If you turn your thermostat down at night to save money, sliding into bed can be a very chilly proposition. Heated mattress pads warm up your bedding from underneath and are a great alternative to electric blankets — particularly if you prefer to use a comforter as your top layer. The Textiles Lab at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute evaluated three electric mattress pads to see which will keep you warm. All of the pads we tested come with dual controls on their queen or king sizes, so there's never any argument over "too hot" or "too cold." Plus, these are energy efficient — even the biggest electricity user was quite low (just 7 cents per night, or $2.10 per month). See our reviews here.)How We TestedWe evaluated each mattress pad in our climatology chamber to see how fast it reached warm temperatures and how evenly it distributed heat. We set the room to 55 degrees, turned each pad to its highest setting, and then allowed it to heat up until the temperature became stable.
When it did, we shut it off and timed how long it took each to cool down.We timed how long it took each mattress pad to reach 70 degrees, how long it took each to cool below 62 degrees, and the average maximum temperature that each reached (at one-minute intervals).We checked plug temperature (for safety) and measured electricity use. All of the mattress pads we tested come with a 10-hour automatic shutoff and comply with electrical safety standards for electrically heated bedding.To gauge durability, we washed the mattress pads according to each manufacturer's instructions and observed any changes. We looked specifically for shrinkage and changes on the surface, such as color change, pilling, and other signs of physical degradation of the fabric.We assessed the instruction manuals for user-friendliness and tested the controls to see how easy it was to operate them.Finally, we asked consumers to rate the mattress pads' controls, appearance, and softness of the fabric. Overall, our consumer testers found that dial controls were easier to use than button controls.
Use and Care TipsRemember that as with any electrical appliance, you should take proper safety precautions.Be sure to follow your mattress pad's washing instructions carefully to avoid damage to the wires.For heated mattress pads, make sure that no wires migrate under the mattress, as this could lead to shorts in the system. Home & Garden Products La-Z-Boy Recalls Power Supplies Sold With Popular Lift Chairs The Best Foam Mattresses You Can Buy Online Thousands of Himalayan Rock Salt Lamps Recalled Keurig Is Making a Machine That Brews Alcohol Infomercial Favorite MyPillow Just Got an "F" from the Better Business Bureau IKEA to Pay $50 Million After Dressers Kill 3 Boys Yankee Candle Issues Recall After Multiple Reports of Glass Candles Shattering The Best Silk Pillowcases to Help You Get Your Beauty Sleep Multiple Dry Carpet Cleaner Brands Recalled for Bacteria Contamination Kidde Recalls Millions of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Safest Electric Mattress Pad - Editor's Choice Award Winner “Which is the safest heated mattress pad?” is the second most frequent question we get asked, ranked behind only “Which is the safest heated blanket?” This fits right in with the results of surveys which show that the most important consideration to most heated bedding buyers is indeed safety. First, as we state in our article comparing electric mattress pads with electric blankets, ALL heated mattress pads are inherently much safer from overheating than all heated blankets. This is because pads are held flat to the mattress (i.e. fitted) and generally are not bunched up as a blanket can become. (When an electric blanket becomes balled, twisted or bunched, the heat in the middle of the ball cannot get out and that heat buildup is the major cause of electric blanket scorches or failures.) Comparing all the heated mattress pads available in the USA, we judged the SoftHeat Low Voltage heated mattress pad as the safest available.
1. LOW VOLTAGE – With the SoftHeat mattress pad’s use of low voltage (16V) in both the controller and the mattress pad itself there is little to no chance of electrical shock even if the heater wires become exposed or wet. Their low voltage has been listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) as “Non-Hazardous”. In our tests, we stripped the insulation off of part of the SoftHeat’s heater wires and then grabbed them. We did not feel even a tingle. In further testing, we put the stripped heater wires in a tank of water, turned the controller to HI and grabbed hold of the bare wire in the water. Again not even a tingle! This shockproof technology could be very important to you under at least two conditions: If you sleep with your pet, a claw could scratch off the heater wire’s insulation. It would then be even worse if the animal “had an accident” in that area. When a pad becomes older, the wire’s insulation could deteriorate and crack and if you spill a liquid on it, a shock is possible with normal 120V electricity.
2. AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF -- Like most but not all other heated mattress pads, the SoftHeat comes with an automatic 10-hour shutoff feature, i.e. the product automatically shuts down 10 hours after you turn it on in case you should forget to turn it off in the morning. 3. CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS – We judged the SoftHeat’s User Manual to be exceptionally clear and well written especially in matters of safety. The manufacturer’s(Perfect Fit Industries) concern for safety is readily obvious there, as you would expect of a company that has been around since 1932. 4. NO AC EMF’S – ElectroMagnetic Fields from AC electricity (Alternating Current) are of concern to some people. If you are one of those, the SoftHeat mattress pad’s use of low voltage DC (Direct Current) should ease your mind there. Our article “Are Electric Blankets Safe or Dangerous” applies to mattress pads also. 5. OVERHEAT PROTECTION – In our tests, the SoftHeat mattress pad’s overheat protection worked perfectly (should it ever be needed).
KEY TAKEAWAY: The safest heated mattress pad sold in the USA is the Soft Heat. 1. Before You Buy – A MUST Review: the Lead Page of the Buyer's Guide offering: Major considerations before your purchase; Links to all of our Reviews and Ratings sections 2. Ready to Buy? If you want to see a list of retailers carrying each of the major brands of Heated MATTRESS PADS this year, click Heated Mattress Pad Retailers OR for Heated BLANKETS, click Stores Selling Electric Blankets. The Electric Blanket Institute’s Consumer Guide and Blog text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0 United States License. For any reuse or distribution you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page. This information has been developed over many years of testing and is presented freely for educational use only and without any warranty of any kind. It is not a substitute for the safe usage practices of your individual product.