As Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, I've learnt a *lot* about electric blankets over the past four years.
That's because I've tested a whole host of the best electric blankets on the market, and in doing so, I've been able to compare features and specifications to see what works best for me, and what doesn't.
However, when my then partner and I bought our first electric blanket over ten years ago, we didn't have any of this knowledge, and as a result, we made one major mistake during our purchase.
That mistake resulted in a far less enjoyable sleeping experience than we would have liked, a lot of faff, and wasted money.
What was this mistake? Not investing in an electric blanket with dual controls, even though there were two of us sharing a bed.
To be fair, I don't think we realised such a thing existed when we first googled 'electric blankets'. It was a particularly cold winter, and going to bed had become a bit of a game of 'chicken'.
Neither one of us wanted to be the first up the stairs and to climb into a bed with cold bedding, so we were both lingering downstairs, secretly hoping the other one would be the first under the covers to take the chill off the sheets!
My partner, in particular, hated being cold, so he was the one who came up with the ingenious idea of investing in an electric blanket. We opted for the Silentnight Comfort Control Electric Blanket, which, having since tested multiple electric blankets, I still rate as the best value heated underblanket going.
We secured the blanket to the bed, turned it on, and needless to say, there was no hesitation over climbing under the covers that night. The bed was soon toasty warm. However, at this point, we encountered the first problem.
We soon discovered that we had very different heat preferences. He would happily turn the electric blanket up to its highest setting and lie there basking in what felt to me like 100°C heat. I preferred to have the blanket on low so it took the chill off the bed, but didn't leave me feeling like I was lying in a sauna and sweating.
Cue nightly 'discussions' over what setting the electric blanket should be kept on, whilst one of us either overheated or was left feeling disgruntled and chilly.
Plus, as the one half of the couple who usually fell asleep the latest, I soon discovered there was another problem.
The single control for the electric blanket was on my partner's side, and the blanket didn't have an auto shut-off feature. That meant if he fell asleep whilst I still wanted the blanket on, I had to get out of bed and walk around to his side to turn it off. Not exactly ideal when I'd just gotten warm and cosy.
If only we had known back then that there was such a thing as a dual control electric blanket that allowed each sleeper to control the warmth level of their own side of the bed.
In fact, numerous electric blankets offer a dual control feature, and based on my lived experience, I would thoroughly recommend investing in one if you share a bed.
A dual control blanket will cost a little more than the standard version, but to my mind, it's well worth it to increase the usability of the blanket and avoid bedtime arguments with your other half!
Plus, it can also save you money in the long run. If you tend to go to bed earlier than your partner, or vice versa, then dual controls mean there's no need to waste money heating their side of the bed until they're ready to use it.
The same applies if you work different shift patterns or one of you travels for work. Dual controls offer much greater flexibility over how much of the bed you're heating, so it doesn't just increase each individual's comfort, but could also reduce your energy bills.
Dual control electric blankets
If you want to avoid the same mistake I made when buying my first electric blanket, I've listed two of my top recommendations for dual control electric blankets below.
This is the dual control version of the budget Silentnight electric blanket I originally bought. It's still fairly basic, with just three temperature settings and no auto shut-off timer, but its dual controls give each half of a couple much more control over their own side of the bed.
If you can stretch your budget a little more, this is the best dual control electric blanket I've tested. It's super comfortable, attaches to the bed like a fitted sheet so there are no lumps and bumps, has six temperature settings, an auto shut-off timer, and those much-needed dual controls.
There are other mistakes you can make when buying an electric blanket, but for us, that lack of dual controls was the real bugbear.
Do you think a dual-controlled electric blanket would save arguments with your other half? Let me know in the comments!
