Wait – my hot water bottle expired? But I only got it for Christmas!
There’s nothing so comforting as cuddling up to a hot water bottle. With the weather as chilly as it is right now, I cling to one daily! But, as I routinely filled my bottle the other night, I noticed something strange: a small flower logo with a number in it. I’d spotted the same thing on my other hot water bottle (yes, I have two…) and wondered what it could mean.
Turns out, this indicates when your hot water bottle was manufactured. It’s important because it tells you how old the bottle really is, and so potentially when it needs replacing. I was confused by this; not only did I not know hot water bottles have a so-called ‘expiry date’, but the one I’d just been gifted for Christmas was already over two years old! What could this mean? Should I replace it already? Here’s what I found out.
How can you tell when your hot water bottle expires?
Seeing that most manufacturers and the Child Accident Prevention Trust recommend replacing your hot water bottle every two years, you could interpret that as replacing it two years after the manufacture date. That’s not strictly true, as we’ll discuss later, but it’s still handy to know where to find this date on the bottle itself. There should also be a British Standards Institution Kitemark to show it meets UK safety standards.
To find the manufacture date, you’ll first need to remove the bottle from its cover and hold it up to the light; the date can be tricky to see, depending on the colour of your bottle.
The location can vary. For some bottles, it’s in the top-right corner, just below the neck. For others, it’s on the neck itself. Either way, you’ll see a round logo that looks a bit like a flower, about the size of a pound coin. The number within indicates the year your hot water bottle was manufactured.
You’ll also see some little dots inside the ‘petals’. Each dot represents one week, and each petal refers to one month (you’ll notice there are 12 in total). These are generally filled in a clockwise direction, with January at the top, to show the exact week your bottle was produced.
For instance, if one petal has four dots, that month’s complete, but if there’s a petal that has only one or two dots, it means the bottle was manufactured in the first or second week of that corresponding month. Sometimes, there will only be dots in a single petal (with no other filled petals) – in that case, just count clockwise from the top (January) to work out which month it corresponds to.
So, by counting your way around the wheel, or petals, clockwise, then adding two years, you can tell to the week when time’s supposedly up for your hot water bottle.
What happens when your hot water bottle expires?
Once your hot water bottle expires, the rubber or PVC material could start to degrade. This eventually happens to every hot water bottle with regular use. If not replaced, the bottle may start to crack and crumble, losing its flexibility. In the worst-case scenario, the body could rupture in use, potentially leaking and even burning the user.
However, the key thing to note here is the bottle will only really start to degrade with regular use; i.e. filling it with hot water. So, the time spent between it being manufactured and arriving in your home doesn’t really count towards the expiry date. In fact, you should ideally start counting down your two years from the date of purchase, according to The Hot Water Bottle Co, checking it for signs of damage before each use.
The manufacture date still has its uses, though; at the very least, it tells you the overall age of the hot water bottle if you’re ever unsure.
Still, that means my Christmas present is fine to use (phew!), and the hot water bottle I was gifted last year is still good for another year, too. Although, you need to make sure you use your hot water bottle the right way, otherwise you could unintentionally damage it and shorten its lifespan.
What not to do with your hot water bottle
Do not fill your hot water bottle with boiling water. The seams can degrade when exposed to such high temperatures, plus you risk scalding yourself as you attempt to fill it from a kettle. Instead, wait for the water to cool first; The Hot Water Bottle Co recommends waiting for at least 20 minutes. The Child Accident Prevention Trust also recommends using a temperature similar to bath water for children and always using a cover. If your hot water bottle comes with maximum temperature guidelines, follow these.
Do not fill more than two-thirds full. Any fuller than this could stretch the bottle and lead to leaks as you replace the stopper. Release any excess air by lowering the bottle upright on to a flat surface and gently pressing at the sides. Once you see the water, you can seal it. This gives it room to expand in use.
Do not leave cold water sitting in your hot water bottle. This is easily done once you’ve finished using your hot water bottle for the season, but it will gradually degrade the rubber. Plus, it will smell stale when the time comes to empty it! Always empty your hot water bottle as soon as you’ve finished with it and leave it open and hanging inverted to air dry before storing.
Do not store near a heat source, such as a radiator or airing cupboard. This will degrade the rubber over time, too.
Do not place it in direct contact with your skin; always use a cover. And do not sleep with or apply pressure to your hot water bottle. Never place a hot water bottle near a sleeping baby, either.
Final note
Of course, your hot water bottle could well last longer than two years, depending on how you use it (i.e. avoiding the above). The key is to keep checking it for wear and tear before each use (particularly along the seams) and replacing it when necessary. Look out for cracks, creases and discoloration.
If you have a favourite hot water bottle cover, you can always just buy a new bottle and recycle the old one. Whether your bottle is new or old, it’s also good practice to test it by filling it with cold water and giving it a gentle shake and squeeze beforehand. Make sure the stopper is sealed without leaks and always follow the instructions.
John Lewis Hot Water Bottle
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Samply Hot Water Bottle with Knitted Cover
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