A bed warmer or warming pan was a common household item in countries with cold winters, especially in Europe.[ citation needed ] It consisted of a metal container, usually fitted with a handle and shaped somewhat like a modern frying pan, with a solid or finely perforated lid. The pan would be filled with embers and placed under the covers of a bed, to warm it up or dry it out before use. [1] [2]
Besides the risk of fire, it was recognized that the fumes from the embers were noxious. A doctor advised his readers in a publication of about 1790 to avoid bed warmers, or, if needed, replace the embers with hot sand. [3]
An alternative to the bed warmer was the "bed wagon" (French : moine, Italian : monaco, both meaning "monk"). It consisted of a large wooden frame enclosing a bucket of embers, possibly with an iron tray and an iron roof-plate to protect the bed covers from direct heat. [1] [4]
Bed warmers were commonly used from the mid-17th to early-20th century. They fell out of fashion with the rise of other methods of warming homes and beds.
Pottery filled with hot water also was used.[ citation needed ] With the advent of rubber, the hot water bottle became dominant. In the early 20th century, electric blankets began to replace the bed warmer. [5]
An alternative kind of bedwarmer in the mid-20th century in the UK was a 36 cm (14 in) pressed steel "flying saucer" or lozenge-shaped device made by Belling (established 1912), [6] powered using an internal 40 W incandescent light bulb as a heat source. [7]
