Lava Sand Heating Pad Vs Electric Heating Pad

Heating pads are a great thing to have if you have a big family that plays sports or if you just regularly have aching and sore muscles.

But the question is, should you get a lava sand heating pad or an electric heating pad?

When comparing lava sand heating pads to electric heating pads, lava sand wins out in most, but not all categories.  Lava sand heating pads have a better cost scale, they are more durable, and you can get a better smell from the lava sand heating pad.

Read on to find out our reasoning for lava sand.

Cost

There are a lot of different options for electric heating pads on Amazon if you look.

Most look pretty much the same, with very differences between the different heating pads.

Pricing ranges between $20 and $40 for an electric heating pad.

The lava sand is a pretty unique heating pad.

If you look on Amazon for a lava sand heating pad, you won't return any options.

So the only place you can get them is from out website.

There are a few different options at the time of posting.

First, you have the regular size heating pad.

The price for the regular size lava sand heating pad is $59.99.

You can purchase a full back size lava sand heating pad for $99.99.

A filled weighted lava sand heating pad goes for $59.99 as well.

You can also purchase different covers for your heating pads.

This is useful if you have to clean one cover, then you can put a replacement cover on the heating pad and still be able to use it.

So since you have different options for your heating pad and can purchase additional covers, the lava sand heating pad wins this category.

Advantage: lava sand

Durability

Durability is a very important point when considering your heating pad.

With the lava sand heating pad, there is a lot to consider for the durability.

First off, you can take the lava sand heating pad wherever you go.

Because it is microwavable, you put in the microwave for the amount of time you need (usually about 3 minutes at most), and then you can move around wherever you go.

In addition to that, you can get it wet to wash it, or if you get it wet by accident, you don't have to worry about it.

All you have to do from there is dry it off.

There are two options for drying it off.

The first option is to throw it into your clothes dryer.

This isn't the best recommended option because it has some weight to it.

If you throw it into the dryer, you do have the potential of ruining your dryer.

But you might be fine if you throw it in with a bunch of other clothes.

The other clothes might be able to sustain the weight of the additional lava sand heating pad.

Your second option is to throw the lava sand heating pad in the oven.

Now, don't just put it into the oven and leave it there.

There is a little bit of a process to it.

First, turn your oven on to 200 degrees.

This is just enough of a temperature that it should get the moisture out of the heating pad without ruining the fabric it is in.

After the oven has been pre-heated to 200 degrees, get out a cookie cooling rack and place the lava sand heating pad on this cooling rack.

Then place the cooling rack into the oven.

The rest you put it on a cooling rack instead of just straight into the oven is because the racks in the oven are typically dirty.

So if you place your lava sand heating pad directly onto the racks in the oven, you could end up getting the heating pad dirty and have to wash it anyway.

Then leave it in your oven for a few hours until the lava sand heating pad is all the way dry.

Once you've dried out the lava sand heating pad, using whichever method you've chosen, then you should be good to go back and use the heating pad for a heating pad or a cold pack.

How electric heating pads are washed depends on the kind of electric heating pad it is.

Electric heating pads typically come with an outside layer, a cover if you will, that comes with the heating pad.

Now if you can remove the cover from the heating pad depends on the heating pad you have.

Some heating pads will have the cover as a zippable cover.

This means that you can unzip the cover and throw the cover into the wash.

Other covers are sewn shut onto the heating pad.

If that is the case, you will either have to undo the sewn portion to wash it or wash the cover by hand.

As far as being able to walk around with the heating pad, you can't do this with an electric heating pad.

This is because you have to have the heating pad plugged in at all times.

So no getting up and moving around with it.

Unless you have a long extension cord, which doesn't seem like a reasonable option.

Advantage: lava sand

Heat

Heat is another important factor in your heating pad.

For the electric, you don't have to worry about how long your heating pad is going to stay hot.

Because it is always plugged in, then the heat can stay on all of the time.

So it is a good source of heat.

This isn't always the best option, though.

When you are using a heating pad, you are only supposed to have the heat applied for 30 to 45 minutes or so.

Anything more than that and you could end up giving yourself a heat rash, or worse off, leaving some permanent damage on your body.

So keep a close eye on how long you have the heat applied to your body for the electric heating pad.

The lava sand heating pad, on the other hand, doesn't give you heat for quite as long as the electric heating pad.

If you put the lava sand heating pad into the microwave for about 3 minutes, than you give yourself 45 minutes to an hour of heating in the pad.

This might be a little bit longer than what you should have it on your body for, but at least the heating will eventually wear off.

At that point, if you don't take it off of your body, it won't affect you any more.

Then, you'll have to get up and put it in the microwave if you want to continue to use it.

Advantage: tie

Decay factor

With both of these heating pads, there isn't much of a decay factor.

As discussed previously, the lava sand heating pad is filled with sand and if it gets wet, you just need to dry it off.

No need to worry about the filler getting worn out.

You do need to worry about the cover.

If you get the cover wet and you don't take care of it right away, then you could end up getting mold all over your heating pad cover.

So if it does get wet, make sure to dry it immediately so you can continue to use the heating pad without the smell of mold.

With the electric heating pad, the only thing you have to worry about is the electric plug getting worn out.

This can sometimes happen from overuse.

Or if you are a little rough with the electric heating pad, you could end up messing up the electric part of the heating pad.

This means that the electric portion of the heating pad will no longer work.

This could happen right away or this could happen after a year or two.

So for decay, lava sand is going to win out over the electric because it won't wear out from wear and tear.

Advantage: lava sand

Comfort

The comfort level for lava sand heating pad and electric heating pads are going to be very much the same.

The lava sand heating pad is filled with lava sand, so it is very small grain compared to other fillers you might have in your heating pad.

So it is going to conform to whatever shape you want it to be.

If you have an ache in your neck, then you can set it on your neck and it will work around it.

If you hurt your ankle, then you can put it on your ankle and it will cover the whole thing.

Either way, you can going to be perfectly fine.

The electric heating pad is very much the same.

What the electric heating pad is filled with depends on the heating pad.

Whatever it is, it is typically a flat surface, so you can form it around your body in whatever capacity you need it to.

Advantage: Tie

Smell

The lava sand heating pad could have a smell, depending on exactly you want to do with it.

The lava sand won't have a smell to it.

Go out of the box, the lava sand heating pad isn't going to smell like anything.

But you can add drops of essential oils to the heating pad.

This means that whenever you heat up the heating pad, it will give off the smell of the oil you used.

Lavender is a calming and soothing smell, so this could be pretty comfortable to put on your heating pad.

The electric heating pad won't give off any smell.

And you won't want to apply any essential oils to it or you could end up ruining the fabric the heating pad come in with.

Advantage: lava sand

Summary

Overall, an electric heating pad and the lava sand heating pad are great options for your heat knees.

Both are going to be very comfortable and give you a lot of relief.

But overall, the lava sand heating pad is going to be better for you in the long run.

The amount of heat it gives you, the smell you get when heating it up, the durability of the heating pad, and decay factor are great reasons to get a lava sand heating pad