To remind you all to throw out old hot water bottles

[Qwertyyui]

I just learned the hard way that old ones do burst and boiling water actually can remove skin from your body! I never realised it could cause such damage and assumed if it happened I'd have a light red mark not a nurse peeling skin off my thigh! If it's more than 2 years replace it!

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

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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.

Bloody hell Op!

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

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

Wow I never knew this!!

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

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

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.

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

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!

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.

don't overfill them?

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

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

Omg I still have a hot water bottle from 1989!

Oh wow, I never knew this. I have a few old ones! Thank you for the warning! Hopefully you have at least saved others from doing the same. Hope you get better soon! 💐

Mine doesn't even have a flower wheel on it. It's definitely more than four years old and when I had a look I could see it degrading. Thanks for this thread, I just threw it away. I hope you feel better soon.

:(

I now only use those wheat packs. I'm on my own and can be forgetful.

I had no idea about this I've been giving on to my mother for her back pain. I'll check the date on hers.

I didn't know they had an expiry date either!

I hope your recovery goes well.

I had an accident with one last year when it had an air bubble and bubbled up over my hand. It was excruciating and I have a high pain threshold!

I'm sure the nurses will have mentioned it but if you ever get scalded again, put the injured part under cold running water as soon as possible, and keep it there for ten minutes at least. I got burned by molten solder once and had to do this, we filled a bucket with icy water and I kept my hand in that - was easier than standing by the sink. I've still got the scars (very small) because hot solder is a heck of a lot hotter than boiled water, but it would have hurt a hell of a lot more if I hadn't.

We do still have a HWB I think but we don't use them often and always with a cover on. I'll check the manufacture date on it and get rid if it's too old, thanks.

I don't trust hot water bottles I have a plug in heat pad which is far safer and just as effective