Different Types Of Hot Water Bottle

Hot water bottles have diversified and changed a great deal over the years and right now it's never been easier to get exactly what you want from the vast choice of styles and types on the market.  The most common type is filled with hot water and still the biggest seller by a mile.

Traditional rubber, PVC, TPU and now Eco biodegradable
Traditional rubber is still very popular having been improved over the years and now a good quality rubber hot water bottle will be manufactured with non-perishable rubber compound.   A budget one will contain less rubber compound with chemical filler added to bulk up and therefore more likely to perish.   Many of the cheap bottles use recycled rubber which has a pungent perfume added to disguise the awful smell from the process of recycling in manufacture.
Always look for new virgin rubber, these have a natural rubber smell which dissipates during use and is a good insulator therefore retaining heat for longer.
Newer thermoplastic or PVC offer latex and phthalate free, ideal for children and people with a latex allergy.   Both can be found in just about any colour desired, PVC hot water bottle.   Also called thermoplastic, they can also be transparent printed with colourful designs, motifs or filled with floating patterns.
TPU hot water bottle is a new technology that is dry and soft to the touch, also latex and phthalate free.   Currently limited stocks but as the technology develops more styles and colours are being added, we should see these expand with new designs that currently cannot be achieved using latex.
Eco friendly and bio based made from renewable sugar cane and free of plasticers.   These are manufactured in cooperation with the Finneck Foundation providing a safe work for people with disabilities to create a sustainable product.   These are made in smaller batches, as the market for green and Eco friendly products grow so will the production.   They may cost a little bit more, the trade off with ethical green products is the higher production costs but it is worth the extra to kick start the green technology.   As production ramps up we should see cost saving which should bring these the green Eco hot water bottle type in line with standard latex bottle.

Hot water bottle sizes
The standard size is a 2.0 litre, the next size down is 1.0L closely followed by 0.80 litre in both children's ranges and adults.   Worth remembering that the size is a category size and not the fill size as when filling always leave a gap, expel excess air before tightening the stopper - finger tight will do.
For the hard to find sizes we have jumbo a 3.0 litre hot water bottle right down to pockedt size hot water bottle at 0.3 litre, there are other sizes in between the main sizes.   Please bear in mind that sizing refers to the group size, fill or capacity is different, look at the specifications to see exactly how big it is and how much liquid it will take.

Ribbed, smooth or transparent
Ribbed on one side and smooth or cross hatch pattern on other – this give comfortable heat on the smooth side and the ribbed side will diffuse the heat.
Ribbed side gently releases diffused natural heat and when needed turn over to increase the warmth that will last for hours.
Ribbed on both side – diffuse heat to last longer and avoid being too hot.   These will retain heat a long time, they are generally called double ribbed and most common in 2.0 litre size, smaller sizes have less demand for double ribbed and are normally single ribbed.
Patterned – often novelty bottles will have a raised pattern that will act similar to ribbed but with a modern twist to the design and often the colour is changed each year to keep up with latest trends.
Plain on both sides – many of the transparent types are plain in either clear or pattern/design.   Plain hot water bottle will give a very comfortable amount of even heat and best used with a cover or wrap around a blanket, towel to avoid excess heat.   When using a padded or chunky cover the best type to use is plain as these can be used next to the cover which absorbs the heat giving out just the right amount of warmth to snuggle up to.

Novelty & hard to find types of hot water bottles
There are some novelty types, these change depending seasonal trends and demand.   Currently there are heart shaped, round shape, long shape and heat activated fish or heart.   These heat warming fish hot water bottle contains shapes inside that will change colour to indicate the right temperature for use, ideal for children or vulnerable people where the right temperature can be seen visually.   The shape of the bottle can have a significant effect on how it can be used to offer more options.   Standard shape will heat a square area, size is dependent on the size of the bottle, a jumbo 3.0 litre size will heat a greater area than a pocket warmer at 300ml.   The heart shape hot water bottle is a perfect shape to cuddle up to, small enough to hold easily and give enough heat.   Long hot water bottle is a very innovative new addition, these can wrapped around the body, some have ties to secure the two ends. They can also be wrapped across the shoulders or wrap around your feet to keep toes cosy and warm.   When used to warm the bed they heat a long area, perfect to warm up cold sheets before going to bed.   Many users will lay the long hot water bottle diagonally across the bed to get the maximum heat coverage and banish those cold spots.   If you do want some cold spots, it's worth also remembering that all these can be filled with cold water to keep cool when over heating or during a heat wave.   To get really cool fill with cold water first then place in the fridge (not freezer) and allow to chill for a few hours.   You'll have a really cool bottle!!!

Some very clever foot warmers now use a hot water bottle, these keep toes cozy warm for hours and the choice of fabrics makes this easy to find a match.   These work the same way as a standard bottle, just fill with hot water, place inside the specially made foot warmer and pop your feet inside to relax and unwind.   These stay warm for hours keeping toes warm as toast, just remember they are not for walking or standing on.   They have clever grips underneath to hold the whole foot warmer in place and prevent it sliding around.   Also newer neck warmers now have an actual curved bottle that is filled with hot water, they give instant heat relief in exactly the right place, brilliant.   Inside the neck warmer is a traditional stopper, filling is the same as a standard bottle but allow the air to escape as you fill with hot water.   Although there are microwave neck warmers and they heat up nicely they do not stay warm for as long as a traditional hot water bottle making these the a good choice for those needing constant heat or using to ease muscles and relax.

Last but not least there are hard to find types such as with handles which due to space constraints are not stocked in many high street and national store chains.
These hard to find bottles with handles are rare finds at anytime of the year but online we don't just keep one but have a choice of colours in stock 365 days of the year and if you want in red, blue or cream, no problem, if you want it next day, no problem and if you want it with a specially made cover, you guessed, no problem.
So, things really are looking up for the humble hot water bottle, these days it's just knowing where to get the best selection at a guaranteed quality.