Weighted blankets have been around for a long time and they have served people over the years. Giving the weight of heavy blankets and the services they render, one may want to ask what exactly they are made of. Weighted blankets, like anything else, are constituting materials. The only thing is that most people do not know they are.
Markets and online platforms have been flooded with reviews of weighted blankets, their pros, and their cons. But one is still left hanging as to the constituting materials of the blankets we have heard so much about. Before telling you what is inside a weighted blanket, let us tell you first what they made of.
Weighted blankets have three components: the blanket, the fillings, and the blanket cover. The blanket is a fabric with cotton, polyester, fleece, or chenille padding. The blanket cover is either sewn on it or worn on it. If the cover is worn on the blanket, it will be removable. The cover is usually made of linen, fleece, cotton, flannel, or other fabrics.
What is inside a mattress is the third component of the blanket is the filling, also called stuffers. The inside of a weighted blanket can be micro glass beads, plastic poly pellets, or steel shot beads.
Some blankets are stuffed with micro glass beads. They are tiny and feel like sugar grains. Giving their tiny size, they sit better in the blanket than the plastic poly pellets. Blankets with micro glass beads are thinner and feel smooth and plush.
The plastic poly pellets are tiny and round beads. As the name implies, they are made of plastic but can feel like pebbles. These fillers are made from polypropene. Some manufacturers make their plastic poly pellets from virgin polypropylene. These fillers are safe and compatible with human health.
What is inside some weighty blankets are steel shot beads. They are micro steel balls that feel smooth. They are heat-treated and serve the purpose very well. If they are not handled well, they feel lumpy in the blanket which is very uncomfortable.
Apart from these known stuffers, there are others. Some of them are sand, pebbles, or crop grains. Manufacturers seldom use these fillers because they fall below the quality standard. They are usually cheaper than other blankets filled the traditional way. To get good quality blankets, you have to go for blankets with micro glass beads, plastic poly pellets, or steel shot beads.
Using sand as fillers makes washing the blanket difficult. Other options re aquarium stones and pebbles. These are organic materials and are usually porous. They are difficult to manage because they do not dry out on time. Sands, pebbles, and aquarium stones are of lower quality compared to the other fillers.
So, several materials can be inside a weighted blanket depending on the manufacturer. Some locally produced blankets can feature the low-quality fillers like sane, pebbles, crop grains, etc.