How to Wash a Heated Mattress Pad

Pillowtop matress

There's nothing to compare with the comfort of sliding into a warm bed in the middle of winter. To many a heated mattress pad is a necessity rather than a luxury. The therapeutic relief to aching muscles and joints that a heated mattress pad can give is without dispute, but sooner or later you'll have to face the question: How do you wash a heated mattress pad?

Instructions

1. Remove your mattress pad from the bed and disconnect the power cord.

2. Look around the outside seam for a manufacturer's tag; if a pad is "dry clean only," it will state so clearly on the pad and you will need to take it to a professional.

3. Load the mattress pad loosely into your washing machine, being careful not to wrap the heating coils too tightly around the agitator. Add the amount of mild laundry soap according to the soap package. Do not add extra.

4. Adjust the setting of your washing machine to the delicate cycle and the water temperature to warm wash and cold rinse. Turn on the machine and allow it to wash as usual.

5. Remove the heated mattress pad from the washer and shake it out to release any tangles and wrinkles. Load it loosely into the dryer.

6. Set your dryer control on the delicate setting and low heat or no heat (depending on the available settings on your machine); turn the timer on to a 30-minute setting.

7. Pull the mattress pad out when the dryer finishes. The pad will still be damp; the object is to avoid shrinking, so you don't want the heated mattress pad to be fully dry when you remove it from the dryer.

8. Grasp the pad with one hand on the center top and the other hand on the outside top and stretch into shape. Repeat this procedure in the middle of the pad and then the bottom; continue with the other side until your heated mattress pad has been fully reshaped.

9. Drape the mattress pad over a clothesline to let it air dry the rest of the way. If you don't have a clothesline, you can hang the heated mattress pad over two chairs or the top of an open door. When the pad has completely dried, it is ready to go back on your bed.