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About hot water bottles
A hot water bottle is a sealed container filled with hot water. Hot water bottles are widely used for warmth and to help ease pain.
They're made from rubber or PVC.
All hot water bottles are marked with a 'daisy wheel' date, which shows when the bottle was made.
Using the daisy wheel
Each part of the wheel represents a month, starting with January at the top, progressing clockwise until the 12th segment, which represents December. The last segment in a clockwise direction with dots indicates the month the bottle was made. Each dot in the last segment represents the week. For example, 3 dots means the third week of the month.
There are 2 ways the manufacture date might be displayed on hot water bottles.
Some hot water bottles have dots in the preceding months segments to indicate the months. The last segment with dots following a clockwise direction shows the month and week of manufacture.
Hot water bottle daisy wheel example 1
The hot water bottle in this diagram was manufactured in the third week of February 2024.
Hot water bottle daisy wheel example 2
The hot water bottle in this diagram was manufactured in the second week of July 2024.
Risks and injuries from the product
Hot water bottles can cause burns if placed directly on the skin. These burns are serious and happen gradually. Often the user can’t feel these burns until it’s too late. Hot water bottles can cause third degree burns, which may require skin grafts.
Younger and older people often have thinner and more delicate skin and are more vulnerable to serious burns. People with diabetes are prone to burns to their hands and feet while using a hot water bottle.
Hot water bottles can burst or leak if they are old, used improperly or poorly manufactured.
Hot water bottles that are made of rubber may cause an allergic reaction in people with a latex allergy.
Things to look for when buying the product
If a hot water bottle breaks when filled with hot water people can suffer severe burns. For this reason, there’s a mandatory standard that suppliers and retailers must comply with.
All hot water bottles sold within Australia must meet the hot water bottles mandatory standard.
- Buy a new hot water bottle every year. Hot water bottles that are in good condition on the outside may be damaged on the inside.
- Each hot water bottle must be accompanied with a safety warning about not placing bottles directly on skin. There may be further labels depending on the purpose and design of the hot water bottle.
Hot water bottles must have this warning:
“Do not use boiling water”
How to use the product safely
- Examine the hot water bottle before using and throw it away if it leaks, looks cracked, damaged, brittle, worn or faded.
- Don’t use boiling water in your hot water bottle – use hot tap water.
- Don’t overfill the hot water bottle or fill it too quickly.
- Fill the bottle over sink.
- Make sure the plug is properly sealed.
- Always use a hot water bottle cover or wrap the bottle in a towel or fabric. This prevents the bottle being in direct contact with the skin.
- Don’t lie, rest or put pressure or weight on a hot water bottle. Remove the hot water bottle from bed before going to bed to avoid rolling onto it and bursting it.
- Store the hot water bottle by hanging it upside down with the stopper removed. Store it in a dark, dry place and make sure it is completely dry inside and out before putting away.
- Note on your bottle the year and month it is due to be replaced.
Watch our video on hot water bottle safety
Every year, around 200 people in Australia are admitted to hospital with serious burns related to hot water bottles.
Check out the steps you can take to stay warm and safe this winter.
Video transcript
Karen and Michael’s kitchen at night
Michael: Karen, where’s the hot water bottle?
Karen: I haven’t seen it since last winter. Look in the junk cupboard.
Michael: Never find anything in the junk cupboard, coz it’s full of junk.
Michael: Ok… good.
Michael: Ahhhhhh!!!! KAREN!!!!(yelling)
Introduction by voiceover
Every year, around 200 people are admitted to hospital with serious burns related to hot water bottles.
These are not just superficial burns. Some burns can even require skin grafts and weeks of hospitalisation.
It’s a frightening statistic but one that can be easily avoided if we understand the hidden dangers associated with hot water bottles and we learn how to use them safely.
Yvonne Singer, Burns educator, Alfred hospital: Burns from hot water bottle scan vary from minor superficial burns, scalds, right through to deep full thickness burns. The most severe cases – the patients may need to stay with us for several weeks undergoing surgery and skin grafts.
They’re extremely traumatic. They’re extremely painful. And the pain doesn’t just stop at the time of the injury. It goes on for the entire process until the wound actually heals. They’re physically and psychologically draining.
Hot water bottles seem like such a harmless thing but the dangers are very real… people need to understand that.
Peta-Marie Penfold, Hot water bottle victim: I suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis and I used to use hot water bottles to ease the pain of my joints.
Re-enactment
Peta-Marie: Good night, bubby.
Husband: Good night, darl. You ok?
Peta-Marie: Yep, I’m ok.
Peta-Marie: On the night I was burnt, I had filled one of several hot water bottles that I had used regularly.
Sometime after I’d filled the water bottle I was lying in bed and I noticed my lap was all wet.
Re-enactment
Peta-Marie: DARREN!! DARREN!! (screaming)
Peta-Marie: The bottle had split along the top about an inch long. I didn’t feel it immediately. I don’t know why I didn’t feel the water… because of the arthritis, maybe. My husband got me into the shower and then called an ambulance.
It was very painful. I went straight to emergency and I ended up in hospital for two weeks.
I was diagnosed with full thickness burns on my belly, upper thigh and leg. I had to have skin grafts on my belly and leg.
I always saw my hot water bottle as a source of comfort and a way to relieve my pain. But now I’d like everyone to know that using a hot water bottle is full of hidden dangers.
Karen and Michael’s kitchen at night
Michael: Karen, where’s the hot water bottle?
Karen: I bought new ones… one each.
Conclusion by voiceover
Buy a new hot water bottle at the start of each winter and follow the instructions for filling and use.
Don’t fill your hot water bottle directly with boiling water from a kettle.
Boiling water, not only burns badly but damages and weakens the material that the hot water bottle is made from.
Be sure to remove any excess air from the bottle before you fill it.
Another major cause of burns is when a hot water bottle is left on one part of the body for too long. These burns can occur gradually without you knowing. Use a towel or specially designed cover and avoid leaving the hot water bottle on one area of skin for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Hot water bottles should never be given to babies or young children, as their skin is too sensitive.
Older people with sensitive skin and people with reduced feeling in parts of their bodies should avoid using hot water bottles.
Never sit or lean on a hot water bottle as this can cause them to burst or leak.
And only use a hot water bottle to heat the bed – take it out before you get in.
This winter, follow these simple guidelines to stay warm and safe.