Care of Electric Blankets and Mattress Pads

Washing and Drying Electric Blankets or Mattress Pads

All manufacturers of electric blankets and heated mattress 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 machine 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 machine dried fully without any shrinkage. All insist that the dryer be large enough to allow the bedding to tumble freely during drying. Read the product care label affixed to your product or your User Manual.

All warming bedding manufacturers state that commercial dryers should not be used. The reason for this is that some commercial dryers are very hot and the product may be damaged from the heat. There will be no problem using a laundromat’s large dryer if the heat is low and the bedding tumbles freely.

Dry Cleaning Electric Blankets or Electric Mattress Pads

For some reason this is quite a common question we get. Some think dry cleaning may be gentler than washing or some never have thought that an electric blanket could be washed. NEVER dry clean any warming blanket or warming electric mattress pad. The chemicals used in dry cleaning can damage the heater wire insulation.

Ironing Electric Blankets or Electric Mattress Pads

NEVER iron any warming blanket or warming electric mattress pad. The iron’s heat can damage the heater wire insulation.

Storing Electric Blankets or Electric Mattress Pads

There is no real need to store an electric blanket or mattress pad for the summer season. You can continue to use it on your bed without turning it on. However if you wish to store one, you should follow these general rules:

1. Unplug the controls from the wall and from the bedding.
2. Check 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Put the bedding and control together into a large plastic bag and seal the bag (e.g. with a twist tie).
7. Store the bag in a place that is rodent free until you need the bedding again.
8. When you put it back into use, make certain that the blanket or pad connectors are connected tightly. Insecure connections are the cause for many safety (e.g. overheating) and reliability (e.g. controllers don't work properly) problems.

Choosing the Best Electric Bedding For YOU

1. Before You Buy – A MUST Review: 5 Keys to Selecting the Most Appropriate Electric Bedding for YOUR Needs!
2. Unsure which kind to buy? Our Reviews in the Buyers Guide section can help.
3. Still unsure which to buy? Try our new FREE Personalized Recommendations service.
4. Ready to Buy? If you want to see a list of retailers carrying ALL the major brands of heated MATTRESS PADS this year, see Heated Mattress Pad Retailers. If you want to see a list of retailers that are carrying ALL the major brands of heated BLANKETS this year, click Stores Selling Electric Blankets.