Microwavable Neck Warmers: Fillings, Heating Times and Safe Use

A microwavable neck warmer is a fabric wrap filled with grain, such as wheat, flax seed or millet, that you heat in the microwave and drape over your shoulders. Heat it only for the time on its own label, often under 2 minutes, stay with the microwave, and never take it to bed.

What microwavable neck warmers are filled with

Microwavable neck warmers hold a natural filling that soaks up heat and gives it back slowly. Warmies, a maker of heatable wraps and plush toys, fills its products with millet and dried French lavender. The Telebrands Therma Scarf, recalled by the CPSC in 2010, held flax seed heat packs. Wheat is the classic filling in the wheat bags that fire services warn about.

The filling decides the feel more than the heat. Grain shifts and settles around your neck, so a long wrap with several sewn sections drapes evenly over both shoulders. The lavender in some wraps adds a light scent as it warms.

Neck warmer heating times from the makers

Neck warmer heating times differ between brands, so the one rule that holds for every wrap is to follow its own label. Here is how two makers put it:

Never reuse one wrap’s time for another. A smaller wrap or a different filling can overheat on a time meant for a bigger one.

Using a microwave neck wrap safely

Microwave neck wraps are safe to heat when you follow a few habits that makers and fire services share:

• Use a plate. Carex says to heat its wrap on a clean, empty microwave-safe dish, and Warmies says to use a plate rather than a metal rack.
• Skip the convection setting. Carex warns against it.
• Add a cup of water. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue suggests putting one in the microwave alongside a wheat bag.
• Stay in the room. The same fire service says not to leave the microwave unattended while a bag heats.
• Check for hot spots. Carex tells you to shake the filling about and touch-test the wrap for hot spots before you put it on.

Cooling and reheating a grain neck warmer

A grain neck warmer needs time to cool before you heat it again. Warmies says reheating before the wrap returns to room temperature may cause overheating. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue and Product Safety Australia both advise letting a wheat bag cool for about 2 hours on a sink or another surface that will not burn.

Keep a warm wrap out of the bed. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue says wheat bags are not for use as bed warmers, and Product Safety Australia warns against using one under blankets or bedding, where heat builds up.

Some wraps work cold as well. Warmies says its products can go in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours inside a freezer bag.

Cleaning a microwavable neck warmer

Cleaning a microwavable neck warmer means wiping, not washing. Carex says never to wash its Bed Buddy wrap and to wipe it with a damp cloth instead. Warmies says to spot-clean only, because soaking the wrap makes the filling swell. Carex also warns that food or liquid getting into the filling can make it overheat, so keep spills off the wrap and let any damp patch dry fully before you heat it.

Who should not use a heated neck wrap

A heated neck wrap is for someone who can feel the heat and take it off. Carex says not to use its wrap on anyone unable to remove it, such as infants, children and some older people, and never to place it over the eyes. Warmies says its products should be used under careful adult supervision.

Product Safety Australia also suggests buying wheat bags that come with clear heating instructions, and taking care with bags from markets or craft stalls.

Replace a wrap that smells burned. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue lists an over-cooked or burning smell, smoke and charring as warning signs, and Product Safety Australia says to cool such a bag in the sink and throw it away.

Other cozy warmers for the couch

A neck warmer covers your shoulders. For a lap or back, our guide to large heating pads covers XL and XXL electric pads, and our comparison of microwavable and electric heating pads weighs cordless against plug-in. A covered hot water bottle is the other classic no-cord option. Our heated bedding and warmers section shows every warmer side by side.