ITV This Morning consumer expert warns hot water bottle users of secret expiry date and tips of using heated blanket

The temperatures are set to plummet in the coming weeks and with the cost of living crisis looming, people are looking for economical ways to keep warm. Many will dig out their hot water bottles, whilst some will invest in electrical blankets to keep warm, either way, each solution comes with its risks.

Consumer expert on ITV This Morning, Alice Beer, opened her segment by describing what motivated her to share tips on how to safely use a hot water bottle. She was approached on Instagram by a mum of a 15-year-old who had been revising and cuddled close to a hot water bottle.

The girl had put boiling water in it, which Alice strongly advises against, and as the hot water bottle had a cover over it, she didn’t notice that it had perished and received third degree burns on her stomach and legs and ended up in hospital. Alice decided that this was something to alert people to on her Instagram.

ITV This Morning’s Alice Beer warns of hidden expiry date on hot water bottle

According to Alice, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital sees at least one person a week with burns from hot water bottles. So before using this item which may have been unused for months, the consumer expert issues safety check warnings to avoid causing any injuries.

The show cuts to an image of the burns the girl suffered with from her hot water bottle and Alice said: “Half of hot water bottle injuries need skin grafts, they need surgery. So these are not just surface burns, they go really deep, this is really serious and poor Grace is recovering, she’s now back at school, but it was really serious.”

This Morning co-presenter, Holly Willoughby, said: “What is the date then, I mean it’s like a sell-by-date but they don’t have it on there, do they?” To which Alice replied that they do have a date of manufacture that you may not know about as the hot water bottles are normally covered in a fluffy case.

“Why would you ever take [the fluffy case] off unless it got dirty. I’m sorry, but I think this is the worst system for printing a date because it’s so confusing.

“Inside you have got a daisy wheel date; it’s got 12 segments and in the middle of this one you have got a ‘22’. This one was made in 2022. Then you have 12 segments around the outside and those are the months.

“You can tell the month it was manufactured from when the dots end; it’s got dots in eight segments, so it was made in August.

“I mean congratulations if you can actually work that out. How an old person is going to work that out, I have no idea.”

When asked if all hot water bottles have the expiry date, she said: “If you don’t have it on, then you a) haven’t got it from a very good source and b) it’s too old.

“I’m going to say something really stupid here, but it’s relevant, when you buy a hot water bottle, the point is that the rubber is insulating and it’s strong; so if it doesn’t smell rubbery and it doesn’t feel rubbery, then it’s got a higher proportion of additives to rubber. So actually what you want is a real rubbery hot water bottle because that will protect you more. If you’re buying a cheap one, it’ll have less rubber in it and is more prone to perishing.”

Alice goes on to urge people not to put boiling water in the hot water bottle and to always take the cover off before you add the water so that you don’t miss the expiry date.

Expert tips on using electric blankets

According to Alice, the sales of heated blankets have gone up 500 per cent this year and this blanket will heat your bed up for pennies. These are very useful items as they stop you putting the heating up, saving you money on bills. However, Alice does warn viewers that the entire item is made up of wires and as such you must ‘take them seriously’ as they are a piece of electrical equipment.

“If it’s seriously folded and folded and folded, you’re going to take a risk of damaging that electrical wire. Look at them for scorch marks, take it out, make sure it’s not folded in any way.”

Phillip Schofield then talks about a scar he has on the top of his right leg from when he used an electrical blanket in New Zealand from when he was in his early 20s. There was a loop on his electrical blanket which he left on overnight and he was awoken by searing pain and although he didn’t suffer from an electric shock, he was ‘scarred for life’.

“It’s dangerous isn’t it? An older person who might not have such sensitive nerve endings, it’s going to really harm them,” Alice said.

“So please don’t buy a second-hand one; do make sure it’s safe, check the fuses, check the connections, unravel it, make sure it’s nice and flat. Use them because they are brilliant, cheap ways of keeping your heating down - but please be careful with them.”