The Humble Hot Water Bottle (East and West)

The hot water bottle (or hot-water bottle) is a British invention. It is used to warm your bed during cold winter months.

The basic is a rubber (or now PVC) flat bottle, which you fill with very hot water, stopper securely and then keep in bed. More recent ones also have furry covers, which makes them quite cuddlesome (and retain heat for longer)! You can put the hot water bottle into your bed maybe 15 minutes before sleep. So covers are nice and warm when you get inside :)

I am a big fan of the (particularly modern) hot water bottle! I have never been crazy about electric blankets (fear of electrocution?) and also the bottle is more economical/eco-friendly. Girls also use hot water bottles for tummy cramps, and I've used one to alleviate back pain after an injury.

My family used these warmers when I was a child. Back then the rubber bottles didn't have covers and I think some were slightly corroded, leading to the most unpleasant experience of one bursting in bed - fortunately without burns, but half a litre of water in bed during winter was NOT welcome! (You can reduce this risk by avoiding boiling water to fill- which helps preserve the materials. Modern PVC is also less likely to corrode.) 

As with many cultures, people in the chilly UK have used bed-warming items for centuries. Like metal pans filled with coals, even early hot water bottles made from metals or clay. The rubber bottle idea was first introduced in the 19th century - as rubber became a more common material in the West. And then patented by a Croatian engineer in the early 1900s. 

In Japan, there is a similar, soft-covered item known as a 'yutanpo' (湯()たんぽ) - made from rubber, metal or ceramic. The idea is traditional, though, similarly, there are modern versions, including electronic ones, apparently! I am not sure how widely used yutanpo are. Most of the places I've visited in Japan used electric blankets to heat beds. Though a friend on a ski trip in icy Hokkaido recently said that they used yutanpo overnight. (If you use yutanpo in your home in Japan, please do add a comment!)

I've also read a few expat blogs with concerned Brits unable to find nice, covered, hot water bottles in the US - though I guess they can now be ordered online if necessary!

Below is my trusty, British hot water bottle. Happy snoozing.

Japanese yutanpo with cover.

Yutanpo photo credit - eBay 


Also on this blog:

Chillblains

Ovens. And kitchens (where I rightly belong)