With its snuggly soft texture and cozy fleece side, the Sunbeam – Sherpa-Mink Throw Blanket is perfect to curl up with even before you turn the heat on. In fact, the premium soft material and plush thickness of the sherpa means you don’t even feel the wires when the blanket is resting against your body. We appreciated the fact that SoftHeat is both machine washable and dryable (be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions for settings). Since you’re most likely to use an electric blanket during the winter, finding a place to hang-dry a full-size or larger blanket could be a bit cumbersome.
But there are many reasons why you may seek extra warmth at night. If so, our research and testing found that in most cases you’re better off using 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.
That could cause excessive heat to build up, damaging the wires or even causing a fire if other safety mechanisms fail. It’s nice to have a four-legged friend curled up at your feet, but some pets might try nibbling your blanket’s cord. So you might want to consider closing your pets out of your bedroom if you want to sleep under your electric blanket. Some are made from toasty fleece, while other blankets are covered in cozy micro flannel. Checkout The Best Electric Blanket for a detailed review of all the top electric blankets. I’m the type of person who prefers being wrapped in a snuggly sherpa blanket, no matter the weather.
Keep reading to find out some of the most important considerations and to see our reviews on some of the top picks for the best electric blankets on the market. Don’t use a heated mattress pad and an electric blanket simultaneously, since doing so can also produce too much heat. Don’t wrap electric blankets around your body or use extremely heavy blankets or comforters on top of the heated bedding. Sunbeam’s heated bedding includes a unique plug, which attaches the controllers and power supply to the bedding with a firm locking mechanism on either side of the connection port. Although plugging in or unplugging the controllers takes some effort, this design ensures that they won’t come loose. This feature is useful both from a functional perspective (you won’t accidentally disconnect the plug and turn off your bedding’s heat if you kick it while sleeping) and as an extra safety feature .
Models with a wider variety of color and style options score well in this metric. Here is the easy to use controller of the Sunbeam Heated Quilted blanket. Here is the easy-to-use controller of the Sunbeam Heated Quilted blanket. “Even in the world of therapy, when we use heat, we’re only using it for a short duration and not for hours and hours,” said Urban. He said he usually keeps heat on patients for about 30 minutes at a time.
For anyone with cold feet, this is the electric blanket of your dreams. The ideal electric blanket has more warmth than a normal blanket with the same amount of perceived comfort. While all the blankets in this review have wires running throughout them to distribute heat, a few contenders were more concealed than others. Maintenance“Choosing a blanket that has a machine-washable cover will ensure ease of cleaning when necessary,” said Gallucci. But even if an electric blanket boasts that it’s machine-washable and dryer-friendly on a low setting, it’s best to carefully follow the care and maintenance instructions before throwing it in the wash. Our experts noted electric blankets shouldn’t be washed too frequently due to the risk of exposing wires to water.
Indulge yourself with its rich and cozy ultralush to keep you toasty while you unwind. This throw comes in many stylish patterns for a beautiful accent to any décor. Easy to use detachable controller with 4 heat settings and a 4-hour auto-shut off feature for peace of mind. Remove the controller and place the blanket into the washer and dryer for easy cleaning. Electric blankets and heated mattress pads can tolerate machine-washing and -drying, but they require special handling. Don’t launder your heated bedding more than you absolutely have to.
It can also make a great addition to your couch for those cold movie nights. It has a wide temperature range of 74˚ to 90˚, with even heating experienced throughout the blanket. The controller has only one button with four lights indicating heat intensity. This pick has a rechargeable battery pack that makes this blanket completely portable. The brand claims that it takes just 5 minutes to heat up, and it will automatically shut off after 5 hours.
It was still damp in the morning, though, so we put it in the dryer on low-heat wrinkle release for about 15 minutes. After a thorough washing and drying, we were pleased to see that the blanket had maintained its shape, texture, and color. Although the blanket is incredibly soft, it is a bit thinner than we expected. We could feel some of the wires through the fabric, but, that said, they don’t protrude or create any discomfort. The upside to this blanket’s thin build is the fact that it’s very light. With a weight of about 3.5 pounds, you can easily carry it from room to room.
Ensure your blanket is completely dry before reconnecting the power plug or control plug. At $299, it’s the priciest of all the winners, but it may be worth the investment if you’d sunbeam electric blanket rather control a heated blanket with an app instead of a remote. Turn it on with your phone while you’re making popcorn and have a piping-hot blanket ready for your Netflix binge.