Did you ever enjoy a hot water bath? How about your feeling. It is fantastic! Heat therapy has been a traditional medicine since the ancient era.
The soothing heat will cool down your whole body. Hence, it is a widely used treatment for joint and muscle pain, especially when arthritis joints are unbearably stiff. So, after a long and hard day, people love to have a hot bath, saunas, infrared therapy, and electric heat pad therapy. The bean bag heat therapy is also a most common technique that most people love.
However, rather than modern techniques, people use some traditional ones to do their work with minimum resources. On the other hand, the bean bag heating pads are custom-fitting any place on your body. That’s why bean bags have become a famous tool for heat therapy!
Believe me; it will give a super-duper experience to your body. It relieves chronic pains, spasms, menstrual cramps, tension headaches, and fibromyalgia.
However, some people doubt whether they can heat a bean bag in the oven? If I give a short answer, yes. You can heat your bean bag using the microwave oven or conventional oven before using it.
Table of Contents
- Properties of a Heating Bean Bag
- Heat Bean Bags Using a Microwave Oven
- Heat Bean Bags Using a Conventional Oven
- Important Notes
- Final Thought
Properties of a Heating Bean Bag
You can buy these types of bean bags from the market. Or else, you can make them at home. However, if you are going to make them, you cannot use every material you can find.
You need to acquire some unique materials that are resistant to heat. If not, bean bag fabric and fillers will damage and destroy under high temperatures.
So, let’s check the favorable properties.
Bean Bag Cover
The bean bag cover should have the ability to tolerate high temperatures. But some bean bags lack this feature. In this situation, remove the outer cover and put the inner core into the oven.
Fillers of Bean Bag Heating Pads
As you already know, the regular bean bag chairs are filled with polystyrene beads (EPS). However, the bean bag heating pad is a bit different than it.
So, here, the EPS beads do not suit to fill them. If you use them, they will burn and produce toxic fumes. So, if any bean bags are made with EPS beads, do not try to heat them in the oven.
The bean bag heating pads should be filled with heat-resistant fillers. So, let’s check what type of fillers can withstand the oven’s heat. Also, these fillers should not react to heat.
So, if your bean bag is filled with the following filler types, you can heat them using an oven.
- Corn
- Rice
- Small beans
- Small peas
- Buckwheat
- Cherry pits
- Flaxseed
- Grass or birdseed
- Wheat
- Walnut shells
Make sure all these fillers are in dry and uncooked conditions. Another important thing is these fillers can be washed and dried. So, they should be resistant to mold and degradation.
Walnut shells, corn, rice, and wheat have good heat retention among the filler types. The Clay beads, Walnut shells, and Cherry pits resist mold and degradation. So, you can use them for an extended period.
However, all food-grade seeds degrade after a particular time. So, from time to time, you have to change them.
If you use the natural seeds to fill the bean bag, they may emit an aroma when it is heating. Here, you can use the best seeds that give your favorite scent from the above list.
Best Temperatures for Bean Bag Heating Pad
You can use different filler types to fill Bean bags. Because of that, there is not a universal temperature range. It can vary.
Here, do not let your bean bag overheat. Thus, follow the process mentioned below. It will protect your favorite bean bag!
Step 1: Heat bean bag in the microwave for a 30 seconds
Step 2: Then take the bean bag out and check its temperature
Take 5 seconds to check this step.
Step 3: If the warmth of the bag is not enough, heat it again for another 30 seconds
Step 4: Again, take it out and check the temperature of the bean bag
Do not leave the bean bag while it is heating. Keep your eye on the microwave. If it overheats, the bag will start to smoke, and sometimes, it can burn in flames. So, again, keep careful.
1 -3 minutes is enough to heat your bean bag under 1000W power. However, please reduce the heating time if your microwave power is higher. According to the power of your microwave, this time can slightly change.
Still in doubt? Do you need to know the extract time? Then check out the below facts!
Heat Bean Bags Using a Microwave Oven
Large Wheat Bean Bags: 60 X 18 cm
The heating time will depend on the wattage of the microwave oven. However, if you have a 700W oven, heat the wheat bean bag for 2 minutes.
Note: When heating, put a small glass with water in the microwave. It will protect your bean bag fillers by preventing the drying outs.
Medium Wheat Bags: 45 x 15 cm
You can heat this bean bag for 1.5 minutes in a 700 W microwave oven
Don’t you have a microwave oven? Do not worry. You can carry out the same process using the conventional oven.
Let’s check it in detail!
Heat Bean Bags Using a Conventional Oven
Large Wheat Bag: 60 X 18 cm
You can heat your bean bag using a conventional oven too. However, its technology is a bit different from microwave and doesn’t switch off automatically. Thus, you should pay extreme care when using this oven.
Then follow this process.
Step 1: Place the wheat bag in a cooking dish with a lid
Or else, you can wrap it using aluminum foil.
Step 2: Then, put it in the middle of the oven and heat it at 285 Fahrenheit.
If you have a fan-forced oven, 250 Fahrenheit is enough to heat the bean bag.
Step 3: Leave the bean bag there for 12 to 15 minutes
Conventional ovens take more time than microwave ones. Keep it in mind!
Step 4: Check the bean bag and rearrange it
This step helps you to ensure that your bean bag heats up uniformly.
Medium Wheat Bag: 45 x 15 cm
The heating process is the same as large bean bags. The only difference is that you should heat it for 8-10 minutes.
I hope now you have a good idea about the bean bag heating process. Wait! There are some more interesting facts to share with you!
Important Notes
When reading the article, sometimes people may think, why do we use bean bags for heat therapy rather than other products?
The answer is flexibility! It is a distinguishing feature of the bean bag. So, when you use it, the bean bag adjusts with any part of your body. So, it gives a more comfortable experience to the user.
I hope now you get the answer.
However, this therapy is not recommended for small kids and pregnant women until their doctor’s permission. If you got the approval, enjoy this warm experience!
Read our guide on how to heat bean bags without a microwave.
Final Thought
Bean bags are a great medicine if you suffer from any physical pain. However, before using this, you have to heat it securely. The microwave oven and the conventional oven are the best to do this process. However, if you use a conventional oven, you should wait a few hours. However, the microwave oven can heat the bean bag within 1-3 minutes.
Carry on this process with the available resources and enjoy the heat therapy. We are waiting to hear about your fantastic experience!
