CARE OF HEATED BEDDINGWASHING AND DRYING ELECTRIC BLANKETS OR MATTRESS PADSAll manufacturers of automatic blankets and pads designed for the US market will allow limited machine washing and drying of their products. All recommend a short gentle wash cycle and most recommend limited drying. Some manufacturers state that their products will shrink slightly and consequently must be re-stretched to full size after laundering. One manufacturer states their products can be dried fully without any shrinkage. All insist that the dryer be large enough to allow the bedding to tumble freely during drying. All warming bedding manufacturers state that commercial dryers (e.g. laundromat dryers) should not be used. The reason for this is that many commercial dryers are very hot and the product may be damaged from the heat. There should be no problem using a commercial dryer if the drying heat is truly low. IRONING ELECTRIC BLANKETS OR MATTRESS PADS Never iron any warming blanket or warming electric mattress pad. The iron’s heat can damage the heater wire insulation. DRY CLEANING ELECTRIC BLANKETS OR MATTRESS PADS Never dry clean any warming blanket or warming electric mattress pad. The chemicals used in dry cleaning can damage the heater wire insulation. STORING ELECTRIC BLANKETS OR PADS There is no real need to store an electric blanket or mattress pad for the warm season. You could continue to use it without turning it on. However if you wish to store one, you should follow these general rules: a) Unplug the controls from the wall and from the bedding. b) Check over the blanket or pad for any unusual things such as exposed wiring, scorched fabric, connector not well secured to the fabric, etc. If the bedding is dirty, this is a good time to wash it. c) Check the controls and cords for any unusual things such as a crack in the plastic, any darkened areas, any cuts or crimped areas in the insulation. d) Carefully and loosely wrap the cords either around the control or in a separate loose coil. You may wish to bag the control(s) separately. If you do, keep the cord(s) loose being sure not to pinch the cord or put it into a severe strain anywhere. e) Either roll up or fold up the blanket/pad gently being careful not to put any of the heater wires into a sharp hard fold. f) Put the bedding and control together into a large plastic bag and seal the bag (e.g. with a twist tie). g) Store the bag in a place that is rodent free until you need the bedding again. |
Copyright 2008-10 Electric Blanket Institute™ All Rights Reserved. You may cite any text of this article without prior permission as long as you maintain its accuracy and give proper credit to the Electric Blanket Institute™. This information has been developed over many years of testing and is presented freely for educational use only and without any warranty of any kind. It is not a substitute for the safe usage practices of your individual product.