Check your hot water bottle expiry date, urges expert

Watch: Expert warns hot water bottle users to check expiry dates before using them

Cosying up with a hot water bottle is one of the joys of cold weather. However, you should check that your hot water bottle is still in date before you use it for the first time this year, consumer expert Alice Beer warns.

In an appearance on This Morning today, Beer urged viewers to "empower themselves with the information they need" when it comes to hot water bottle use: namely, the expiration date.

Hot water bottles are a longstanding, low-cost way to stay warm, but they generally have a two-year lifespan. Using it beyond its expiry runs the risk of the rubber bottles splitting because the rubber has degraded, which means you may scald yourself.

According to the British Burns Association, one person in the UK gets seriously scalded every day from filling or using a hot water bottle.

Last year, the cost of living crisis meant more people turned to hot water bottles to heat themselves - however, data shows that the number of burns to both children and adults increased as a result.

Information from the International Burn Injury Database showed that burns and scalds to children in the first six months of 2023 increased by 45%, while burns and scalds to adults and elderly people from hot water bottles increased by nearly 20% in the first six months of 2023.

How to check your hot water bottle's expiry date

Every hot water bottle has a ‘flower wheel’ or ‘daisy wheel’ on the funnel or neck of the bottle which shows the date it was made. The number in the centre of the wheel shows what year it was made in. For example, if it says ‘22’, it was made in 2022.

There are 12 ‘petals’ around the centre of the wheel, each representing the 12 months in a year, and up to four dots in each ‘petal’. Each dot represents a week. So if there are four dots in five ‘petals’ and three dots in the sixth ‘petal’, that means the bottle was manufactured in the third week of June.

Beer adds that it's important you "look for the British Standard mark that is on all hot water bottles." She also told the programme that, due to a number of retailers and supermarkets selling hot water bottles that may be out of date, that shoppers should always check the bottles before purchasing them.

"We went around the high street to all the major retailers. There was plenty of stock from 2023, 2024, 2022, but we did also find, for example, this Marks & Spencer’s teddy bear - really lovely, cuddly soul, perfect for a gift. But his daisy wheel shows 2021, which would be past its safe expiry date now,” she said.

"Marks & Spencer’s, Boots and Superdrug have all said that their hot water bottles have been tested to a British standard. Superdrug have said they are going to review their stocks on the shelf."

Beer previously also advised consumers not to pour boiling water into their hot water bottles and to always take the cover off before adding any water in so you don’t miss the expiry date.

She added that people should be buying a "real rubbery hot water bottle". "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."

NHS advice on safe hot water bottle use

• Fill the bottle with hot, but not boiling water

• Make sure the stopper is securely screwed on

• Fill the bottle to a maximum of three-quarters full

• Wrap the bottle in a towel to prevent direct contact

• Avoid taking the bottle to bed

• Frequently examine the bottle for signs of wear and tear

• Make sure it has been tested to BS1970:2006 standards

• Expel all air above the water level before sealing carefully, to prevent injury from the escaping hot steam

• Replace the bottle after two years

• Special care should be taken when used by those with sensory deficits, the elderly and children

Read more about heating:

• The exact date to turn your heating on, according to an energy expert (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)

• Discover how 99p tool could cut your winter heating costs by up to £350 (Manchester Evening News, 2-min read)

• Martin Lewis tells pensioners how to stay warm without central heating (YorkshireLive, 2-min read)