Question 1

is the bed buddy washable?

Accepted Answer

i've used these buggers for more than 10 years with great success, although i've probably bought fewer than 4 of them.  i've used them daily in general for my neck trouble; but it's no miracle that they've lasted since i've periodically replaced the stuff inside because the grains shrink (about thrice per Bed Buddy).  i prefer to replace the filler with ordinary long grain rice myself (uncooked) - plain & without seasoning, of course.  You can get rice by the giant sized 20 lb. bag so it's a lot cheaper than repurchasing a whole new Bed Buddy.  i wouldn't recommend washing the thing with the filling inside, especially if you've replaced it with rice like i have.  A lot of folks do like me & slip it inside an athletic sock to kept it clean longer during use - then wash the sock.  The tube is a close-weave heavy duty material that will lasts a long time, but it does tend to leak after 3 or 4 years due to the microwave energy eventually breaking down the fabric.  Open one end (or you can just cut the end off), dump out the stuff (you can also do this if you've accidentally roasted it - the stuff will "overcook" & char & stink if you leave it in too long), fill with rice & resew it closed just tight enough to hold it so you can undo the stitching (folding the end helps).

Question 2

Is it washable

Accepted Answer

Nope. You can't ever immerse it in water. It's full of rice, so suddenly instead of a heating pad you have a soggy sack of Risotto.

Question 3

How come it doesn't really get cold.... Just cool.  I put it in the freezer for 3 hours.  How long does it need to be in the freezer?

Accepted Answer

So... I have 6 of these... 2 are "Cold Packs" and 4 are "Hot Packs"...

For the Hot Packs I just take them as-is and nuke two-at-a-time for 1:35mins on high in a 1100watt microwave oven.  Solid warmth for a good 60-75mins.  I even have a hand-made bungee cord web for holding them across my back and shoulders... Love it!

The Cold Packs took me some time to figure out... First, a single pack can be either "cold" or "hot", but once you decide to make it "really" cold, then don't use it as a Hot Pack after that (see below...).

As-is, these packs left in a freezer for 48hrs+ will get cold... but the filling in the packs is basically dried beans, very low moisture.  Enough moisture that microwaves can vibrate it plenty-hot, but not enough to really create a dense ice mass when frozen.

So... I took 3 of my packs and soaked them in warm water for about and hour.  Then, I set them out to dry until the fabric and cords had dried out.  At this point, just based on crude measurements, the pack has gained about 10% mass in absorbed water content.

Toss that in the freezer for 3-4hrs and the result is a very cold wrap that has the density and chill of a very long and skinny bag of frozen peas.

Danger, Notice, Alert, Fuego!!!

Once you've "iced up" a pack like this, DO NOT try to use it as a Hot Pack!!!

I gave one of these a 45sec heat cycle and it came out like a sock full of molten lava... The added moisture that makes it very freezable also makes it very volatile when heated.  So you have to have designated "Hot" and "Cold" packs... but at US$8/pack, it's a steal.

Question 4

Is the fabric cover microwaveable?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Please follow heating instructions for your wattage of microwave.

Bed Buddy Neck Heating Pad and Microwave Heating Pad, Heated Neck Wrap - Heating Pad For Neck, Sore Muscles - Microwavable Neck Heating Pad, Heating Pad For Cramps, Neck Warmer

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