How to Buy the Best Electric Mattress Pad

These days most people believe that an electric mattress pad is uncomfortable and dangerous. Truth be told today's electric mattress pad is not only safe but durable and efficient. If you use an electric mattress pad I guarantee you'll be able to turn down the thermostat and save money on your heating bills during the winter. There are many features to consider when shopping for an electric mattress pad, let's look at them.

What size electric mattress pad will you need?

This may seem obvious but you must also consider the depth of the mattress. A mattress pad has elastic sides designed to go under the mattress to hold it in place. Make sure you choose an electric mattress pad that can fit the depth of your mattress.

What kind of power requirements does an electric mattress pad have?

The safest electric mattress pad will convert the power from your wall outlet, 120 volts into a safe 14-18 volts for use by the electric mattress pad itself. For safetys sake make sure the electric mattress pad you choose converts the power, you really don't want to be sleeping on 120 volt wires, no matter how durable the electric mattress pad is. Also, make sure the power cord is long enough.

Anything I should look for when it comes to electric mattress pad wiring?

To make cleaning easy, make sure the wiring is detachable from the electric mattress pad, you really don't want to throw the electrical unit into the washing machine.

Any tips on the heating element of the electric mattress pad?

A good quality electric mattress pad will use heating elements made of very fine wires, making it difficult or even impossible to feel them when you sleep. This is called micro-wire and I suggest you look for this. A poor quality electric mattress pad will have large heating wires that you will most definetly be able to feel while you sleep. This isn't an issue for an electric blanket since the blanket will be above you.

Anything else I should look for in a great electric mattress pad?

Here's some additional features of a top quality electric mattress pad.

• Make sure the material is a quality polyester/cotton blend. The combination of good material and micro-wiring will allow you to machine wash and tumble dry the electric mattress pad without fear of shrinkage or damamge.
• Make sure the electric mattress pad has many heat settings
• For safety and savings make sure the electric mattress pad has an auto off feature, usually 10 hours or so
• For queen or king size seperate heat level controls for each side is desirable.

Here's an example of a top notch electric mattress pad, it's available on Amazon.

To help you find the best electric mattress pad I suggest reading heated mattress pad reviews on sites like ConsumerSearch or ConsumerReports. These sites have unbiased heated mattress pad reviews and often list the lowest prices right in the heated mattress pad reveiws. You 'll also find many useful links right here on this page too.