Do Rice Heating Pads Go Bad?

If you spend some time on the internet looking for different heating pads, you'll find never ending resources.

One of the most popular heating pads you can find is the rice heating pad.

But do rice heating pads go bad? The answer to this is a simple yes, rice heating pads go bad because the rice inside of it will go bad if it gets wet or if it is overcooked.

Read on to find out why people still use rice heating pads even though they go bad.

Why rice heating pads?

Even though rice heating pads seem to be short in life span, people still purchase rice heating pads in droves.

It seems to be the most popular when you search on Amazon and when you go to the store, you have a vast selection of rice heating pads as well.

So it seems to be one of the favorites out there.

By why?

There are a few reasons why people like rice heating pads.

First, rice heating pads seem to come in various shapes and sizes.

If you look at Amazon, you can see rice heating pads that are big enough to go over shoulders, or small enough to just go over various parts of your body.

This is nice because then you get to choose what size you want to get, depending on the different aching areas you have on your body.

Second, the rice heating pads take little time to get up to heat fast.

You can heat up your heating pad for as little as 30 seconds to get some heat for it.

If you are in a hurry for some heat, like you have a headache or some achy muscles, 30 seconds is all you need to get a little bit of heat.

It won't last very long, but at least it will give you enough to get a start.

Third, you can apply different scents to the rice heating pad.

All you have to do is apply a few drops of essential oils to the heating pad and the rice should be able to absorb the smell.

This means that while you are applying the heating pad to your head for a headache, for instance, and then have peppermint essential oil on it as well.

I have found that peppermint essential oils have helped with my headaches.

So the rice should be able to easily absorb the smell from the essential oil.

Fourth, the rice heating pads keep cold in them warm as well.

This means you can throw the rice heating pad in the freezer for a few hours and then use it to aches and pain as well.

And the rice keeps the cold in pretty well.

What ruins rice heating pads?

Overheating

One of the top things that can ruin a rice heating pad is overheating it.

Rice heating pads don't keep their heat for very long.

While they do heat up quickly, they don't keep the heat.

So it can be tempting to heat the rice heating pad in the microwave much longer than it should be.

Typical heating for the rice heating pad is heating is anywhere between 30 to 90 seconds.

It is recommended that you flip the rice heating pad over every 30 seconds so the heating pad can be more evenly heated.

Otherwise, one side of the heating pad might be more heated than the other.

Also, some people have suggested putting a small cup of water in the microwave for the heating up process to help the heating pad be more evenly heated.

But any heating more than 90 seconds could lead to the rice inside the heating pad getting ruined.

And by ruined we mean burned.

Once you've burned the rice, the heating pad is no longer going to be any good and you need to throw it out.

Exposure to water

When you cook rice, you put it in water.

But when it is in your heating, you don't want it exposed to water.

The water will spoil the rice and it will no longer be usable as a heating pad.

So if you ever have to clean your rice heating pad, you need to spot clean it.

This means that first you get out a washcloth.

Either a new washcloth or an old one.

Then you take the washcloth to the sink and you get a little bit of water on it.

You don't want to get a whole lot of water on it because that water can leak out into the rice heating pad.

So put some water on the washcloth and then wring it out if you have it.

Once you have water on the washcloth, then take it over to where you have the heating pad.

Use the washcloth to gently rub any of the dirty spots on the heating pad and continue to do so until you get all the spots.

Keep in mind to not get the rice heating pad too wet or you will end up ruining the rice inside of this heating pad as well.

If necessary, you could throw the heating pad into the microwave for about 90 seconds after you've spot cleaned the heating pad.

Putting it in the microwave for a little bit of time should dry out the spots you just spot cleaned.

Exposure to air

There are things you need to think about when considering how long rice lasts.

You need to consider where are not the rice is going to be vacuum sealed or out in the open.

When rice is vacuum sealed, that keeps the oxygen away from it and in that form, the rice can last up to five years on your shelf.

When it is not vacuum sealed, the rice shelf life is only between one and two years.

So you can see when the rice is not sealed up, then it doesn't last nearly as long.

And if you are heating up and then freezing the rice, this will shorten the life of the rice as well.

When the rice is in a heating pad, it is typically free-flowing and not contained in a vacuum seal, so this rice won't last as long.

So just considering this, you have maybe a year before the rice in your heating pad starts to go bad.

Why lava sand heating pads are better

Now that we've spent some time on why rice heating pads eventually go bad, let's talk about why lava sand heating pads are so much better.

First, you have some easy ways to clean the lava sand heating pad.

Unlike with the rice heating pads, you can get the whole lava sand heating pad.

So for instance, let's say that you accidentally put your lava sand heating pad on the countertop in your kitchen, which just happened to be covered with a shake your kids made earlier in the day.

In this case, your heating pad has gotten all dirty.

With a rice heating pad, you'd have to throw the whole heating pad out and buy a brand new one.

The rice cannot get a little wet, or it ruins the whole heating pad.

And since your heating pad would be covered in shake, you wouldn't be able to clean in.

For the lava sand heating pad, it is a completely different story.

The lava sand in the heating pad can get wet and you can dry it out.

Start by washing off the heating pad by soaking it in water or throwing it in your washing machine for a cycle.

Once the cover has been cleaned, then turn your oven on to 200 degrees, set the heating pad on a drying rack and then put it in the oven for a few hours.

After those hours are over, you will have a heating pad that is like brand new.

Second, the lava sand in the heating pad isn't going to go bad.

With the rice, just like we've talked about previously in this article, it is eventually going to go bad.

This is because of the heating up or freezing of the rice inside of the heating pad.

Eventually, the rice is going to get overcooked and start to smell like burning.

And in that case, you are going to want to throw the heating pad away.

The lava sand isn't going to do this to you.

Since it is sand, it won't burn or won't go bad.

So there will be no smell for it to give off.

And lastly, you don't have to worry about the sand being exposed to air.

Exposure to air for the sand is merely going to dry off the sand.

And this could be good if it is exposed to water in any way.

Summary

Rice heating pads are a very popular option in the market of heating pads.

And there are certainly strengths to those heating pads.

But eventually the rice in the heating pads are going to go bad.

And then you'll find yourself needing to purchase a new heating pad.

So you are better off going with a lava sand heating pad, as there will be few reasons you will ever need to replace it.