WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT
Katie Piper has shared an urgent warning about the flower symbol found on hot water bottles, having posted about an important way to check yours is in good condition.
Whether it’s blasting the heating on or donning all those extra layers, we’re all taking steps to stay warm this December.
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Of course, when it comes to bedtime, one of the most popular methods is the good old-fashioned hot water bottle, which can leave you feeling toasty within seconds.
However, while they’re among the most commonly used products to help us get warm, they need to be treated with serious caution - all because of a little known detail that many people are completely unaware of.
Katie Piper issued a warning about hot water bottles on Instagram, sharing a post she’d seen from a woman who had ended up with severe burns after hers burst.
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The post she shared on her Instagram Story - having also been shared on her Instagram page for The Katie Piper Foundation - said: “With the colder weather now upon us I urge you to please check the dates on your hot water bottles!
“I didn’t keep an eye on mine and unfortunately ended up in Chelmsford Hospital Intensive Care and Burns Unit for a month due to mine bursting on me.
“I will not fully recover for up to 2 years and possibly live with scars to my stomach and thighs for the rest of my life.
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“I would hate for this to happen to anyone else.
“CHECK YOUR DATES!”
There’s a way to check if your hot water bottle needs replacing, with a handy flower symbol denoting how old it is.
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As explained by the Child Accident Prevention Trust, the flower symbol ‘indicates exactly when it was made’.
Using the above picture as an example, the trust said: “The number in the middle is the year it was made, the flower segments represent the 12 months of the year and the dots inside those represent the number of weeks.
“So this hot water bottle was made in April 2021.”
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It added: “Old hot water bottles can break and cause serious burns.
“So, it is advised to regularly check for signs of wear and tear and not use hot water bottles that are more than two years old.”
Topics: Life
Jess Hardiman