An expert speking on ITV’s This Morning is urging people to ensure they replace their hot water bottle when it expires with ITV themselves launching an “urgent campaign to prevent the worrying number of serious burns being caused by old and dangerous hot water bottles”. ITV revealed that “several high street retailers currently selling hot water bottles made before October 2022.”

This is worrying as “despite the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents advising they should be replaced two years after being manufactured” ITV say they have uncovered many being sold on the high street that goes against this advice. Consumer Editor Alice Beer warned viewers watching the show: “The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accident say there is an expiry date of hot water bottles which is two years after the date of manufactuere.”

How can you tell when a hot water bottle expires?

Alice has shared a crucial tip on how to determine the expiry date of your hot water bottle using the “daisy wheel system”. This system involves looking for a number like ’22’, which would then be surrounded by dots arranged into sections. The presence of dots in certain sections indicates the month of manufacture—for example, three dotted sections point to March, while nine dotted sections indicate September. If we see ’22’ with dots in nine sections, it tells us that the hot water bottle was made in September 2022.

In additon to this, Alice emphasises the importance of checking for the British standard mark on any hot water bottle you buy, which should read ‘BS 1970:2012’.

Hot water bottle burn warning

In regards to safety concerns, Alice warned against filling hot water bottles with boiling water, stating firmly “absolutely not” when asked if we can fill them up with water straight from the fresly boiled kettle. She stressed the risk of injuries that hospitals and A&E departments are observing due to excessively hot water being used. As hot water bottles are typically made from rubber, Alice says that boiling water can “degrade” the material.

Appearing on the show alongside Alice, Yazmin Hardy, who is under investigation for endometriosis—a common condition that can cause painful periods—shared her harrowing experience. To alleviate her discomfort, she used a hot water bottle, but was soon left with excruciating burns and leaving scars. The incident has left her unable to use hot water bottles, as she admits to being “traumatised” by the ordeal.

Yazmin, who used hot water bottles regularly to ease the pain caused by endometriosis, said: “It literally just split down the side of the seam. I boiled the kettle and poured the water straight in, I sat on the sofa and within 30 seconds… I just never thought that was a possibility so I thought maybe I hadn’t screwed the lid on properly. It just poured all over me.”

Dos and don’ts of hot water bottles

According to ITV, you should:

• Fill with a mixture of cold and hot water

• Squeeze as much air as you can out of the bottle before closing it – If there’s air left in the bottle, the water can heat the air, meaning it expands, which may burst the bottle.

• Screw in the stopper until hand-tight

• Check the bottle for leaks

Don’t:

• Don’t use it if it’s cracked, worn, or leaking

• Never fill with boiling water

• Don’t heat by using the microwave or oven

• Don’t fill more than two-thirds full unless the bottle is designed to be fully filled

• Don’t place the bottle in direct contact with your skin – always have a cover, towel or clothing

• Avoid putting pressure or weight on the bottle

• Don’t sleep with the bottle in bed overnight

When storing the bottle, you should empty it and hang it upside-down to drain. “You can hang it upside down or lie it flat to store it and avoid placing anything on top of it to prevent damage,” ITV said.