Experts have warned to be on the lookout for a hidden symbol which can tell you if your hot water bottle has ‘expired’
Hot water bottles can come in handy when trying to warm you up during the winter months as the temperatures continue to drop. They’re also a great way to avoid spending precious pennies on energy and heating.
However the experts from Which? have warned that your hot water bottle may have already expired without you realising it. They explained that there’s one symbol you need to be on the lookout for.
On many hot water bottles there’s a hidden symbol which can tell you how long a hot water bottle can last. Many people may not know but hot water bottles have a short lifespan, as the older they get, the more likely they are to break, burst or leak.
They said in a video uploaded to Instagram: “According to the Children’s Burns Trust, if yours is more than two years old, it’s too old. To make sure, you can check your bottle’s date of manufacture, just look out for this handy daisy wheel symbol.”
The daisy-like symbol will have a central number in the middle, which indicates the year the bottle was made. They continued: “And if you want to be more specific, the petals represent the twelve months of the year and the dots are the weeks in those months.”
In an example symbol, the daisy showed a central number of 24, meaning it was made in 2024. Two of the petals had dots, seven in total, meaning it was made in the third week of February.
If you need to throw away a hot water bottle, many of them can be recycled, all you need to do is check with your local council. They said: “Always remember to check your hot water bottle before you use it for signs of wear and tear, like split seams, perished rubber and a poorly fitting stopper.”
When buying a replacement, be on the lookout for the symbol to check when the hot water bottle was made – and that it is brand new.
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