With a cold snap coming up, you might be like me and picturing cosy nights, wrapped up in bed with your trusty hot water bottle to keep you extra snug under the duvet.
Alternatively, you may use hot water bottles for pain relief and to ease discomfort on stiff, sore days.
Whatever the reason, for many of us, hot water bottles are an absolute must-have and are a regular feature in our daily routines.
However, did you know that these toasty treasures... expire?! And if it’s not replaced, it could lead to severe injuries? Neither did I.
How to check expiry date on hot water bottles
According to the Child Accident Prevention Trust, hot water bottles do have expiry dates as rubber deteriorates over time, meaning that old bottles can break and cause serious burns.
The trust recommends that people regularly check for signs of wear and tear on the bottles and that bottles aren’t used once they are more than two years old.
Using the image below as an example, the trust says: “This flower symbol, found on hot water bottles, indicates exactly when it was made.
“The number in the middle is the year it was made, the flower segments represent the 12 months of the year and the dots inside those represent the number of weeks. So this hot water bottle was made in April 2021.”
The trust also advises that hot water bottles should never be left in a baby’s sleep space as the child can overheat, hot water bottles should never be sat or lay on and a cover should always be used with the bottle.
What to do if a hot water bottle leaks on you?
The trust recommends the mantra: COOL, CALL, COVER and these actions:
- Run lots of cool running water over the burn for 20 minutes
- Call 999, 111, or your GP
- Cover the burn with loose strips of cling film or clan non-fluffy material to stop it getting infected