Electric Blanket

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Electric Blanket

Most everyone is familiar with the blanket, and likewise, most everyone can testify to its many comforts. Blankets have been keeping people warm for centuries, and continue to do so effectively today. Moreover, because the blanket tends to be a highly personal item, people sometimes develop strong attachments to them—particularly during childhood. As a result, the blanket has an important place in large cultural segments as a symbol of warmth and comfort.

The electric blanket picks up from this concept and aims to provide a blanket that warms even more quickly and effectively. The standard electric blanket is placed just about the top bed sheet to provide warming for the entire bed. However, some people also like to take their electric blankets around the house with them, especially during winter.

The history of the electric blanket is a little uncertain, but the overall concept is generally attributed to an American physician named Sidney Russell around 1912. The blankets began to be more widely manufactured in the 1920s, generally as underblankets. The overblankets, which are closer to today’s standard electric blanket in function and design, began to be produced in the 1930s, but didn’t become widely used until the 1970s.

These electric blankets featured a sort of control unit which allowed the user to adjust the amount of heat the blanket produces. Some of today’s blankets still use a similar control system. Often these controls are on both sides of the bed so they can be easily adjusted as you start to fall asleep. You can also use these controls to pre-heat the bed as you get ready to go to sleep, and then the bed will be warm by the time you climb in, and you can perhaps turn the controls off, depending on the conditions in which you are sleeping.

Most modern electric blankets use rheostat, however, which measures not just the amount of heat produced by the electricity, but also the user’s body heat, in order to generate a more balanced warming effect.

Though they were more of a fire hazard in the past, modern electric blankets use carbon fire wires. These blankets usually utilize 24 volts instead of the 110/240 volts. Therefore, they are designed so that fire is not a concern, especially when properly stowed and cared for. If you do have a blanket more than ten years old, it’s worth asking an electrician if it is safe. It might be worth investing in a new blanket either way, as today’s blankets heat more quickly and effectively.

In rare cases, electric blankets can cause burning if they are turned on too high and the person using the blanket is not sensitive to feeling pain. This can sometimes apply to the elderly, so it is a good idea if you give your grandparent or parent a gift to make sure he or she knows how to use it, and will be able to do so safely.

Generally speaking, electric blankets are designed to complement standard sheets and bedding, so you won’t need to buy new materials for your bed—you can simply drape the electric blanket on top of everything else. Other variations of the electric blanket include the electric mattress pad, which goes just below the bottom bed sheet, as opposed to the top.

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Most everyone is familiar with the blanket, and likewise, most everyone can testify to its many comforts. Blankets have been keeping people warm for centuries, and continue to do so effectively today. Moreover, because the blanket tends to be a highly personal item, people sometimes develop strong attachments to them—particularly during childhood. As a result, the blanket has an important place in large cultural segments as a symbol of warmth and comfort.

The electric blanket picks up from this concept and aims to provide a blanket that warms even more quickly and effectively. The standard electric blanket is placed just about the top bed sheet to provide warming for the entire bed. However, some people also like to take their electric blankets around the house with them, especially during winter.

The history of the electric blanket is a little uncertain, but the overall concept is generally attributed to an American physician named Sidney Russell around 1912. The blankets began to be more widely manufactured in the 1920s, generally as underblankets. The overblankets, which are closer to today’s standard electric blanket in function and design, began to be produced in the 1930s, but didn’t become widely used until the 1970s.

These electric blankets featured a sort of control unit which allowed the user to adjust the amount of heat the blanket produces. Some of today’s blankets still use a similar control system. Often these controls are on both sides of the bed so they can be easily adjusted as you start to fall asleep. You can also use these controls to pre-heat the bed as you get ready to go to sleep, and then the bed will be warm by the time you climb in, and you can perhaps turn the controls off, depending on the conditions in which you are sleeping.

Most modern electric blankets use rheostat, however, which measures not just the amount of heat produced by the electricity, but also the user’s body heat, in order to generate a more balanced warming effect.

Though they were more of a fire hazard in the past, modern electric blankets use carbon fire wires. These blankets usually utilize 24 volts instead of the 110/240 volts. Therefore, they are designed so that fire is not a concern, especially when properly stowed and cared for. If you do have a blanket more than ten years old, it’s worth asking an electrician if it is safe. It might be worth investing in a new blanket either way, as today’s blankets heat more quickly and effectively.

In rare cases, electric blankets can cause burning if they are turned on too high and the person using the blanket is not sensitive to feeling pain. This can sometimes apply to the elderly, so it is a good idea if you give your grandparent or parent a gift to make sure he or she knows how to use it, and will be able to do so safely.

Generally speaking, electric blankets are designed to complement standard sheets and bedding, so you won’t need to buy new materials for your bed—you can simply drape the electric blanket on top of everything else. Other variations of the electric blanket include the electric mattress pad, which goes just below the bottom bed sheet, as opposed to the top.