The Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket was the best overall heated blanket from my larger tested review of the best heated blankets for its luxe feel, quality construction and superior performance. Ahead, learn more about the sleek, lightweight heated blanket that topped my list.
When it’s a frigid night and your comforter just isn’t bringing on the heat, a heated blanket can keep you from shivering between the sheets. Look no further than the Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket, which won best heated blanket overall in my main review.
The Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket was the best among the products I tried due to its luxe feel ... [+]
This lightweight layer of warmth outperformed the six other heated blankets I tried over a 2-week period in my drafty New England house. Thanks to its silky, thin construction, you can put it right on top of your everyday comforter—and its wide range of 20 heat settings go from warm to toasty in about 20 minutes, or even faster if you use boost mode.
Read on to learn what made the Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket a winner.
Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket Features
Warmth Without Added Weight
I tried out seven blankets in all in my tests, and what set the Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket apart from the rest was its quality feel and lightweight construction. Weighing in at just 9.5 pounds, the blanket has a barely-there kind of feel when it’s laid on a bed—in my case, on top of my thicker cotton comforter with a top sheet underneath. It’s much like a coverlet—a decorative blanket you put on top of your bed to enhance your decor—but it provides extra warmth from internal wires.
The trade-off with the Beautyrest is that because it isn’t bulky, you can feel the wires on either side. As I learned while testing, this is typical for electric blankets. If you don’t want to feel any wires, opt for a thicker blanket like the L.L.Bean Wicked Cozy Heated Blanket, my runner-up pick for its heavyweight design.
Heat Settings Galore
The Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket has 20 settings to choose from, the most of any of the blankets I tried. I found that this wide range will suit a variety of heat requirements. Still, the differences between each setting were subtle: I really wasn’t able to differentiate between 8 and 12, for instance. I eventually found level 4 to be my favorite.
It was clear that the heat coming from this blanket was consistent, giving my bed a warm, cozy feel. To add another layer of objective testing, I waved an infrared thermometer along the surface of each blanket at its highest level to test how evenly the wires distributed heat. The Beautyrest readings ranged mostly from 80 to 88 degrees. When I was laying underneath it, I found it to be the most consistent of the group, just ahead of the L.L.Bean heated blanket. I felt no hot or cold spots, just even warmth.
Since my husband and I prefer different levels of heat, it’s nice that the individual controllers allow you to choose settings for each side—there’s bound to be a favorite number for every sleeper. It’s worth noting that heated blankets in sizes queen or larger, including the Beautyrest, typically come with two controllers, one for each side of the bed, while twin-size heated blankets or throws have only one controller for one person.
The silky Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket spread easily over my comforter and felt like a coverlet ... [+]
Thoughtful Design And Details
This blanket offers more than just the maximum amount of heat settings. It comes in 10 attractive colors to coordinate with your decor. I also found it easy to operate the oval-shaped controllers compared to other blankets. The cords, which plug into the blanket at the feet and into the wall by the head, are long enough—approximately 19 feet, the longest of all the models I tried—to hide under my bed and nightstand. The Beautyrest’s cords were also 5 feet longer than my runner-up, the L.L.Bean Wicked Cozy Heated Blanket.
The Beautyrest’s sleep mode, designated by an “H” on the display, allows you to set the length of time before the blanket shuts off. The duration can be any amount between 1 and 10 hours, with a default safety auto shut-off of 10 hours if you don’t select a duration. It also has a preheat setting, called the boost feature. This quick-start mode warmed my bed up in approximately 15 minutes, one of the fastest warming times among blankets I tested. It’s a convenient feature for quick heating right before bed or a boost in the middle of the night if you aren’t warm enough at a lower setting.
How Does The Beautyrest Compare To Other Blankets?
Out of the seven blankets I tested, the Beautyrest was my overall winner. It had the most lightweight feel, and its wide range of features and settings make it a solid choice for sleepers who want to add warmth to their existing bedding configuration. It’s easy to throw this blanket on your bed at bedtime when you feel the temperatures dip. My runner-up pick, the L.L.Bean Wicked Cozy Heated Blanket, has an especially thick construction that makes it feel bulkier, and it’s heavier to lift as well.
How I Tested The Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket
For each blanket, I studied the instructions to set them up, then took notes on the feel, construction and ease of setup. I started my test drive of the Beautyrest at heat setting 20, giving the blanket 25 minutes to heat up. I slept under it for about a week, adjusting the heat settings in the dark.
I used an infrared thermometer to test the consistency of the heat across the blanket, and I found the readings from the Beautyrest to be one of the most consistent I tested, measuring largely in the 80s, while many of the others skipped around from the 60s into the 100s. I also measured the cords, noting how they laid beside or underneath my bed (some shorter cords won’t tuck under a bed, and can be an eyesore).
The oval controllers of the Beautyrest Plush Electric Blanket are easy to operate compared to other ... [+]
Instructions say you can machine-wash the Beautyrest blanket in cold water, on a gentle or hand-wash cycle. While I had intended to wash each blanket I tested in my own washing machine, a mishap with the especially thick L.L.Bean Wicked Cozy Heated Blanket—which prompted an error message to appear because of its large size—ultimately led me to spot test each blanket with coffee instead. So if you choose a king-size blanket, consider whether your machine can handle its volume.
I found it very easy to wash out the coffee with cold water and mild soap. I hung the wet corner to dry, although the instructions say that you can tumble dry on a low, delicate cycle.
My Expertise
I have more than two decades of experience writing about lifestyle, health, celebrity and pet content. I was the founding senior editor of People.com’s pets channel, and I frequently reviewed pet, baby and parenting gear for the website. More recently, I’ve been writing product reviews for brands like Consumer Reports and ScaryMommy.com. I also live in a very drafty house in New England that feels cold even in the summertime. Flannel sheets, slippers and space heaters are all staples around here. I welcome warmth in any form, so electric blankets fit right in.
For the technical side of this piece, I consulted with Joel Hawk, a veteran of Illinois-based UL Solutions, the organization that created a nationally recognized safety standard called Electrically Heated Bedding UL 964 and independently tests electric blankets to ensure they meet the necessary requirements. I asked for his insight into how to shop for and store these products. I also interviewed TPI Level 1 certified physical therapist Cindy Langer, founder and owner of BodyFit Physical Therapy in Connecticut, to explain where heat therapy works and doesn’t.
Are Electric Blankets Safe To Use?
I clearly remember the wiry, fuzzy electric blankets of my childhood in the 80’s, they were not safe to leave on overnight. These days, however, electric blankets are designed for overnight use. The risk of fire hazard from these products has greatly diminished over the years because electric bedding in the United States has been designed to emit much less heat.
“These products have greatly evolved over, I'd say, the last 30 years in particular, especially the last 10 to 20. They used to have a bunch of thermostats and they were uncomfortable and they didn't detect every hotspot effectively,” says Hawk, a principal designated engineer in the consumer, medical and information technology group of UL Solutions. “Now we have smart wires that will detect if there is an abnormal condition occurring anywhere along the wire [and] it's going to go back to your controller. So [the features] have really advanced over the years and that's made a tremendous difference in safety across the board.”
What Are The Best Heated Blankets?
There are many things to look for in a well-performing and safe electric blanket. First and foremost, says Hawk, only buy blankets that have been approved by nationally recognized testing agencies, such as UL Solutions (UL) or Intertek (ETL). The Beautyrest has an entire section in their manual dedicated to its UL certification, which signals the product has undergone a battery of tests. Look for a third party logo, and the label should say the word “listed.”
Always buy an electric blanket from a reputable retailer, never secondhand. Although it’s not required by the testing standard, Hawk recommends choosing a blanket with an auto-shut off feature. This means the unit automatically shuts off in a certain amount of hours. I learned through this testing process that electric blankets can sometimes stop working without a clear reason—a thermostat can break down, for instance, or power surges can cause overheating—so look for a product with a good warranty. The Beautyrest has a 5-year limited warranty.
How Do You Store A Heated Blanket?
When you’re not using your electric blanket, don’t stuff it in a storage bin with its cord wrapped around it. It should be folded loosely without stacking things on top of it. Detach supply cords and wind those up separately. “That way you're not binding the product, you're not wrapping the cord real tightly around the product,” Hawk explains. “You don't want to displace the internal wires.” Always store your blanket in a dry location.
How Long Do Electric Blankets Last?
Always check your product for signs of aging— like fabric wearing out or discoloration—because it’s important to know that heated blankets typically have a 10-year lifecycle. “You should always be ready to retire the product before it gets to its end point,” says Hawk. If you see damage to supply cords or anything that’s out of the ordinary, it’s time to replace your blanket.
Who Shouldn’t Use Electric Blankets?
Yes. Young children, incapacitated or immobile individuals like quadriplegicswho cannot remove bedding from their bodies, or diabetics are among the groups of people who should not use electric blankets. If you are unsure whether a heated blanket would be safe for you, consult with your doctor.
Certain skin conditions may worsen with the application of heat. “We don't want to put too much heat on rashes because we’re talking about things that are already inflamed or could spread. We don't want to increase heat around areas of tissue breakdown,” says Langer. In addition, some musculoskeletal conditions shouldn’t be treated with heat. “Somebody who has sharp pain, a lot of swelling, you can see bruising. We don't put heat on that,” says Langer. However, she told me that tight or stiff muscles do respond well to heat.
