HOT-WATER BOTTLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15912, 8 May 1915, Page 6 (Supplement)

HOT-WATER BOTTLES.

Hot-water bottles are in such constant i use during J the cold weather, that many persons cannot sleep without them. . No doubt they are very comfortable things to 1 use on a cold night, but, unfortunately, I the constant use of hot-water bottles has a tendency to make the soles of the feet very tender and also creates a liability to blisters, especially if the persons suffers from feet which perspire profusely. Rubber hot-water bottles are naturally the best, but they should never be filled really full, and the water must not be absolutely boiling. When three-parts filled the stopper should bo screwed down, and they should bo slipped into a thick bag made from blanket, or several thicknesses of flannel, If this hot-water bottle is placed in a bed an hour before the'person goes to bed, the bed clothes will be quite worm, and the bottle can bo removed.

Earthenware and stone bottles are very popular because they retain tieir heat until the nest morning, but as they are generally filled with boiling w.\te'r, the bottles themselves become so not that they are capable of causing a very serious burn. To prevent this the bottles should be covered with a hag of thick felt, or doubled blanket, before being placed in the bed. To fill a stone or earthenware bottle, stand it in front of the fire until quite hot; or, if there is no time for this, fill it with hot water until the bottlo itself has absorbed the heat. Pour away this water, and immediately fill three-parts full with actually boiling water. Let the bottle remain uncorked for a few seconds, then screw tight and place in a bag, and then in the bed. Before getting into bed push the bottle out of the way of the feet. Water placed in a stone hot-water bottle over night will bo quite warm enough for washing with the next morning. This is a great help .to the busy house mother, who hits to get up early and obiects to washing in cold water. But if she is to keep her feet from getting tender, she must not place them against the hotwater bottle when sleeping.