A timely warning !

This autumn has been unseasonably warm and the first days of winter have been mild.   When the first cold day strikes we automatically seek ways to keep warm - and both electricity and gas are a more expensive option this year.

Many people have turned to what is described as " the Wheat bag " as an inexpensive item both to buy and to run on cold days - and specially cold nights.
It comprises a cloth bag containing grains of wheat - and in some instances, wheat is replaced by rice - which can be heated in the microwave and will hold that heat for a long period of time.

Ideal to cuddle against while you watch television, but a firm favourite for warming the bed.  Many people consider it a vast improvement on the old " hot water bottle " of past years - but misused, it can be deadly dangerous !

Commercially produced Wheat bags come with printed instructions and these determine the length of time they should spend in the microwave - and that also depends on the variety of power settings of each individual Microwave unit.

Leaving the Wheat bag to heat for excess time can cause it to overheat and when it is placed in the bed there is a danger that it can smoulder - or even self combust.   We are seeing a spate of house fires in recent weeks and many of these are caused by misuse of Wheat bags.

They are safe - if used properly !    The problem is that some people simply ignore the instructions and their use by children requires very strict supervision.  The fire prevention people are worried that cost hikes for both gas and electricity will force many households to cut energy costs - and Wheat bags seem a very reasonable way of getting heat relief at low cost.

They are inexpensive to buy, and a short time in the Microwave costs a lot less than running a conventional heater to gain warmth.

Users would be wise to do the sums and establish a strict time limit on their heating time in the Microwave, depending on a correlation of the instructions and the power of the individual household Microwave appliance.

It would probably be a good idea to ink that time factor on the exterior of the Wheat bag - and caution all users to strictly observe that limitation !