10 best hot water bottles
From body-length bottles and microwavable hotties to electric heat pads and eco-friendly plastic-free buys, there’s never been so many ways to get cosy.
The main thing to keep in mind is what you want to use it for. Is it simply for keeping your toes toasty in bed? Maybe you’re after something that works as heat therapy to soothe aches and pains? Or perhaps you’re on the hunt for a safe cosy for a child, a luxury gift for a friend or a worry-free buy for a less mobile relative?
To help you choose, we’ve tried the best designs and outlined who – and what – they might be best for. Happy snuggling…
YuYu Hot Water Bottle with Wearable Liberty Cover: £75, yuyubottle.com
The YuYu hot water bottle is 81cm long, getting you toasty from head-to-toe.
The bottle is also super-flexible and comes with an adjustable strap that means you can tie it around sore shoulders or an aching stomach for targeted – and hands-free – pain relief.
It holds the same volume of water as a regular hot water bottle so you only need to fill the kettle once and it’s not heavy to wear around the house.
There are lots of cover designs at various prices: super-soft fleece versions cost just £33, but the insulated covers made from Liberty fabric, priced £75, are too pretty not to shout about.
Hottie Microwave Highland Fling Red Tartan Hottie: £15.99, hotwaterbottles.net
Filling a hot water bottle with boiling water can be a nerve-wracking task, particularly if hands aren’t as nimble as they once were.
This hottie doesn’t require filling or emptying and there’s also no fiddly stopper to worry about.
It consists of a “heat pack” (made of plant-based material and water) that you heat in the microwave, then slip inside a stretchy fabric cover. No flammable gels, grains or materials are used, which also reassured us.
Once snuggly in its cover, it radiated gentle warmth that kept us cosy for four hours.
Hotties are CE registered as a class 1 medical device for pain relief and could be helpful as heat therapy for conditions including arthritis, IBS and sciatica.
Eco-sustainable Rubber less Hot Water Bottle: £19.99, hotwaterbottleshop.co.uk
Rubber-free and made from 90 per cent renewable and recyclable materials, this is a great eco-conscious option.
Because it’s PVC free, it’s also odourless, which means you don’t get that rubbery whiff that sometimes comes with traditional options.
The bottle itself isn’t as flexible or soft as traditional designs, but when we filled it with hot water, it did soften up slightly.
We liked the diagonal zip on the fleece cover, which made it a doddle to remove from its inner bottle, and were impressed by its two-year warranty against leaks.
Extra bonus points for it being posted in paper and cardboard rather than unnecessary plastic (note to other retailers, we’d like to see more of this).
Boots Hot Water Bottle: £7.99, Boots.com
Did you know you should replace your hot water bottle at least every five years for safety reasons? Neither did we until now.
This hot water bottle is a great option if you need a new bottle, but your cover still has life left in it.
There are no bells and whistles to this design, but it’s easy to fill and empty, the screw lid is really secure, it’s latex-free (making it useful for those with a latex allergy) and it’s a sensible price.
It also comes with comprehensive and clear instructions that make you confident that you’re using it safely and effectively.
Aroma Home Rose, Geranium and Neroli Scented Hot Water Bottle: £19.99, uk.aromahome.com
This bottle infused with pure essential oils is a relaxing double-whammy.
Sure enough, when we filled it with hot water, it released a delicate floral scent that helped us to feel even more comforted. At first, it was quite an intense smell, but over time, it reduced.
The bottle comes in a range of other scents, including jasmine, sandalwood and orange; as well as rosemary, lemon and marjoram.
Brora Cashmere Hot Water Bottle: £119, brora.co.uk
This isn’t the cheapest option, but cashmere’s softness and swaddling warmth makes it a real treat.
Cashmere is a brilliant natural insulator and we found it kept our hot water bottle warm under our duvet until morning. The cashmere is brilliant quality; it’s made in Britain and we loved the classic no-fad design and colour so much that we happily keep this on the sofa.
It’s hand-wash only, though – something to note if you live and die by the washing machine.
Beurer Not A Hot Water Bottle Heat Pad: £31.99, robertdyas.co.uk
This is a large electrical heat pad that’s shaped like a traditional hot bottle. Just plug in, switch on and, using the three heat settings, you can turn it up or down as required.
We liked that the controller is detachable so you don’t need to keep it connected to a plug socket at all times and that it also has an auto shut-off after 90-minutes, which is reassuring if you’re worried you might fall asleep while it’s on.
It’s much bigger than a typical hot water bottle, making it great for warming larger areas of the body or for conditions like back pain.
It’s a great option for anyone who wants controllable heat without having to go to a kettle or microwave all the time.
Celtic and Co Sheepskin Hot Water Bottle Cover: £44, celticandco.com
We love Celtic and Co’s sheepskin slippers and boots, and were delighted that its 100 per cent sheepskin hot water bottle cover turned out to be just as brilliant.
It was one of the best covers we tested for keeping us toasty – it was still warm after more than eight hours under the duvet.
It didn’t feel as immediately warming as some of the others we tested because the sheepskin is so thick, but this does mean it shouldn’t be too hot for sensitive skin either.
Political Hotties Hot Water Bottle: £25, notonthehighstreet.com
Hot water bottles aren’t the only things that get you through chilly nights – laughter helps, too. Just choose your “political hottie” print – whether that’s Trump, May, Boris, Corbyn – and you’ll receive it printed on a fleece hot water bottle cover.
This isn’t just a novelty buy – the bottle and cover itself are good quality, too.
Heat Treats Microwaveable Sparkly White Unicorn: £13.95, Heat Treats
As every parent knows, children have a knack for opening things they shouldn’t – which could include hot water bottles.
Step forward this fluffy and furry unicorn, which is fully microwavable so you don’t need to worry about boiling water spillages.
To heat it up, you put the entire unicorn in the microwave for 60 seconds.
Our six-year-old tester enjoyed watching it go around in the microwave, and loved how warm and comforting it felt when it came out.
It didn’t keep its heat for a long time (it stayed warm for two hours max), but by then our mini tester had fallen asleep.
The verdict: best hot water bottles
For warmth and versatility, the YuYu Hot Water Bottle gets top marks.
We also loved Hottie’s Microwave Highland Fling Red Tartan Hottie for its safety considerations.
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