To remind people NOT to use hot water bottles?

[Laptopsas]

There is another thread running about cold weather and hit water bottles are being recommended as safe. They are not.

Get a heated throw or the microwaveable bags.

If you must use one, don’t use boiling water.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5068468-to-remind-you-all-to-throw-out-old-hot-water-bottles

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5176765-water-bottle-exploded

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2kd7k2e48jo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxnez4zxkno

Ok, thank you.

I like HWB that have a nice fluffy or quilted cover. That means you can use hot water 😃 but it cools gradually and stays hot longer overnight.

Nothing worse than waking up in the night with a freezing cold lump of rubber next to your bum.

Hot water bottles are perfectly safe. Many humans are not safe to use them it seems. FFS. Are people so stupid these days?

Hot water bottles are fine to use as long as the bottle is in good condition, it's not over filled and you get rid of much of the extra air in it as possible as the heat will make it expand.

On the other hand I've had wheat bags melt, not get warm enough, be too hot and created insect infestations.

I think your warning is important - especially as it pertains to children.

Great tip - I wish they'd been around/I'd known about them at the time! Thankfully periods are now a thing of the past for me, if I use a hottie these days it's for warmth in bed. I use a heated throw downstairs but I don't like heated blankets in bed as I very easily get too warm. A hottie is ideal because I can move it to a different part of the bed if I'm getting too warm.

I will never stop using hot water bottles they are the only thing which really helps ease my endometriosis, adenomyosis and IBS pain, I've tried all other alternatives and nothing else helps. Wheat bags are useless.

At 52 I'm old enough and sensible enough to regularly check my bottles.

My mum had to have a skin graft after using a hot water bottle. We bought them and electric blanket that has duel controls after that. We have one two and they are brilliant.

We just use to warm up the bed and can time to go off. I can't sleep if I'm cold in bed.

I’m 56 years old and have never had a problem with hot water bottles. Have no intention of not using them, v capable of following guidance- as is everybody.

The advice is to avoid using hot tap water as minerals in the water can prematurely degrade the rubber. You’re meant to use boiled water that’s been allowed to cool.

I didn’t know that hot water bottles have an expiry date….oops.

Heated throws are not without their own risks. I nodded off under mine last winter and when I woke up, the half eaten bag of Maltesers I’d got on my lap had melted. And I had to go back several chapters in my audiobook.

This ⬆️.
I read about how many admissions there are to A&E from putting trousers on. Whatever you do, I suppose, just be careful.

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

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

This link might be helpful.

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

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

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.

That's no way to refer to your OH!

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.

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.

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.

Always let the air out!

But surely that was because you did something wrong.

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.