There is nothing quite like a cool room and warm bed. I set my blanket to the preheat setting about ten minutes before I go to bed and by the time I brush my teeth and head to bed it is warm. I have never been a fan of having to have a huge pile of blankets to keep me warm during the winter and with my electric blanket I can a few comfortable layers that aren’t heavy or over-bearing.
I remember growing up as a kid wanting an electric blanket and remember my parents saying they were dangerous and that I couldn’t have one. Now, nearly fifteen years later things have changed. It is very standard for families to have electric blankets. My wife and I love our electric blanket and even my parents use one on their bed. But have people become accustomed to the dangerous of electric blankets or have they become safer over the years?
With the advancements in technology over the years, wires, electronics and automatic shut off timers have helped electric blankets become safer. In a press release by Ealing.gov they stated that “..99 percent of electric blanket fires are believed to involve blankets that are more than 10 years old.” People need to realize that electric blankets are an electrical appliance and like all appliances they can go bad. My wife and I error on the side of safety and replace our electric blanket every five years.
Many electric blanket manufacturers recommend that you have your electric blanket checked every three years. A lot of cities hold annual events where they will check your electric blanket for problems for free.
If you are a responsible adult who purchases an electric blanket and follows the manufactures recommendations and replaces their electric blanket with a new one every five to ten years then an electric blanket is probably one of the least of worries in your house.
Is the electric blanket safe for everyone? Infants or small children should not be given an electric blanket. Anyone who is helpless, paralyzed, insensitive to heat, or who cannot understand the control’s operation should never be allowed to use these appliances. Some elderly people with one or more of conditions sometimes insist on having their electric blanket. Be strong and show them “tough love”.
Many elderly people love electric blankets and who can blame them? If you give an elderly person an electric blanket as a gift…then it is best that you be sure to maintain that gift for them. That means having it checked to the manufacturer’s standards.
Some doctors say that electric blankets are perfectly fine for women who are pregnant and others say it is bad. My wife and I error on the side of safety and would not use the electric blanket during pregnancy. Luckily for me, our electric blanket has duel controls and I warm my side up while she leaves her side off. I tend to find her feet sneaking onto my side of the bed at night!
I am by no means an expert on the safety of an electric blanket. I just wanted to share some of my research that I preformed before purchasing my first electric blanket nearly seven years ago. We have had ours and absolutely love it! There is nothing like cracking the window and slipping into warm sheets.
