What to Do With an Old Electric Blanket

!: What to Do With an Old Electric Blanket

Electric blankets, whether single, double, queen size, king size or full size, all get old. Wear and tear will take a toll as night after night for many years your rolling around on top of the mattress cover varieties will create friction and wear. The springs of the mattress and the raised elements of the electric blanket are natural friction points. The cotton material of the mattress cover and the blanket have fibres that rub and over time, they will wear away at the blanket material and the insulating material around the electrical elements and cord.

When these elements are sufficiently exposed there is a risk of short circuiting the blanket and electrifying the occupants of the bed. In this country there are hundreds of fires and deaths attributed to faulty electric blankets. In the United Kingdom most councils offer free safety testing of electric blankets because in any one year the UK will suffer 1000 fires, 20 deaths and over 100 injuries from electric blankets.

There are recorded cases of people suffering heat stroke and even burns from faulty electric blankets. It is even more tragic when it happens to babies or small children as they are often helpless and suffer agonizing injuries before help can arrive. The elderly are also at risk and often their infirmity hinders their own attempts to escape their predicament. If there is one place we should all feel safe, surely it is in our own bed?

So if you see wear and tear beginning, especially cracks or kinks in the insulation around the electrical cord, dispose of the blanket and buy a new one. Remove the blanket from the bed and unplug it from the wall. Cut the plug off and also cut the cord where it enters the blanket. Place the blanket in a garbage bag and put it out with the trash. Leaving it with the cord attached and out on the street for collection might result in someone taking it, using it and potentially being injured by it. Far safer for all if you render the blanket inoperable and then dispose of it properly.

Electric blankets are a wonderful appliance that makes modern living so much more comfortable. But there is a risk to manage and given how relatively cheap they are to replace, it is not worth taking risks with anything electrical. Especially not something you sleep on top of!