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Want to stay warm this winter but don’t want to spend a fortune on heating bills, electric blankets, heating pads and and single-use handwarmers? Here’s how.
The Hot Water bottle is a flat rubber bottle with a rubber-coated screw-cap at the top, commonly covered with an insulating cloth or fake-fur bag. It is used to heat the bed on cold winter nights, and provides up to eight hours of warmth using just four cups of heated (not boiled!) water.
It enjoys massive popularity in cold countries such as Japan, France, Britain etc but it is relatively unknown in America. Known as a ‘hottie’ in Britain (a fact which many amuse American users, who use this as the slang for a cute ‘hot’ girl or guy), the hot water bottle is a cheap, cost-effective and long-lasting alternative to an electric blanket.
It is also a very effective and chemical-free way to apply hours of steady warmth to a specific part of the body such as strained muscles or an aching back…. also good to warm cold hands or feet while you’re typing or working at home. A fact that the manufacturers of chemical products such as Deep Heat or hot gel packs and heating packs may not want you to know!
Caution must be observed in its use, but with a bit of practice and common sense you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one.
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Instructions
Things you will need:
- Water
- A kettle
- Hot water bottle
- Fleece or fur cover
- Common sense
Step1
To make a fresh hot water bottle: peel back the fabric bag to expose the stopper. Remove stopper and heat some water using a kettle.
Step2
Stay with the kettle: DO NOT let the water boil! This is key to mastering the Hot Water Bottle. Watch the spout when it starts to make a boiling sound. Remove it from the heat as soon as steam starts to slowly rise from the spout. If steam is pouring our or the kettle is whistling it is too late. Switch kettle off and wait 10 minutes for water to cool.
Step3
Next, hold the bottle carefully by the neck and pour boiling water into the bottle. When it is about 60 or 70% full, stop pouring. An overfilled bottle may burst.
Step4
Finally, expel the air by holding the bottle’s neck in both hands and pressing the bottle between your stomach/ hips and the side of the sink or kitchen counter. Slowly and carefully lean forwards on the bag, expelling the air and flattening the bottle. Don’t do this quickly or jerk it or you get hot water down your pants, which is never fun! When you see the water come right up to the lip of the bottle, screw the cap back on before releasing the bag. It’s important to expel as much air as possible or your hot water bottle will stretch out and may eventually rupture if you accidentally lie on it in the night.
Step5
Buy a cover for your bottle if it does not come with one, so you can ‘cuddle up’ to your bottle or put it on your cold feet to warm them. Heavenly!
Step6
Use two or more hot water bottles to warm both the top and bottom of your bed at once. This feels incredible and in just five minutes your bed will go from an arctic wasteland to a toasty paradise that you will not want to leave.
Step7
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Natasha Rhodes is the author of a number of movie novelizations and original books, including the smash-hit movie blockbuster ‘Blade: Trinity,’ ‘Final Destination: The Movie’ 1 and 2, and ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street: Perchance To Dream.’
You can read more of her ramblings, stories, articles and books at www.natasharhodes.com.
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Tips & Warnings
- In England, many people ‘jerry rig’ their hot water bottle by attaching a padded fleeced strap through the hole in the top of the stopper and looping it around their neck. This enables the hot water bottle to be ‘worn’ under a thick jacket for hours of cozy warmth during night-time functions such as fireworks, outside winter parties etc. This is fine, but make sure you screw the cap on tightly first. It goes without saying to NEVER allow a child to do this due to the choking danger posed by the strap.
- NEVER try to save time by heating a hot water bottle in the microwave. You will cook the rubber and the whole thing will melt. Also, the air inside the bottle will expand and the whole thing may explode.
- NEVER use boiling water in your hot water bottle. Boiling water will weaken the rubber that the bottle is made out of. It may not look damaged but the rubber will straightaway feel ‘soft’. And it WILL leak or burst, either right away as soon as pressure is put on it, or in time.
- Hot water bottles are not recommended for babies, very small children, the elderly or invalids. Small children may chew on the rubber and puncture the bag, and people who do not have much mobility may become overheated or burn themselves if the bag becomes detached and the hot bare rubber touches their skin during the night.
- Throw away your bottle after about 3 years, or 1 year if you use it every night. It may look ok but the rubber seal will eventually decay and start to leak. Better safe than sorry!
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