Dreamland 6872 Harmony Heated Blanket Dual Control
Product Type: Dreamland Bedding
Newest Review: ... that I definitely didn't need to waste any plastic bags. One of the major selling points of this blanket over similar others was the... more
Dreams can come true - The Dreamland Harmony Heated Blanket
Dreamland 6872 Harmony Heated Blanket Dual Control
Member Name: InchyInchy
Product:
Dreamland 6872 Harmony Heated Blanket Dual Control
Date: 17/12/10
Rating:
Advantages: Warms quickly and has dual controls to suit both yourself and your partner
Disadvantages: None
Dreamland 6872 Harmony Heated Blanket Dual Control
Recently our boiler broke which meant that our gas central system was down and we had no heating or hot water for nearly two weeks. The house got cold, we invested in several oil filed electric radiators and crossed our fingers that pipes wouldn't freeze and that we wouldn't suffer from frostbite before it was fixed. With some nights reaching into the minus temperatures and an ice block for a house I was really struggling to sleep and relax. I was stressed and cold, so I found it harder to sleep than normal, when the weekend came round hubby took me out for a nice hot lunch and some shopping to get some more heaters and thicker blankets. When we went to Argos I thumbed my way through the pages and was very taken with the idea of an electric blanket.
These blankets are incredibly easy to use, all you do is decide where and how you want to use the blanket. You can either leave it on top of your duvet or sleeping sheet, or my personal favourite just pop this into your duvet cover underneath your duvet so that the blanket is close to you. The blanket does make your duvet feel a little lumpier because of the heating elements. However, I got used to this very quickly and it is a small inconvenience versus how much I like the blanket. After you have the blanket positioned where you want it you simply clip the cable for the controls into the little outlets on your blanket and then you are ready to go, as long as you have also plugged it into the wall. The cables are long enough that unless you have a really large room with your bed being very far away from a socket you should be fine, I can imagine that on average the cable length is suitable for most people.
The blanket comes packaged in a clear plastic zip bag, which the hubby nearly threw away until I retrieved it. The packaging because it can be re-zipped will make for great storage during the warmer months when you won't need nor want an extra layer much less an electric blanket. The packaging also comes with a handle, which made it really easy to carry it back to the car and meant that I definitely didn't need to waste any plastic bags.
One of the major selling points of this blanket over similar others was the dual controls, my husband doesn't like the bed to be too warm at night time, where I am the complete opposite. On more than one occasion I have jokingly said that I am going to sew a single high tog duvet cover to my side, because we don't ever go above 7.5 tog even in winter months because he roasts. This electric blanket with its dual control is a great compromise, on the colder nights he too can use it (or not) but we can also have different temperature settings for our own halves. I tend to favour setting the timer for a shorter duration but leaving it relatively high on a 6 out of 9 heat setting, whereas the hubby prefers a cooler but still warm 3 or occasional 4 out of 9 heat level. It's great that we can both have what we want.
The dual settings also means that you each get one of the controllers so no problems over hogging these remotes, which are always left on our bedside cabinets. Each controllers as you would suspect controls half the bed. They are really easy to use, they are simple and basic. They have a turn wheel to change the temperature setting 1-9, all you do is rotate it until the number you want to select is centred in the top middle. Whereas you can select whether to set a 75 minute timer, an all night 12 hour timer or just turn it off by using sliding buttons near the bottom of the remote. Most of the time unless it is particularly cold I turn it off after I have finished reading my book, by which time the bed and me are nice and cosy. The timers are great thou for the colder weather, where I struggle to sleep if I am not warm. The controllers are also a really nice size and are quite large, which is great for people like my Gran who is beginning to struggle with her eyesight and the buttons are nice and big with nothing too fiddly to use or understand.
The heat settings range from a pretty tepid 1 to a hot 9. 1 is really meant to just get rid of the cold without really heating up the bed, I would also say that 2 and 3 also pretty much do that too, but with a smidgen more heat. Personally, when it is really cold at night I tend to leave the blanket set to 12 hours and I usually choose heat setting number 4, I find that it is warm without being too hot or anything but comfortable. Whereas 5 through to 7 is where I like to have it when I leave the timer on for 75 minutes. 8 and 9 are lovely if all you want to do is heat up your bed before you go to sleep, personally I couldn't leave the blanket on setting 9 for more than just a quick heat up because it does get you hot and quickly. There are of course guidelines that are included with the blanket, it's best to read these before you play around with the settings and temperature controls, from memory the preferences I have are all loosely based upon what you should be setting the blanket to for different timers. It's best and recommended to always check for yourself first before you use it thou.
The blanket itself is rather bland looking, it is made from an off white, yellowy sort of soft manmade material that has a satin trim at the top. This isn't really the sort of blanket you would have out on display, but it doesn't bother me as you never see mine anyway. The material is soft and you can feel the heating elements throughout it, this might not look the best but just tuck it away in your duvet cover, and what it lacks aesthetically it makes up for practically.
These blankets are advertised as being cheap to run, as they can cost as little as only 1 penny a night. I also find that I don't need to turn the heating on before bedtime anymore either as I am going into a warm bed. When it is as cold as it has been already this year I really don't begrudge paying the little extra that this blanket costs, for all the benefits of a restful warm night's sleep.
When I used to think of electric blankets I was always a bit concerned with their safety. When I was reading about this particular one it really set my mind at ease, there are many inbuilt safety features to stop overheating, so it can't get too hot. Apparently the dreamland over blanket has a patent safety system that includes ten levels of safety protection. Since having this blanket I have never once been concerned about it or worried about using it, I do try and always use it correctly thou.
I haven't had to wash this blanket yet, because this fits inside our duvet covers it is kept reasonably clean. However, this is machine washable and there are clear guidelines to follow, it is also suitable for use in the tumble drier.
At the time of buying this I would have preferred to have bought the king size version but sadly they didn't have that one in stock. Determined that I was going to be warm that night I checked to see if the double was available. So we have a double blanket but a king size bed, but it still fits ok. It is on the small side as you would suspect but I just make sure that it is pretty centred and it heats the bed nicely. I don't tend to sleep at the very side of the bed anyway preferring to encroach on the hubby's natural warmth so I don't mind that the blanket isn't all encompassing. Also it works well because now that the heating is back on I doubt that my husband will make much use of his half so I can have it all to myself! I believe that it is also available in a single size.
These blankets aren't cheap and if I hadn't been so cold with our gas boiler not working I probably wouldn't have forked over the £70 for this double electric blanket. However, now that I have it and use it most nights I don't think I would begrudge paying this again for a replacement when the time comes.
Before the heating broke I was never really that impressed with the idea of electric blankets, however, now I am a complete convert. Even thou the temperature in the house is back to being cosy I still love this blanket. I have gotten in the habit of heating my bed now every night. To heat the bed all you need to do is turn it on high for at least ten minutes then hop in and switch it off. If like me you choose to tuck your blanket in beside your duvet this will have heated your sheet as well as the duvet so you really are tucked up in warmth, perfect if like me you hate getting into a cold bed.
I completely recommend this and it gets a full five out of five stars.
Recently our boiler broke which meant that our gas central system was down and we had no heating or hot water for nearly two weeks. The house got cold, we invested in several oil filed electric radiators and crossed our fingers that pipes wouldn't freeze and that we wouldn't suffer from frostbite before it was fixed. With some nights reaching into the minus temperatures and an ice block for a house I was really struggling to sleep and relax. I was stressed and cold, so I found it harder to sleep than normal, when the weekend came round hubby took me out for a nice hot lunch and some shopping to get some more heaters and thicker blankets. When we went to Argos I thumbed my way through the pages and was very taken with the idea of an electric blanket.
These blankets are incredibly easy to use, all you do is decide where and how you want to use the blanket. You can either leave it on top of your duvet or sleeping sheet, or my personal favourite just pop this into your duvet cover underneath your duvet so that the blanket is close to you. The blanket does make your duvet feel a little lumpier because of the heating elements. However, I got used to this very quickly and it is a small inconvenience versus how much I like the blanket. After you have the blanket positioned where you want it you simply clip the cable for the controls into the little outlets on your blanket and then you are ready to go, as long as you have also plugged it into the wall. The cables are long enough that unless you have a really large room with your bed being very far away from a socket you should be fine, I can imagine that on average the cable length is suitable for most people.
The blanket comes packaged in a clear plastic zip bag, which the hubby nearly threw away until I retrieved it. The packaging because it can be re-zipped will make for great storage during the warmer months when you won't need nor want an extra layer much less an electric blanket. The packaging also comes with a handle, which made it really easy to carry it back to the car and meant that I definitely didn't need to waste any plastic bags.
One of the major selling points of this blanket over similar others was the dual controls, my husband doesn't like the bed to be too warm at night time, where I am the complete opposite. On more than one occasion I have jokingly said that I am going to sew a single high tog duvet cover to my side, because we don't ever go above 7.5 tog even in winter months because he roasts. This electric blanket with its dual control is a great compromise, on the colder nights he too can use it (or not) but we can also have different temperature settings for our own halves. I tend to favour setting the timer for a shorter duration but leaving it relatively high on a 6 out of 9 heat setting, whereas the hubby prefers a cooler but still warm 3 or occasional 4 out of 9 heat level. It's great that we can both have what we want.
The dual settings also means that you each get one of the controllers so no problems over hogging these remotes, which are always left on our bedside cabinets. Each controllers as you would suspect controls half the bed. They are really easy to use, they are simple and basic. They have a turn wheel to change the temperature setting 1-9, all you do is rotate it until the number you want to select is centred in the top middle. Whereas you can select whether to set a 75 minute timer, an all night 12 hour timer or just turn it off by using sliding buttons near the bottom of the remote. Most of the time unless it is particularly cold I turn it off after I have finished reading my book, by which time the bed and me are nice and cosy. The timers are great thou for the colder weather, where I struggle to sleep if I am not warm. The controllers are also a really nice size and are quite large, which is great for people like my Gran who is beginning to struggle with her eyesight and the buttons are nice and big with nothing too fiddly to use or understand.
The heat settings range from a pretty tepid 1 to a hot 9. 1 is really meant to just get rid of the cold without really heating up the bed, I would also say that 2 and 3 also pretty much do that too, but with a smidgen more heat. Personally, when it is really cold at night I tend to leave the blanket set to 12 hours and I usually choose heat setting number 4, I find that it is warm without being too hot or anything but comfortable. Whereas 5 through to 7 is where I like to have it when I leave the timer on for 75 minutes. 8 and 9 are lovely if all you want to do is heat up your bed before you go to sleep, personally I couldn't leave the blanket on setting 9 for more than just a quick heat up because it does get you hot and quickly. There are of course guidelines that are included with the blanket, it's best to read these before you play around with the settings and temperature controls, from memory the preferences I have are all loosely based upon what you should be setting the blanket to for different timers. It's best and recommended to always check for yourself first before you use it thou.
The blanket itself is rather bland looking, it is made from an off white, yellowy sort of soft manmade material that has a satin trim at the top. This isn't really the sort of blanket you would have out on display, but it doesn't bother me as you never see mine anyway. The material is soft and you can feel the heating elements throughout it, this might not look the best but just tuck it away in your duvet cover, and what it lacks aesthetically it makes up for practically.
These blankets are advertised as being cheap to run, as they can cost as little as only 1 penny a night. I also find that I don't need to turn the heating on before bedtime anymore either as I am going into a warm bed. When it is as cold as it has been already this year I really don't begrudge paying the little extra that this blanket costs, for all the benefits of a restful warm night's sleep.
When I used to think of electric blankets I was always a bit concerned with their safety. When I was reading about this particular one it really set my mind at ease, there are many inbuilt safety features to stop overheating, so it can't get too hot. Apparently the dreamland over blanket has a patent safety system that includes ten levels of safety protection. Since having this blanket I have never once been concerned about it or worried about using it, I do try and always use it correctly thou.
I haven't had to wash this blanket yet, because this fits inside our duvet covers it is kept reasonably clean. However, this is machine washable and there are clear guidelines to follow, it is also suitable for use in the tumble drier.
At the time of buying this I would have preferred to have bought the king size version but sadly they didn't have that one in stock. Determined that I was going to be warm that night I checked to see if the double was available. So we have a double blanket but a king size bed, but it still fits ok. It is on the small side as you would suspect but I just make sure that it is pretty centred and it heats the bed nicely. I don't tend to sleep at the very side of the bed anyway preferring to encroach on the hubby's natural warmth so I don't mind that the blanket isn't all encompassing. Also it works well because now that the heating is back on I doubt that my husband will make much use of his half so I can have it all to myself! I believe that it is also available in a single size.
These blankets aren't cheap and if I hadn't been so cold with our gas boiler not working I probably wouldn't have forked over the £70 for this double electric blanket. However, now that I have it and use it most nights I don't think I would begrudge paying this again for a replacement when the time comes.
Before the heating broke I was never really that impressed with the idea of electric blankets, however, now I am a complete convert. Even thou the temperature in the house is back to being cosy I still love this blanket. I have gotten in the habit of heating my bed now every night. To heat the bed all you need to do is turn it on high for at least ten minutes then hop in and switch it off. If like me you choose to tuck your blanket in beside your duvet this will have heated your sheet as well as the duvet so you really are tucked up in warmth, perfect if like me you hate getting into a cold bed.
I completely recommend this and it gets a full five out of five stars.
Summary: Five out of five stars- I would recommend trying this
