boiling water from your kettle into a teapot or getting the roast out of the oven.

Years ago, before we had airfryers and oven chips, there used to be accidents and fires with chip pans. The oil would catch fire. But no one said ban chip pans.

The answer was to educate people how to use them safely.

They've definitely changed since those days. You can get ones you can sleep on top of and can leave on all night if you want. I love my electric blanket. I put it on for 15 minutes while I clean my teeth and it warms the whole bed.

My brother suffered a severe burn from a hot water bottle where the cover slipped and the rubber bit pressed against his leg. He has been on a night out and was a little worse for wear so didn’t notice until it was practically stuck to his skin

Yes! People were burned.
Many old electric blankets were a fire hazard and the wires were almost exposed. Lethal.
People would sleep on top of them all night with dire consequences.

But surely that was because you did something wrong.

Always let the air out!

I worked in a primary school a couple of years ago and they gave out hot water bottles!!! I was always so shocked. One day I did fill one up and ended up burning myself. Guess what even after that they still used hot water bottles.

You can also see if the rubber is starting to perish as it begins to look shiny and then to develop hairline cracks - it's worth doing a visual check in addition to looking at the date of manufacture.

Is nobody here old enough to remember the spate of horrific accidents caused by electric blankets when they were popular in the 70s and 80s? I know the technology will be different but the thought of being electrocuted and burning alive in my bed gives me nightmares. I'll stick to my hot water bottle. I'll just make sure its in date, not filled to bursting with boiling water and removed before going to sleep so it doesn't get squashed.

That's no way to refer to your OH!

I really think you should start a thread warning people NOT to eat any chocolate products while reading because of the risk of nodding off before they've finished. I hope you've recovered from your trauma.

The material used is perishable and should only be used 2 to 3 years after the date of being manufactured, check the flower.

It just said 'anyone working in 'A&E'. That wasn't an assumption.

https://www.cosypanda.com/blogs/cosy-blogs/how-to-check-the-age-of-a-hot-water-bottle

This link might be helpful.

Thank you for that timely warning. I can only imagine your distress.