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.Hot Electric Mattress Pads If you are concerned about today’s heated blankets not being warm enough for you, we always recommend considering a heated mattress pad. ANY HEATED MATTRESS PAD WILL BE WARMER THAN ANY HEATED BLANKET. So the consequences of having an electric mattress pad with a lower level of heat are not nearly so important.With an electric blanket, unless you add something like a comforter or spread on top of the electric blanket, roughly 1/2 the heat generated will travel up toward the room ceiling. But with an electric mattress pad, the heat will remain around your body since it is trapped by the mattress itself on the bottom and whatever bed covers you use on the top.
This means that you can be significantly warmer with any heated mattress pad. Sunbeam produces the absolute warmest mattress pad sold in America, at least at the start of its life. However, Sunbeam's mattress pads will lose warmth each year due to their unique design. The other brands start out about 70-80% as warm as the Sunbeam but do not lose heat over the years due to different heating technologies employed. Although electric blankets can save substantially on your heating costs, you will save somewhat more electricity with the warming mattress pad. For detailed information, see our Actual Energy Use page. Within the past few years the percentage of heating mattress pads sold in the United States seems to be increasing somewhat as more and more people learn of their existence and learn of their superior therapeutic value too. If you feel that your mattress pad may not be heating properly, perform this easy test. Turn it ON (one side only if a Dual Control model) with the pad in a FOLDED UP condition.
After about 5 to 7 minutes, carefully place your hand within the folds. If it doesn't feel quite warm at that time, your pad is not working properly. THIS IS ONLY A TEST. DO NOT LET IT HEAT FOR A LONGER TIME WHILE FOLDED SINCE IT COULD OVERHEAT.Our research and testing showed that in most cases you're better off with a heated mattress pad rather than an electric blanket. Pads are better at masking the heating wires, and your body and the rest of your bedding insulate the warmth. They're also easier to use safely, because they lie flat and won't bunch or fold—as electric blankets can—which could cause overheating. But blankets are better if you already use a specific mattress topper with your bed or don't want to add extra padding to your mattress.You should probably replace your bedding if it isn't UL or Intertek (ETL) certified, if it wasn't stored appropriately, or if it isn't in good working order. (Heated bedding shouldn't show signs of wear, fraying, damage, or discoloration on the cords, controllers, connections, or outer material.)
All heated bedding follows a similar design: A system of insulated wires is encased in a blanket or mattress pad, and a power cord with one or two controllers attaches to an external port on the bedding. The wires heat up, and a series of safety mechanisms and thermostats regulate the temperature. What differs from model to model is the outer textile and the control style (dial versus digital, number of heat settings).We considered only UL- or ETL-certified models. Most heated-bedding manufacturers offer five-year warranties on their models; we eliminated bedding with shorter warranties.We eliminated mattress pads that had no internal padding ("fill"), because this feature is necessary to mask the feel of the wires.We made a list of every electric blanket and heated mattress pad we could find on Amazon and the sites of Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy's, and other retailers, ending up with 21 models from nine companies. We then focused on the most popular models with the highest customer reviews on Amazon and other retailer sites, and eliminated models that were extremely expensive (over $150 for queen-size).
We decided to test three mattress pads and five electric blankets on a queen-size bed with two sleepers for at least a single night, and in some cases over multiple nights. We used cotton sateen sheets and a midweight comforter, with the bedroom temperature between 66 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.We didn't measure the exact temperatures each blanket or pad reached, because the temperature would be affected by ambient room temperature and other factors. Instead, we subjectively assessed whether each blanket and pad achieved a toasty, sheets-fresh-out-of-the-dryer feel at the highest setting.Finally, we laundered the winners according to their care instructions to confirm that they didn't shed excessively, stretch, or shrink when washed. The Sunbeam Premium Quilted Heated Mattress Pad was the cushiest mattress pad we tested, with virtually undetectable heating wires. Its digital controls offer more temperature settings along with a useful preheat function, and it conveniently needs only one outlet even for queen and king pads with two controllers.
It's one of the only models we found with a moisture-wicking all-cotton top, and we think its quilting will help keep the fill from shifting (better than in other pads, at least). The Premium Quilted also has an extra safety feature that keeps the connector port securely attached at all times. And overall, we've found that Sunbeam heated bedding has fewer customer complaints about safety issues. For more on how we assessed safety complaints and why heated bedding is generally extremely safe, see our full guide.Ironically, of the three heated-bedding manufacturers whose items we tested, Sunbeam actually uses the thickest, stiffest wires (they're about as thick as the cord of a USB charging cable). But the Premium Quilted's 9 ounces of padding—the most of any mattress pad we found—made the internal heating wires virtually undetectable. If you don't mind sacrificing some cushioning, an all-cotton top, and digital controls, the Sunbeam Quilted Heated Mattress Pad offers the same benefits as our top pick but currently costs about $50 less.
It's a good option if you think you'll use a heated pad only during the coldest weeks of winter and you don't mind possibly feeling the wires within.Containing only 5 ounces of fill, Sunbeam's Quilted pad has less padding than our top pick but offers the most of any of the under-$100 models we looked at. In our tests this pad was comfortable overall, but we could feel the wires when we ran our hands over the top, and the wires were slightly noticeable when our testers were lying on the pad, especially when sleeping on their sides (though the wires weren't jab-in-the-rib uncomfortable). All of the electric blankets we tried had varying issues ranging from unpleasant fabric to particularly noticeable wires. In our test group, the Sunbeam Velvet Plush Heated Blanket was the best, as its overall combination of softness, performance, controls, and safety features helped it edge out the competition.Made of 100 percent polyester, the Velvet Plush has a very soft, brushed texture that feels like a thick velour.
Of the Sunbeam blankets we tested, it had by far the most pleasant texture, with a velvety-soft feel. (We found the texture of our runner-up from Biddeford more pleasing against the skin, but we also encountered slightly more customer reviews mentioning a safety concern with that company's heated bedding.) In many ways we preferred the feel of the Biddeford Comfort Knit Heated Blanket. Next to Sunbeam's offerings, though, Biddeford's controls were more awkward, and at the time we checked, this company's heated bedding had a few more customer reviews mentioning a safety concern.Biddeford's dual-controller blankets (queen-size and larger) require two separate outlets and plug into two ports at the bottom of the blanket. This design makes for a lot of cords in the bed area.This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.Note from The Sweethome: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.