The bedroom temperature remained in the mid-60s Fahrenheit during testing. Don’t use extension cords with heated bedding. The MaxKare Heated Mattress Pad heats up quickly, so your bed will be warm in about three minutes. Shop now! If you would rather get an electric blanket, we recommend the Sunbeam Velvet Plush Heated Blanket. The Sunbeam requires only one and has a single port. Beautyrest’s heated mattress pad is a luxury wallow, with two digital controllers so you and a bedmate can have your own control over five heat settings on your side of the bed. We considered only UL- or ETL-certified models. The total number we saw was quite small—only seven—but it was more than Sunbeam’s. (Sunbeam’s bedding items had virtually no complaints regarding failures that caused safety concerns.). Regardless of the model or manufacturer, customer reviews indicate that heated bedding has a high rate of defective units. The sockets also protruded conspicuously, and having the cords underneath everything made tucking in sheets difficult. When we updated this guide for 2019, we didn’t find any owner reviews mentioning safety issues. Cotton is softer and absorbent, so you won’t wake up sweaty after sleeping in a heated bed. We didn’t find a significant difference in breathability between this pad and the polyester ones we tried, but the fabric may be helpful for people who sleep warm. Spend this time at home to refresh your home decor style! Newer models come with a range of features and amenities to make your heated sleeping experience more enjoyable. 20 heat settings … Electric Mattress Pad FULL Double Heated … In past years, we found some Amazon reviews citing safety failures with Biddeford blankets and mattress pads, namely incidents involving smoking or overheated controls (but no fires). Sunbeam’s heated bedding user manual (PDF) specifies you should never use your heated blanket or mattress pad with an extension cord. Richard Campbell, Electrical Fires, National Fire Protection Association, March 1, 2017, Ann Matturro Gault, Electric Blankets Are Cozy, But Are They Safe?, SafeBee from UL, January 27, 2015, UL 964 Standard for Electrically Heated Bedding, UL, Steven T. Corneliussen, Electromagnetic fields generate a quarter-century of health worries, Physics Today, July 11, 2014, Paul Brodeur, The Hazards of Electromagnetic Fields III–Video-Display Terminals, The New Yorker, June 18, 1989, Chris Mooney, Americans could save a fortune this winter — if they only understood their thermostats (subscription required), The Washington Post, November 21, 2014, Electric Power Monthly, US Energy Information Administration, Winter heating bills likely to increase, but still remain below recent winters, US Energy Information Administration, October 13, 2016, © 2021 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company, Sunbeam Premium Quilted Heated Mattress Pad, Biddeford Microplush Sherpa Electric Blanket, How to choose between a heated pad and an electric blanket, Our pick: Sunbeam Premium Quilted Heated Mattress Pad, Budget pick: Sunbeam Quilted Heated Mattress Pad, Our pick: Sunbeam Velvet Plush Heated Blanket, Runner-up: Biddeford Microplush Sherpa Electric Blanket, Perfect Fit Soft Heat Micro-Plush Heated Mattress Pad, Sunbeam Water-Resistant Heated Mattress Pad, Biddeford Solid Microplush Electric Blanket, Perfect Fit Soft Heat Micro-Fleece Electric Blanket, Sunbeam Channeled Microplush Electric Blanket, Sunbeam’s Water-Resistant Heated Mattress Pad, The Best Mattress and Pillow Protectors and Encasements, L.L.Bean Ultrasoft Comfort Flannel Sheet Set. The Premium Quilted is one of the few models we found with a moisture-wicking all-cotton top, and we think its quilting will prevent the fill from shifting better than others. This pad uses an adjustable, water-based system to regulate your mattress’s surface temperature by circulating water through silicone micro-tubes in the mattress pad. In 2020, we tested one additional heated mattress pad, the Sunbeam Therapeutic Heated Mattress Pad, which had come down in price enough to make it worth looking at. She also spoke with Judy Comoletti, then the division manager for public education at the National Fire Protection Association, about guidelines for using heated bedding safely, and she read several of the NFPA’s reports on the causes of house fires. ... Beautyrest (1) Items (1) Cannon (2) Items (2) Giantex (2) Items (2) Hyde (2) Items (2) ... 1 product rating - Heated Queen Size Mattress Pad … King and queen mattress pads come with a pair of analog temperature controllers that have 10 settings, while twin and full have just one control. Don’t use a heated mattress pad and an electric blanket simultaneously, which can also produce too much heat. This UL-certified pad is engineered with a patented warming process that produces ultra-low electromagnetic radiation and maximum warmth. Beautyrest 100% Cotton Heated Mattress Pad, Dual Temperature Control Electric Bed Warmer with 18" Deep Pocket, 20 Level Setting, Auto Shut Off Safety, Queen, Standard White. Like any type of mattress topper, you’ll want to choose a heated mattress pad that’s easy to clean, and one you won’t damage by cleaning. This pad also comes with a pre-heating feature you can set to come on automatically so your bed will be warm and snuggly when you crawl into it. 4.6 out of 5 stars with 11 reviews. We think most people will be happiest with a heated mattress pad, which traps heat a bit better, and the Sunbeam Premium Quilted Heated Mattress Pad has better cushioning than most and less noticeable wires. We found that at 13 feet, 4 inches, the pad’s cord was more than long enough to reach most outlets. The Sunbeam Heated Mattress Pad has the latest features, making it a popular choice. It’s covered in a cotton-poly blend that’s water-resistant, resists static electricity, and is machine washable. The latter tends to be a better product, as it’s less likely to move or get bunched up in the night. But unlike the Sunbeam, which has one main power cord to step over, the Biddeford has two (on the queen and king sizes), which require separate outlets—a pretty inconvenient design. Sunbeam’s Quilted pad has vertical quilting seams spaced 7 inches apart, which gives the padding more opportunity to shift around compared with the design of the Premium Quilted. We looked only at electric blankets meant for use on a bed. You agree that BobVila.com may process your data in the manner described by our Privacy Policy. In our tests, the 5 ounces of fill in this pad didn’t mask the heating wires all that well, but we still found it comfortable. We found a similar amount of general complaints across both brands citing dead-on-arrival items and blankets that stopped working after a short period of time. The microplush material—a smooth polyester fleece on one side and a fuzzy fleece on the reverse—wasn’t as smooth as the Sunbeam’s velvety texture, but its two thick layers did a better job hiding the internal wires than Sunbeam’s fleece. Made from 100 percent polyester, this pad comes with 10 heat settings, an analog controller, and an auto-shutoff feature that turns off the heating element after 10 hours. We also like the plug’s locking mechanism, which keeps the plug securely attached to the blanket’s port throughout the night. The soft, quilted top helped soften our mattress, too. Some come with an elastic skirt that will keep the pad in place throughout the night, and others are made like a fitted sheet and wrap firmly around the bed. Biddeford’s dual-controller blankets (queen and king size) require two separate outlets and plug into two ports at the bottom of the blanket. Keep pets off the bed when you’re using heated bedding; they could scratch or chew the bedding and damage the wires. If you like your bed warm but your partner likes it warmer, the Degrees of Comfort Dual Control Heated Mattress Pad will let each of you sleep comfortably. We also like the Biddeford Microplush Sherpa Electric Blanket, which has more flexible (and thus less noticeable) wires than the Sunbeam blanket. The two-plug design makes for a lot of cords in the bed area, which can feel cluttered and might cause people to trip. Its ultra-soft cover is 6 millimeters thick, so you won’t feel the wires in the pad, just the heat. With an overall rating of over four stars across nearly 500 Amazon reviews at this writing, this Sunbeam pad is also well liked (for heated bedding). After 300 hours sleeping on 17 models, we’ve chosen four memory-foam, latex, and fiber-filled mattress toppers that we think will work for most sleepers. The best heated mattress pad should also have safety features like an automatic shutoff and low-voltage heating mechanisms to keep it from overheating. But blankets are better if you already use a specific mattress topper you love or don’t want to add extra padding to your mattress. A high-quality mattress pad can not only provide a more comfortable sleeping experience, but it can also alleviate sore muscles and pain. A digital controller lets you access 10 heating levels and nine timer settings. It also had two plug sockets, like all Biddeford blankets, which isn’t as convenient as Sunbeam’s one-socket design. When temperatures drop, you can only pile up so many blankets on your bed before you’re covered up in an excess of fluffiness. The heavy material felt unpleasant, and the shaggy texture reminded us of Muppet fur. Most pads come with an automatic shutoff timer that shuts off the pad after a set time. Using Secure Comfort Technology, this electric mattress pad features 20 heat settings that provide maximum … You do still need to take some precautions when using heated bedding. It’s also missing a safety lock to keep the plug connected to the blanket. We observed no problems with shedding, stretching, or shrinking, and all of the blankets and pads still worked after being laundered. Made of a plush velour-like material, the Velvet Plush is softer than some of the other blankets we tested. 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. You should wash and dry only one item at a time. Perfect Fit Soft Heat Micro-Fleece Electric Blanket: We liked this blanket overall, as its fine wires were undetectable, and the soft, fuzzy outer material made it the most comfortable blanket in our tests. Comparatively, our mattress pad and electric blanket picks consume very little energy: In 2017 we measured their electricity use with a Kill A Watt meter and discovered that our picks consumed just 3¢ to 5¢ worth of electricity per night—you’ll probably spend between $3.20 and $6 total to run your heated bedding every night for the 16 weeks between November and March. All the queen, king, and California king mattress pads and blankets we tested have two controllers, heating each half of the pad separately, but Sunbeam’s design uses a single outlet for both controllers—Biddeford and Perfect Fit’s mattress pads and electric blankets both require two separate outlets for their dual-controller models, which results in a lot of wires to step over. Shop for heated queen mattress pad at Bed Bath & Beyond. $80.99 - $109.99 ... Cotton Blend Heated Mattress Pad - Beautyrest. But we have seen some owner reviews on Amazon noting that this blanket seems particularly slippery. Drengenberg said that advances in the construction of heating wires and thermostats, which now require fewer connections (and thus have fewer failure points), have also led to safer products. We tested seven heated pads, and the Premium Quilted’s 9 ounces of padding—the most of any mattress pad we found—made its internal heating wires almost undetectable. Never use heated bedding in a bed with infants, young children, people with reduced sensitivity to heat (since they may not be able to feel if they or the blanket are overheating), or anyone who wouldn’t be able to remove the bedding, switch it off, and leave the area immediately in case of a problem. An auto-shutoff option turns the pad off after 10 hours. As we note in our guide to the best sheets, cotton does a good job of wicking sweat and moisture away from the body, which makes the bedding feel more breathable. The blanket’s soft, velvety texture was somewhat slippery, and it tended to slide around, especially when we paired it with sateen sheets. If the heated bedding gives off a strange smell, turn it off. Some mattress pads also come in a lower-voltage, which can be a better option for children, pregnant women, and those dealing with health or circulatory system issues. Copyright © 2021 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. We called the warranty line about the ripped seam; a rep said that Sunbeam would send a shipping label to mail the mattress pad to a service center and that the company would either repair or replace the pad within two to three weeks at no cost. Get the best deals for queen size electric heated mattress pad at eBay.com. It depends on the model, but most take 30 minutes to reach their maximum temperature. I thought I felt the wires when I first slid into bed, but didn’t really notice once I got comfortable.”. One Wirecutter staffer who uses this Sunbeam blanket reported that on a few occasions it shocked him, even though it was unplugged at the time. This effect is important for heated bedding, which may cause you to sweat slightly from the warmth (though you should never keep your bedding so hot that it makes you sweat profusely). Machine washable pads can be put in a clothes dryer or air-dried. Using Secure Comfort Technology, this electric mattress pad … Stomach-sleepers should try the Sleep Number PlushComfort Ultimate. How warm were the blankets? We have also seen fewer complaints for Sunbeam bedding overall compared with other brands we considered for testing. Heated mattress pads can be a cost-effective alternative to turning up the thermostat on your central heating system, therefore, reducing your utility bill. Some are machine washable, but you should use the machine’s gentle or delicate cycle with your pad and wash it with cold water. The company’s Soft Heat line uses fine wires that are nearly undetectable and run on low-voltage DC, rather than AC, power (which, as UL’s John Drengenberg said, prevents shocks but doesn’t eliminate the risk of fire). ... Biddeford Heated Quilted Mattress Pad QUEEN SIZE w/ Controller Auto Shutoff -NEW. We also dried the pad for longer than the washing instructions specify. 4.3 out of 5 stars with 21 reviews. Electric Blankets Are Cozy, But Are They Safe? All the heated bedding we considered had a sizable number of negative Amazon reviews—about 10 to 15 percent of all reviews—citing defective products. When choosing your heating pad material, remember that a high-quality product will have a higher thread count, making it softer and less likely to pill. Shop for heated mattress pads at Bed Bath & Beyond. The best mattress pad provides enough comfort to get a good night’s sleep, and proper support to keep you from getting achy. Generally, the thinner the wires, the lower the voltage and the heat, and the safer the pad. We suspect this was caused by static. (Disclosure: Zimmerer originated a patent for a component used in Perfect Fit’s Soft Heat heated bedding, which we tested for this guide.) We didn’t have this issue when we used flannel or percale sheets, which gripped the blanket better. Overall, we’ve found that Sunbeam heated bedding has fewer customer complaints about safety issues. This pad is machine-washable. For information about heated-bedding safety and design, Courtney interviewed John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at UL, the independent safety and certification company that develops standards for and safety-tests numerous electrical appliances, including electric blankets and heated mattress pads. Dual controllers allow you to choose from five heat settings on your side of the bed. Most heated mattress pads are machine washable. 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 (a loose connection port could cause overheating or sparking). We haven’t had any problems after laundering ours—we washed it again after hearing his story, and will continue to wash it periodically—but be sure to carefully follow our care and maintenance recommendations. Instead, we subjectively assessed whether each blanket and pad achieved a toasty, sheets-fresh-out-of-the-dryer feel at the highest setting. This pad comes with a 10-hour auto-shutoff timer and variable temperature settings of between 55 to 115 degrees. Electric mattress pads get their heat from small wires spaced throughout the pad. Temperature control on a high-quality pad will have multiple heating levels to choose from, including the ability to heat both sides of the pad individually. Like Sunbeam, Biddeford offers a five-year warranty on its heated bedding items. So we don’t think you need to buy this specifically to relieve muscle tension––we still recommend the top pick which will provide the same benefit. The pad we tested from Perfect Fit also masked the wires well, but the Sunbeam pad was cushier, and at the time we looked at its owner reviews, none mentioned safety concerns. . Polyester is stretchier, and while less absorbent, it is still breathable. It’s quilted vertically and horizontally in 6½-by-6½-inch squares, a design that should prevent the fill from shifting better than vertical-only seams. A water-resistant pad will prevent you from waking up in a pool of sweat and protect your mattress and heating pad from spills. Made of 200-thread count cotton, this mattress pad has a quilted design that makes it super soft. The real concern for us was a series of Amazon reviews claiming that the connector ports—where the controllers attach to the bedding—overheated, scorched, browned, or melted. After revisiting our picks, we stand by these recommendations for heated mattress pads and electric blankets. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Courtney also spoke with representatives from Biddeford, ElectroWarmth, Perfect Fit, and Sunbeam to learn about the differences between the electric blankets and heated mattress pads currently available. This thinner polyester pad isn’t as comfortable as others, with only 5 ounces of padding, but it offers the same heating performance as the more expensive Premium Quilted. You probably don’t need that many settings—we doubt you’d notice much of a difference between, say, settings 14 and 15. Our favorite pillow for side- and back-sleepers is the supportive Nest Easy Breather. ... Beautyrest Black King Dual Control Heated Mattress Pad. This blanket has softer fabric, and the wires sandwiched in the fabric felt less noticeable. Made of 100 percent polyester, the Velvet Plush has a notably soft, brushed texture that feels like a thick velour. Here are some common features of mattress pads. This wasn’t the most comfortable blanket we tried, but it offers better controls, requires only a single outlet, and has a safety locking plug to keep cords attached. Before buying a mattress pad, check its cleaning instructions. With an average of 4.5 stars across over 8,400 ratings, Sunbeam’s heated mattress pad has clearly earned its spot as Amazon’s best-selling option.It has all the features that you need in a heated mattress pad… This pad doesn’t have a preheat function, so if you want to warm your bed quickly you need to set the pad to high before getting in and then turn down the temperature later. Blends are the best of both materials. Beautyrest Black Dual Zone Heated Mattress Pad Sleep in warmth and comfort with the Beautyrest Black Dual Zone Heated Mattress Pad. It got warm quickly and improved the feel of our mattress. We then focused on the most popular models with the highest customer reviews on Amazon and other retailer sites. In a high-quality mattress pad, you should not feel the wires. The Velvet Plush is a midweight blanket, and it didn’t feel heavy or stiff on top of our testers. A better option is a heated mattress pad, which will warm your bed as well as add cushioning to your mattress. If you still have questions about picking the best heated mattress pad, here’s more information to guide your decision. Our research and testing showed that if you’re seeking extra warmth at night, in most cases you’re better off with a heated mattress pad rather than an electric blanket. SensorPEDIC Electric Warming Mattress Pad with Digital Controller(s) SensorPedic. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! The version we received for testing had a manually adjustable dial with 10 heat settings (and no preheat option). Using thicker flannel sheets helped mask the feel of the wires a bit better. Check your pad’s label before cleaning it. Beautyrest. The Sunbeam Premium Quilted Heated Mattress Pad was the most cushioned pad we tried, and it’s one of the few pads with a breathable cotton top. Our correspondent in chilly Buffalo, New York, was going on his third year using our pick, and it had been easy to wash and maintain till now. Generally, the reports we saw weren’t safety complaints (though there were some in very small numbers) but rather reports of bedding that didn’t initially turn on or stopped heating after a short period of use. Beautyrest - 3M Scotchgard Heated Mattress Pad Queen Size -Secure Comfort Technology- Luxury Quilted Electric Mattress Pad with Deep Pocket - White - Two 5-Setting Heat Controllers - 5 Year … UL has developed safety standards for heated bedding, and both UL and ETL test products to ensure they meet them. Most heated-bedding manufacturers offer five-year warranties on their models; we eliminated any pad or blanket that had a shorter warranty. Though the remote was intuitive to use, if you sleep with a partner you’ll be stuck passing it back and forth. Wash and dry the bedding if necessary, and make sure it’s fully dry before using it again. Doing so can cause excessive heat buildup. But engineering and fire safety experts told us that today’s heated bedding is very safe when certified by an independent testing lab (UL or ETL), kept in good working condition, and used correctly. But we eliminated it for the same reasons as we did the Soft Heat Micro-Plush Heated Mattress Pad, cited above, namely irritation with the numerous cords and overall safety concerns about this brand’s products causing burns. The best use we found for this model was for heating up cold feet. In general, the Biddeford receives better owner reviews than the Sunbeam, but we’ve seen a higher number of quality-related complaints among those reviews. Buy top selling products like Brookstone® Heated Mattress Pad and Beautyrest® Cotton Heated Mattress Pad. Mattresses range in thickness, and can be anywhere from 5 inches deep to more than 16 inches deep. Many people use heated bedding during the winter months to save on heating costs, by heating the bed instead of heating the room or the entire home. Some newer models have a feature that shuts off the heating element in the mattress pad when its built-in sensor detects too much heat. Stay warm on cold nights with the Beautyrest Cotton Heated Mattress Pad. The heat is more evenly distributed, too. $79.99 - $139.99. If you only occasionally use heated bedding, it’s also easier to swap in an electric blanket than it is to change the mattress pad. Biddeford bedding items are all UL-certified, and they should meet all safety requirements when new and in good working condition. Its digital controls offer more temperature settings along with a useful preheat function, and its king and queen pads have two controllers (so each side can set a different temperature) but need only one outlet, unlike other heated bedding we tried from Perfect Fit and Biddeford, which required two. Regardless of the model, disconnect all the controllers and cords from the port before laundering. The type of controller may vary depending on where you order the blanket. A heated mattress pad sits on top of your mattress. You can achieve the same effect by setting the controller to high and then manually adjusting later, but the preheat setting saves a step. Blankets we tested from other manufacturers required two separate outlets. But the queen and king sizes require two outlets, which is annoying. Even though we felt the wires, they didn’t make us uncomfortable while we were sleeping. When storing heated bedding, disconnect and carefully wrap the controller cords. Results will vary based on your bedding’s settings, the insulation of your bedding, and your own body temperature, but overall it’s a good deal. Heated bedding is low on the list of common causes of household fires, said John Drengenberg, the consumer safety director at UL. It also has a locking connector port to keep the cords securely attached to the pad, something we didn’t see on pads from other brands we tried. They all performed just fine in that regard, so in 2019 we laundered only our top picks. 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