Electric mattress pad cover and/or electric blankets??

[maxaroni]

This was an office conversation as we were discussing how low we turn our heat to at night. We lower it to 58 as we like a cooler house and layers of blankets. Others said they turn it down to 68 (72 daytime) and most thought that was too warm. As a kid, my mom always had bedroom windows cracked open in the middle of the night! Anyway, one said they have the heat at 58 at night but have an electric mattress pad cover. My grandparents & parents always had electric blankets.

So, do you use either? Do you think they are safe?

 

[ronandannette]

This was an office conversation as we were discussing how low we turn our heat to at night. We lower it to 58 as we like a cooler house and layers of blankets. Others said they turn it down to 68 (72 daytime) and most thought that was too warm. As a kid, my mom always had bedroom windows cracked open in the middle of the night! Anyway, one said they have the heat at 58 at night but have an electric mattress pad cover. My grandparents & parents always had electric blankets.

So, do you use either? Do you think they are safe?

I think both are safe enough - they've been in wide use for many, many years and you don't hear of a lot of incidents. I grew up in an old, drafty and hard to heat farm house - in the dead of a Canadian winter electric blankets were our salvation. I don't need one now in our current circumstances but I think if I did, I'd go with the mattress pad and just my regular blankets on top.

 

[Christine]

I think both or safe though I use neither. Now that I'm "of a certain age" no matter how cold my room is I am breaking out in a sweat. But my daughter uses them.

 

[lorimt]

I have had a heated mattress pad for years and absolutely love it. I crank it up before I get in bed so it’s nice and toasty but usually turn it off before I go to sleep. DH doesn’t like to be hot while sleeping so it’s great that I can keep mine on when I want and he can leave his side off.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Both would be safe provided you take care of them and use them as directed.

I personally like heated blankets. It's way easier to remove should you get hot. Heated mattress pad covers always sounded great but I often get hot throughout the night so it would end up being more uncomfortable for me plus heated blankets can more easily be moved from place to place like you're a bit chilled at night watching TV get out the heated blanket and you're golden.

Our last heated blanket was a king size (which we do have a king sized bed) but was not rated for machine washable. The next heated blanket we get we want it to be machine washable. I do have a heated throw blanket but I never liked the tugging of getting the throw to adequately cover me so I would opt for a larger blanket size.

 

[tvguy]

I had an electric blanket in the 1960's when I was like 13 until I was about 28. When DW got pregnant in 1986 her Doctor suggested it might not be a good idea as there were concerns about the electro-magnetic fields they created and fetuses. Seems that may not have amounted to anything, but we haven't used an electric blanket in over 30 years. Still have the blanket, keep it in my truck, they threw the controllers out years ago.
Funny how your temperature preferences change as you age. I liked cool (70ish) when DW and I got married 38 years ago and she liked hot. I worked overnights and came home our first winter we were married and DW was in the shower, the house was 90, and the poor cat was sprawled out on the cool tile entry way on his back! Now, DW controls the thermostat and it is at 68 year round. Me, I now own sweaters.

 

[Jennasis]

We keep our house at 65 during the day and 67 when we are home. Any less than that and I am freezing. We have an electric pad (meant to go across the foot of your bed to keep your feet warm at night) but we lay it across our couch and sit on that while watching tv. It's heavenly. The bedroom is upstairs and heat rises so it tends to get warmer up there anyway.

 

[amcnj]

Some household members used heated mattress pads, but mainly to warm up the bed before getting into bed.

 

[maxaroni]

Interesting. My DS & his fiancée are polar opposites as he is always warm and she freezes. Something to look at for a future gift for them. When he lived home, he always enjoyed layers of blankets but his home now isn’t kept as cool as ours is at night. I believe they have their heat at 64 at night and she is still cold.

 

[RogueX]

I have Raynauds, so my hands and feet turn blue and I'm cold all the time until summer finally makes it here. I use a heated mattress pad and it's been a life saver. I usually preheat the bed and keep it on until I turn off the tv before going to sleep.

Funny enough, my dog knows when the mattress warmer is on, there she is, getting all warm herself.

 

[leebee]

We keep the house at 58-60 all winter. I have an electric blanket on my side of the bed (twin blanket, king bed) which I turn on about an hour before going to bed. I turn it off when I get in bed; hate getting into cold sheets, but I don't like leaving the electric blanket on all night. Once I'm in bed there are enough blankets on the bed to keep me warm, but I sure do hate getting into cold sheets!

 

[piglet too]

We keep our house set to 68° during the day and 66° overnight during the winter. (As a point of reference, we live near Chicago.) Love our electric blankets, keep it on year round in case I’m too cold from the air conditioner. I wouldn’t want a heated mattress pad because if I get too warm, it’s very easy to remove the blanket.

 

[PollyannaMom]

So, do you use either? Do you think they are safe?

I've never had one because I was afraid I would worry about fires.

We have an electric pad (meant to go across the foot of your bed to keep your feet warm at night)

But I didn't know they made these!

my dog knows when the mattress warmer is on, there she is, getting all warm herself.

Awww!!

 

[jdb in AZ]

I had an electric blanket that I "handed down" to my son so it was about 20 years old when it caught fire on his bed. I threw it out the window before the son or the house could catch fire. Haven't had any desire to use an electric blanket since.

 

[crazylady]

While I do believe they are safe, I had a friend whose sister was electrocuted from an electric blanket so we do not use them.

 

[ashley0139]

I can't imagine keeping my house in the 50s and 60s. I would be miserable. I keep mine at 72 at night but I don't live in a cold climate. I also live alone so thankfully I get to keep it however I want. I'm always cold.

 

[indimom]

We used to use an electric blanket (years and years ago), then upgraded to an electric mattress pad. We both would start it before we got in bed, then turn it down/off if we got too warm during the night.
I preferred the mattress pad. While both had dual settings, the blanket would get moved around so we were getting too warm or too cool based on our personal preferences. I also felt like it had to be washed regularly and worried about damage to the wiring/electrical components. The mattress pad didn't move around, so each side was always warmed to our preference; and, I didn't feel like I had to wash it as often since it was protected by the sheets.
We don't use anything anymore because we got a different mattress and couldn't confirm that it was approved for the mattress. So, I just suffer until the bed warms up. lol.

 

[Shelley Chiarats]

My husband and I have had an electric mattress pad for many years now. We love it especially the dual controls. He used to not turn his side on while I would have mine on. But in the last year or so he has decided that warm feet are a really good thing. So he kicks them both into preheat while we get ready for bed. Then we are warm while watching tv and usually turn them down as we turn the tv off to go to sleep.

I like the mattress pad better than the blanket because I sleep in pj pants and long sleeve tee and tend to kick off my blankets.

 

[design_mom]

We have a heated mattress pad with dual controls. My husband is always cold. I tend to run warm when I sleep. I like to turn my side on to warm up the bed before I get into it, but I turn it off when I get in. He keeps his on all night.

 

[gtpoohbear]

We use them at our ski condo in the mountains. We keep the thermostat in the high 60's, but our bed is right by 2 very drafty windows, and there is always a cool air flow coming in. The heated blanket makes it bearable. One day we'll replace the windows and may not need the electric blanket, but it works pretty well!