WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE A WEIGHTED BLANKET WITH GLASS BEADS
What should you consider when purchasing a weighted blanket? One of the most important factors is actually not visible – it is the filling inside of your blanket which gives it weight. Now you may think that it’s just the filling right? As long as the fabric on the outside feels nice, why does it matter? It does matter and here are some reasons why.
HARMFUL CHEMICALS
The two most common fillings for weighted blankets are plastic pellets or glass beads. One of those options can actually melt in the washer and leak harmful chemicals onto your blankets and clothing. We are talking about plastic pellets. On the contrary, glass beads are completely washer and dryer safe. They also do not contain the harmful chemicals that are present in plastic pellets.
MACHINE WASHABLE
As we touched upon earlier, plastic pellets can melt in high heat so they cannot be machine washed or dried. They are often dry clean only and can be quite expensive to maintain. Glass beads can be washed. Our Nimbus blankets are so easy to care for that you can just wash and dry them normally as long as your machine can handle the weight. This means that caring for your blanket can also be stress-free.
SIZE AND NOISE
From the picture above, you can see that the plastic pellets (bottom) are significantly larger than the glass beads (top). What does that mean? First, it means that plastic pellets will feel like small pebbles in your blanket. Glass beads will barely be noticeable inside your blanket. Secondly, it also means that plastic pellets will make more noise when you move the blanket. This can be distracting especially for anyone suffering from sleeping or sensory disorders.
EVEN WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
Because plastic pellets are larger, they often move around between the pockets overtime and gather in the corners of the blanket. This causes your blanket to tug or sag in certain corners. Therefore, diminishing the effect of your blanket overtime. Because glass beads are so tiny, they cannot cause the same damage to the stitching of the pockets. This means that the weight will be evenly distributed throughout your blanket.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Did you know that a very small percentage of plastic gets recycled every year? The remainder ends up in our landfill or leaks into our soil. We believe in environmental sustainability. That is why we chose glass beads. They are eco-friendly compared to plastic pellets.
WHY ARE PLASTIC PELLETS SO COMMON THEN?
We can’t deny it. There are more weighted blankets that are filled with plastic pellets than glass beads. The reason for this is because glass beads are more expensive. It is harder to manufacture and there is less supply for it. Therefore, most weighted blankets are made with plastic pellets. This means that both the supplier and consumer pays less for a blanket with plastic pellets.
Whether you choose to purchase a blanket with glass beads or plastic pellets, we just urge you to carefully consider your long-term costs. It may cost you less to purchase the blanket, but it may cost you more to own the blanket.
