Experts told us you should never leave an electric blanket on when you leave the room or when you’re asleep. Many electric blankets have an automatic shut-off feature so it’s not heating when you don’t need it, but it’s always wise to double-check that your blanket is off once you’re done using it. Those who are suffering from pain disorders may also have trouble falling asleep — a heated blanket can “be beneficial to warm up cold sheets or for help in drifting off to sleep,” noted Gallucci.
And right now you can snag a Queen-size machine washable and dryable electric blanket for nearly 30 percent off its original price. If you don’t like having a lot of bulky bedding on or around you when you’re sleeping, this blanket works great for that.” Again, not required by the standard, but that’s a nice feature to look for, and that usually is advertised. I was impressed with the consistency and level of heat the Warmee puts out. The temperature was in the 70s and 80s by itself and low 90s and 100s when wrapped around my body, which felt very toasty compared to other blankets. I couldn’t feel any wires at all through the fabric, a different feel from many of the other wiry blankets I tried.
The center of the blanket felt warm enough, but the sides and bottom remained cool. Without the heating element, the blanket isn’t all that warm, so it left our sunbeam heated throw arms and legs feeling chilly. We plugged the blanket into another outlet just to be sure there wasn’t a problem at our end, but it didn’t work any better.
Heated blankets are great to use on the couch or when you’re relaxing in bed. Short-term use is safe as long as no wires or tears in wires are visible. The best electric blanket overall, and the best value for your money.
And to take full advantage of the electric blanket that shoppers call “toasty,” it starts with a simple push of a button. We’re also planning to test L.L.Bean’s Wicked Cozy Heated Blanket. L.L.Bean touts the blanket’s ultra-thin and flexible wires, even heating, and two-sided design . We found that this pad’s vertical quilting seams—spaced 7 inches apart, compared with the 3½-inch spacing between the quilting pattern on our top pick—gave the padding an opportunity to shift around. This pad also doesn’t have as much cushioning, so it won’t make your bed feel much softer. And the polyester top won’t wick moisture as well as the cotton on our top pick .
To determine the best electric blankets, we tested top products from popular brands in our Lab and with consumer testers, with our most recent test taking place this year. We also evaluated the durability of each blanket, including how it fared in our wash tests. We worked with consumer testers to gauge the ease of use, softness and appearance of each blanket.
When you think of the high energy and fuel costs to heat an entire home, and how much you could reduce your energy bill by using an electric blanket at night for part of the year, that’s a huge incentive. Since one of the major reasons to purchase an electric blanket is to reduce energy use and save money, let’s take a look at the cost breakdown to use each of these electric blanket finalists annually. We tested the energy consumption of each finalist by first testing the wattage with the Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor. It connects to household appliances to assess its energy use in voltage, watts, and kilowatt hours.
Only buy blankets that have been approved by nationally recognized testing agencies, such as UL Solutions or Intertek . The Beautyrest blanket had an entire section in the manual dedicated to its UL certification, which I appreciated. Shop your favorite products and we’ll find the best deal with a single click. The fundamental difference between AC and DC is the direction of flow.
I focused on blankets that were certified by one of the 21 Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories like UL Solutions or Intertek. I further established specific criteria to determine which blankets are best. For heated blankets intended for use on a bed, I evaluated each blanket before, during and after an approximately 8-hour sleep. Fter more than 50 hours of testing, we concluded that the SoftHeat – Ultra Micro-Plushis the best electric blanket.