1959 NOS Sears Electric Blanket/Need Input

[artcurus]

Hey All,

I literally don't where else to post this, I've been crawling the web for four days and this as the closest place I could find.

I scored a 1959 NOS Sears Electric Blanket.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251623048392

I had to clean the plug on the blanket end to remove that green goo that sometimes accumilates on plastic/pvc cords from that era. The blanket has been in test mode of sorts (spread out on a bed in an unused room, covered with one single blanket and being heavily monitored), for four days, it runs for 12-14 hours a day, then turned off at night. So far, it works perfectly.

My question is safety. This blanket is built differently than Sunbeam blankets, with are a known fire hazard. It has thermostats along the wire inside the blanket, similar to those from the 70's. The manufacturer I suspect, is Northern.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251623048392

 

[dustin92]

I have a couple electric blankets here that are fairly old, one may even be older than yours (!), and have never had an issue. Just make sure it is off when you leave the house, and you should be fine. Mine also have the thermostats/sensors in the blanket, and work very well. Be very careful when washing it though, because although mine still work, the blanket material has stretched (and the wires have not), leaving bunched up areas after being washed.

 

[artcurus]

Thanks Dustin,

I don't plan on washing it anyway. It was still shrink wrapped when I unpacked it, so it's in clean and in excellent shape. I'm honestly more concerned about washing my 2012 Sunbeam which hopefully this other one will replace.

 

[danemodsandy]

You Need:

A blanket cover, an old idea that used to be fairly standard, but which few people today have ever heard.

A blanket cover was a piece of fabric about the size of a top sheet. When the bed is made, you make the bed as normal, except you put the blanket cover on top of the blanket before turning back the top hem of the top sheet and tucking everything in.

The blanket cover then keeps the blanket cleaner and extends the time between launderings or dry-cleanings or whatever. This used to be fairly important in the days when blankets were wool. Washable blankets made blanket covers much less necessary, of course.

A top sheet works quite well as a blanket cover.

 

[norgeway]

I bought a GE

Several years ago from the early 60s, that was also nib, It still works great, like everyone says, if you have to wash it be gentle, My Parents had a Harmony House from about 59 or 60, and used it for many many years.

 

[artcurus]

Thanks for the replies, guys. It's going to be at least two months before I really need it anyway. I'll leave it in test mode and let it do it's thing for a while longer. So far I'm really pleased with it. I can already tell it has better control and more heat than the Sunbeam.

 

[whirlcool]

And today's electric blankets don't get nearly as hot as the older ones do. Several years ago electric blankets which used to be known as "heating blankets" became "warming blankets" because they don't heat as well. For us, the new ones are just barely warm enough.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Your Sears/Harmony House blanket was actually rated fairly high, I just put up the reviews of electric blankets from 1959 on the Product Stat blog...

http://www.productstat.com/reviews/electric-blankets

 

[artcurus]

Thank you!