Portable Heaters and Electric Blankets: Staying Safe in a Cold Snap

When the temperature drops, or the central heating lets you down, a plug-in heater or an electric blanket can feel like a lifesaver. Used carelessly, though, they’re a real fire risk. Most portable heater fires come from simple, avoidable mistakes, such as a heater being knocked over or placed too close to curtains. This guide gives home owners and tenants clear, safe steps for using both this winter, based on advice from Electrical Safety First.

Before you switch on: a two-minute check

1. Unplug it and look it over. Check the heater or blanket, its cable and its plug for cracks, scorch marks, discolouration, frayed or exposed wires, or chew marks from mice if it’s been stored over the summer.
2. If anything is damaged, don’t use it. Replace it rather than taping it up or trying to repair it yourself.
3. Check the plug is a proper UK 3-pin plug. Electrical Safety First says all portable heaters and electric blankets must have one. Never use a travel adaptor.
4. Check it hasn’t been recalled. Electrical Safety First has a free product recall checker. Registering a new appliance with the manufacturer means they can contact you if a safety notice is issued.
5. Read the manufacturer’s instructions and use the product only in the way they describe.

Using a portable electric heater safely

1. Stand it on a flat, level surface where it can’t be knocked over by a door, children or pets.
2. Keep it at least one metre away from anything that can burn, such as curtains, bedding, sofas, paper and clothes.
3. Never dry clothes on or near it. If you must dry washing in the same room, keep it well away from the heat.
4. Plug it straight into a wall socket. Heaters draw a lot of power, and extension leads can easily overload and overheat. Don’t run a heater and other high-power appliances off the same lead or adaptor.
5. Don’t cover it, and don’t sit it on a carpet or rug if the instructions say not to.
6. Don’t leave it running unattended or overnight. Warm the room before bed instead. An oil-filled radiator stays warm for a while after it’s switched off.
7. Keep the cable out of the way so nobody trips over it in the night, and never run it under a rug.
8. Keep it away from water. Don’t use an ordinary plug-in heater in a bathroom.

Using an electric blanket safely

1. Lay it flat. Never use it folded, rucked or creased, as that can make it overheat. Don’t pin it in place.
2. Use it the right way up. An under-blanket goes under you; an over-blanket goes over you. Follow the instructions.
3. Never use a hot water bottle with it, and never touch it with wet hands or feet. Dry off fully after a bath or shower.
4. Unplug it when you get into bed, unless it has temperature controls and automatic shut-off and overheat protection designed for overnight use.
5. Don’t use one on a baby’s bed, or for anyone who may not feel heat properly, and only let young children use one if an adult has set the controls.
6. Store it carefully. Roll it or fold it loosely and keep it somewhere cool and dry. Don’t put heavy things on top of it.
7. Replace it after about ten years, or straight away if you see any wear, and recycle the old one rather than putting it in the bin.

Warning signs: switch off and unplug

• A burning or hot plastic smell, or scorch marks on the plug, socket or cable.
• The plug or socket feels hot, or you hear crackling or buzzing.
• The heater keeps cutting out, or the power trips whenever you use it.
• A blanket has hot spots, discoloured patches or wires poking through.

If it’s safe to do so, switch off at the socket and unplug. Don’t open the socket or the appliance, and never fit a bigger fuse in the plug. Our guide to a burning smell or hot socket explains what to do next. If you see smoke or flames, get everyone out and call 999.

If the power trips

Unplug the heater or blanket first. With dry hands and standing on a dry floor, you can reset the tripped RCD or circuit breaker once. If it trips again, leave it off and call a registered electrician. Anything beyond a single reset, such as fault finding or adding sockets so you don’t need extension leads, is a job for a registered electrician under Part P of the Building Regulations. Our RCD or trip switch guide has more detail, and you should never touch electrics near water. If water is near a socket or light, see our water leak near electrics guide: turn off the inside stopcock first (how to find your stopcock). The outside or boundary stop tap usually belongs to the water company (Anglian Water or Essex & Suffolk Water), may need a special key, and shouldn’t be dug up or forced. If a leak looks to be on their side, check whether neighbours are affected and contact the water company.

Smoke alarms: your back-up

Have at least one working smoke alarm on every floor, and test it regularly, especially if you’re relying on extra heaters this winter. Our smoke and heat alarm guide covers testing and when a mains alarm needs an electrician.

Never bring outdoor or camping heaters indoors

Patio heaters, camping stoves, barbecues and other outdoor gas or fuel appliances must never be used inside the home, as they can produce deadly carbon monoxide (CO). If you smell gas or suspect CO, leave the property, open doors and windows if it’s safe to, don’t use light switches or naked flames, turn the gas off at the meter only if it’s safe, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Seek medical advice if anyone has headaches, dizziness, nausea or breathlessness. Read more in our carbon monoxide signs guide.

Is the heater only there because the heating’s broken?

A plug-in heater is a stop-gap, not a fix. Try the simple checks in our heating won’t come on and low boiler pressure guides. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, only a Gas Safe registered engineer may work on gas pipework or appliances, so your boiler jobs are limited to what the user manual allows: pressing the reset button, topping up the pressure with the filling loop as the manual describes, checking the timer, thermostat and power, and thawing a frozen external condensate pipe with warm (not boiling) water. Never remove the boiler casing or touch the gas valve, burner or flue. If the boiler keeps locking out or losing pressure, call a Gas Safe engineer. You can check any engineer on the Gas Safe Register. Renting? See no heating or hot water in a rented home.

When to stop and call us

• A socket, plug or cable is hot, scorched, crackling or smells of burning.
• The RCD or a breaker trips again after one reset.
• You don’t have enough sockets and rely on extension leads for heaters.
• Your consumer unit (fuse box) has no RCD, or the wiring is more than 50 years old.
• Your central heating isn’t working and you’re getting by on plug-in heaters.
• The boiler keeps locking out or losing pressure.

We handle domestic electrical work, electrical safety inspections (EICR) and boiler repairs across the area.

Sources

• Electrical Safety First: portable heaters
• Electrical Safety First: electric blankets
• Electrical Safety First: advice for older and vulnerable people
• Gas Safe Register

This is general safety guidance. If you’re unsure, stop and call a qualified engineer.