When shopping for a heated mattress pad, safety is a must. Generally, you’ll want to look for marks from the Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which fall under the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) label. “[Look out for] the NRTL mark on the product," recommends Brianne Deerwester, Communications Coordinator at the Electrical Safety Foundation International. “Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories test and certify electrical equipment and other products to ensure that they meet current safety standards and are safe with proper use." Along with safety, when shopping for a heated mattress pad, you’ll want to consider the heat settings, remote control, and ease of cleaning. Many options have a machine washable cover and can be controlled by remotes or your smartphone to adjust the heat settings. To help you find the best heated mattress pad for your bed, we researched the top options on the market with these considerations in mind. Our top pick, the Sunbeam Heated Mattress Pad, has 12 heat settings, and is machine washable and affordable—just what you need to upgrade your mattress pad. Here are the best heated mattress pads, backed by our research. If you have any problems, the company offers a five-year warranty. One of our favorite aspects of this mattress pad (and the reason it gets such high marks) is that you can put it right in the washer and dryer when it’s time to clean it. It fits in a standard home machine, which saves money on trips to the laundromat or dry cleaners. This mattress pad works on mattresses up to 18 inches thick and provides a bit of extra luxury. Just note that tall users may feel the plug at the end of the mattress pad when they’re sleeping. Price at time of publish: $77 for a Full Keep in mind that it only works on mattresses up to 15 inches thick. Anything more, and the pad will not fit. It’s available from twin to California king sizes, but there are no specialty options like twin XL or short queen. It’s crafted from 100 percent polyester and can be machine washed for easy cleaning. Price at time of publish: $80 for a Full The biggest benefit of this mattress pad is that you can use different heat settings on each side. There are two controls with 20 heat settings and a preheat button. After a few minutes, your mattress will be heated to the desired temperature. The auto shut-off can be between one and 10 hours. However, with two zones, there is more of an opportunity for something to fail. There are twice as many controllers, adjustable settings, and connection points as in some other mattress pads with just one zone. The company offers a five-year warranty just in case you run into issues. Price at time of publish: $106 for a Full Just under $900, this is an expensive pick. It’s also only sold in half-sizes, which doubles the price if you’re shopping for two. Still, it has a universal design, so you can use them on either side of the bed. Plus, it comes with customer service that is second to none. The setup is also surprisingly easy. Just place it over your bare mattress or current mattress pad, tuck the flaps under your mattress for a secure fit, place a fitted sheet on top, and then finish making your bed. Spot-clean it with warm water and mild soap and vacuum it every few months to keep it clean. Price at time of publish: $900 for a half-Queen Each pad comes with a remote to toggle between the 10 heat settings. However, there are two controls for the queen, king, and California king sizes to accommodate the dual heating zones. We also love that the auto shut-off is adjustable, allowing you to set it between one to 10 hours. It takes around 30 minutes to heat up, so keep this in mind if you want your bed warm before lying down. Should you run into any problems, the brand also offers a generous five-year warranty to protect your purchase. Price at time of publish: $100 for a Queen With five heat settings and a non-adjustable 10-hour auto shut-off, this isn’t as versatile as other options on our best heated mattress pad list. Still, it evenly heats up and is easy to control. Each size comes with a remote control to toggle between settings, but the larger sizes (queen, king, and California king), come with two remotes to accommodate dual temperature zones. This mattress pad is also compatible with smart home outlets, so you can control them via a smart device. Price at time of publish: $94 for a Queen It also has 10 heat settings and a preheat selection, which makes customization easy. Even better, it’s all controlled by a wireless remote, so that’s one less cord you have to worry over. Although, since one remote controls both zones, you will have to pass it back and forth between you and your bed partner if you both prefer different heat settings. If you suffer from specific muscle or joint aches, this is the best option. You can also use the auto shut-off feature to ensure the mattress pad doesn’t run for too long, although it’s not adjustable. Like other Sunbeam mattress pads, this one is machine washable and dryer-safe. Price at time of publish: $260 for a Queen It is also machine washable, although we recommend using a delicate cycle to prevent it from impacting its performance. If you have any problems, the brand offers a five-year warranty to protect your purchase. It also comes at a fairly reasonable price, considering you’d have to buy an additional mattress protector for a different mattress pad to get the same level of protection as this Serta pad. Price at time of publish: $60 for a Full
Remote Control
Once you get comfortable in bed, the last thing that you will want to do is get out of bed to mess with your mattress pad’s settings. If you want convenience, look for a mattress pad with a remote controller. Some are also compatible with smart home outlets and apps.
Cleaning
Sooner or later, you will need to clean your heated mattress pad. Most are machine washable once you disconnect the power. This means that the heating cords go right through the wash cycle. You can also put many of them in the dryer, although letting them air dry is a good idea, too. Even mattress pads that are machine washable can be fragile, however. Look for one that will hold up to frequent washes.
Why Trust The Spruce?
This article was researched and written by Katie Melynn, a freelance writer specializing in home and family products. Katie has been writing for The Spruce since 2019. During her research, Katie considered the safety features, such as auto shut-off settings, as well as how easy each mattress pad is to clean. She also looked for mattress pads that could be customized for optimal comfort. The important thing is to make sure that your heated mattress pad does not pose a safety hazard from overheating or improper use. “Heating appliances should never be left unattended” says Deerwester. Katie also spoke with Brianne Deerwester, Communications Coordinator at the Electrical Safety Foundation International, who provided insights on what people should look for in a new heated mattress pad, along with how to safely use them.
