How to Use a Hot Water Bottle Safely -- The Essential Guide

Whether you're searching for a cure for those bone-chilling winter nights or you're in need of a compress to ease some aches and pains, look no further than those soothing hot water bottles.

Everybody nowadays has a hot water bottle at home. If you don’t have one, then it is time that you get one for the benefits that this container has. If you've ever had to slide underneath ice-cold sheets on a frigid winter night, you already know the value of a warm bed.

You may have even considered getting a pet or a spouse just to increase the temperature under your covers. While it's unwise to marry someone just for their body heat, you should still keep your bed toasty. A hot water bottle is a great way to do it. You can choose one from our online store Luckybudmall.com to have a try.

How Do Hot Water Bottles Work

A hot water bottle or also named hot water bag is a rubber or thermoplastic bottle with a hollow inner void into which hot water can be poured and stored. A screw cap lid is used to completely envelope the water from the surrounding air. 

It looks like a whoopee cushion and an ice pack that your grandmother used. It is used to administer heat or cold to your body, similar to a heating pad or ice pack, yet it’s incredibly safe because it involves zero electricity.

Benefits & Uses Of Hot Water Bottles

As a younger generation, you may used to watch your grandma using this rubber bottle at bedtime to comfort her cold and discomfort tummy. These handy little old-school items are a must-have in any house, and they are one of the most low-tech, low-cost, fuss-free ways to alleviate pain and deliver warmth. But what are they used for? Do you know their basic benefits and uses?

1, Using a hot water bottle to keep warm

The hot water bottles are for people who like to keep a cooler house. They are also for people who are reluctant to use a electric blanket. As they clearly do a hang-up job of passively heating up the bed....

Hot water bottles may be old fashioned, but it is warm. Nothing heats up the bed faster like hot water bottles. If you live in a place covered with snow and you don’t have a hot water bag at the foot of the bed, you should definitely reconsider about using one.

“Every night I heat up the kettle and skillet with very warm water. Then I tuck it in under my covers while I'm getting ready for bed so that my sheets won't be cold when I climb in. It holds heat for a very long time and I have appreciated it very much these cold winter nights.” -- A review from one customer.

You can place a hot water bottle in your bed for 10-15 minutes before you plan to sleep, or just go to bed with it. In any case, it will fill you with comfort, warmth, and relaxation.

2, Using a hot water bottle to ease aches and pains

“Whenever my period comes around it puts me through a crippling amount of pain.”

“I've suffered with back pain most of my life and winter months really make the pain unbearable.”

“I sit at a desk all day and I have the worst posture imaginable. By the time I get home from work, I am aching in all the worst places but the most painful spot recently has been my neck and shoulders.”

Do the above conditions sound familiar with you? If so, you should have a try, try to take the old school route and try this cute thing.

If you usually get painful awful periods, these hot water bottles would be the best item during your painful period. They are very useful for women during their menstrual periods to overcome pain.

“I've rediscovered the joy of using a hot water bottle to soothe cramping that oral medicines do not help.” Said one lady who suffered a painful period every month.

It is such a normal thing to come back home exhausted from your work and feeling the pain in your neck, shoulders and back. But every issue has a solution. Place a hot water bottle on the affected area of your body; it will help you to soothe the pain. Hence, doing the same thing every night before going to bed will make you more active and more productive the next day.

Hot-water bags can also be used for both ear and toothaches.

Attention here: These bottles aren't an absolute cure-all. If you have an injury, or are dealing with inflammation, you should ice the area, instead of applying heat. A good rule of thumb is that ice is for trauma, and heat is for aches, pains, and stress.

3, Using a hot water bottle to relieve stress and anxiety

You always wonder how you can find basic ways to relax and chill out in order to forget everything that bothers you the most. Because our modern way of life and recent economic challenges have led to higher levels of stress, anxiety and sleeping difficulties in the general population.

It is a well-known fact that long term stress and sleeping difficulties can have adverse consequences on an individual’s health, thus we need some extra help to relax and calm down. Every time when you feel sad or depressed, try hugging a warm water bottle, which can improve your blood circulation and help you relax.

4, Using a hot water bottle to save your camping trip

If you like to primitive camp so, since no electricity to make life more comfortable. Thus you are going to purchase either a solar powered generator or an inverter generator to take on your camping trips to run a electric blanket. While you will find that solar generator won’t supply enough power and the inverter generator is too noisy for primitive camping. Why not use a hot water bottle instead? Anyway, besides a hot water bottle, you can also try other different ways to heat your winter camping tents without electricity.

Those hot water bottles can be retained heat for over several hours, which will keep your sleeping bag nice and toasty all night long.

“This item is now added to my list of camping supplies and I won’t leave home without it. A LOT cheaper, lighter, quieter, and definitely more packable than a generator.” Said a camping lover.

In fact, you are always allowed to take your hot water bottle with you on the trips in planes or on buses, it’s great for hot to cold climate changes.

5, Using a hot water bottle for babies & young children

Hot water bottles can be great for keeping the little ones in your life cosy and warm. As we all know that babies are sensitive to temperature changes and they love to sleep in a warm room. This is why they might start crying when they are out of their mother’s hands, so in a cold bed. A simple little strategy could help your baby fall asleep with comfort and help save your nerves and your time. 

“I wanted to have something on hand that my daughter could take to bed with her without worrying about her falling asleep with an electric heating pad left on. This hot water bottle is so simple, has a nice tight stopper to prevent leaks, and the really cute sweater cover helps keep the surface of the rubber from laying directly on your skin and causing any burns and helps insulate the water bottle to keep it warmer longer. ”  Said a mother.

However, there are some warm notes if you use it for children. Always check the temperature of a hot water bottle to be used with children. Their skin is more sensitive than the skin of an adult and a lower temperature may be more appropriate.

Children and babies should never be left alone with a hot water bottle, and bottles should not be placed directly on a child’s skin. For use warming a child’s bed, remove the hot water bottle before the child enters the bed to avoid unintentional burns or accidents.

6, Can be Unique and Practical Gift Ideas

You can make the hot water bottle a beautiful present for your grandma and grandpa or for your parents too, because it is not only fun and unique but a gift that is useful and keeps giving.

You can also gift it to a friend who’s always complaining about cold winter or about how cold he feels all day no matter how much suits he wears. This is especially a warm-hearted gift for her on any occasion, no matter Valentine’s Day gift or Christmas gift.

How to Use a Hot Water Bottle Safely

Using a hot water bottle properly is critical. Remember to always check for damage first and to read the instructions supplied with your hot water bottle as best practices may vary slightly. You should boil the water before you put it in the bottle. Boiling removes impurities that can damage and degrade the material. 

Since all uses require the hot water bottle to be initially filled with hot water so it’s important to understand how to fill a hot water bottle safely. Now let’s follow the instructions step by step.

Step 1, Check the hot water bottle

First of all it is important to check that the hot water bottle is safe to use. Check that there are no obvious signs of damage on your hot water bottle, because cracks and tears can be very dangerous when pouring hot water. Also make sure that you read all the instructions, as there may be some useful guidance in relation to your bottle.

Step 2, Unscrew the stopper and begin to fill it to 2/3 full

Once you are happy that the hot water bottle is safe to use, unscrew the stopper and pour out any water left inside from previous use. Gradually fill the hot water bottle to about 75% capacity. Use boiled water that has cooled down to a safe temperature, typically you can wait for it to cool for at least 15-20 minutes after boiling.

It is important to remember that you should never attempt to use boiling water from a kettle or cooker as this can cause burns or damage the seams of the hot water bottle. It is also not recommended to use hot tap water as this may contain impurities, typically removed during the boiling process, which can degrade the hot water bottle.

Step 3, Squeeze the extra air out of the bottle and screw the topper

Slowly squeeze the remaining air out of the hot water bottle so that the water level rises to just below the top. Then screw back on the stopper and make sure it is tight. Finally use a towel or dish cloth to dry the hot water bottle and the stopper. Take the bottle upside down for leakage checking. If no leaking, so your hot water bottle is now ready to use! It’s now time to sit back and relax.

How to store hot water bottles when not in use

Remember it’s the little things you do every time you use your hot water bottle that will help it last longer. 

After each use, it’s important to empty the hot water bottle and hang it upside down to dry. Only once the inside is completely dry should it be removed and stored in a dark, dry location. Exposure to excess sunlight can result in cracks, while storing a wet hot water bottle can result in the growth of mould inside the bottle.

A cupboard, drawer or wardrobe is ideal but places to avoid include: airing cupboard, boiler cupboard or near a radiator as continued fluctuations in temperature can adversely affect the bottle. Similarly, avoid contact with chemical substances which may degrade the rubber.

Once a hot water bottle has been identified as too worn to continue to use it is important to discard it right away otherwise someone else may use it without realizing.

Conclusion

All in all, these magnificent tools are great and effective ways of keeping you warm, reducing stress, easing aches, alleviating pains, and helping you sleep. Do you have a hot water bottle at home? How do you use it? Let’s share our experience in the comment below!