Not Martha
← →

thing I like: rug heater

Spring is technically here but we still have some cold nights ahead before things warm up so I’m going to tell you about one of my very favorite things in our house: the heated rug. Our living room has this cotton chenille shag rug for a few reasons: it wasn’t terribly expensive, it’s easy to clean (I’ve only spilled wine on it twice but both times the splatter was spectacular and far reaching) and it’s very comfortable to sprawl out on with laptops or game controllers. And most importantly it nicely covers a rug heater, which is glorious on cold nights.

When we were looking for houses to buy our realtor seemed to have heated flooring on the brain because she suggested putting in heated floors in every other place we toured. When we moved in I looked into installing heated floors and, whoa, it’s expensive. So I did the next best thing and got an under rug heater. There are a few options out there and we went with the SpeedHeat Rugbuddy which we got from Amazon (affiliate link). It has made the last three winters much more cozy. We have an open plan area around the living room so I can’t tell if it heats the room up but I can say that after a while I’m warm enough to take off a sweater, especially if we’re camped out binge watching something or if we’re sitting on the floor playing a video game. I love it and have found myself recommending rug heaters to a lot of people this year.

Some details: We have the 3’x5′ and it’s large enough for the area in front of a couch but I do wish we’d gone for a larger version. The mat will shift around under the rug as you scoot an ottoman or coffee table back and forth so do use rug tape the way the instructions recommend. I put a heatproof fabric between the heater and the room’s carpet (not needed, but I’m paranoid), I use the fabric that is sold to insulate ironing boards which I found at a local fabric store. The rug heater plugs into the wall (our cord is hidden under the couch) and has an on/off button. I cannot say with any certainty that it’s saved on heating bills, but I can say that we are much less likely to turn up the heat in the house if the area around the couch is warm. They come in in several sizes (up to 8’x11′!) and I’m considering getting this 3’x2′ mat for under my desk.

I’m really, really glad we bought this. It’s seems silly but it makes me very happy.

· comments [9] · 03-28-2014 · categories:the home ·

9 responses so far ↓

  • 1 LauraVW // Mar 28, 2014 at 11:43 am

    This is such a brilliant idea! We looked at underfloor heating for our kitchen but the cost and disruption was just too much to take on. A heated rug would certainly fit the bill though – and I expect it would be very popular with our cat! I already have a rug I’ve chosen for the room so I will see what options for heaters are available over here.

  • 2 megan // Mar 28, 2014 at 11:52 am

    Oooh, yes! You might want to look into heaters that are rated for outdoor use since there will be so much water in the kitchen, or at least research the safety aspect carefully. Also, ours has a little thick spot in the corner where the wires come out of heater to the cord, it could be a tripping hazard so keep that in mind. I think a heated rug in your kitchen would work out well, the heat back there would collect in the room (our extra heat disappears up the stairs). I hope it works out!

  • 3 Michele // Mar 28, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    I didn’t know such a thing existed! Brilliant.

  • 4 Bev // Mar 29, 2014 at 4:40 am

    What a brilliant idea!

  • 5 Lauren // Mar 29, 2014 at 7:18 am

    Agreed. I bought a heated mat to go at the computer desk (the kind that you would stand on if you worked in a cold factory, apparently) and it makes a world of difference.

    Thanks for the tip!

  • 6 Julie. // Mar 29, 2014 at 10:06 am

    Ah, I read about these on AT a few years back and have contemplated getting one since! Glad to hear you like yours so much, we may have to take the plunge next Winter!

  • 7 Brianne // Mar 31, 2014 at 9:57 am

    !!! I did not even know these were a thing! I think you may have just changed my life.

  • 8 Anthony | handyman // Apr 2, 2014 at 3:30 am

    I also didn’t knew about these fluffy wonders. I’ll get one for my wife. I hope she likes it.

  • 9 nazilam // Apr 2, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    Mari bought ernest one a few years ago. What a nice auntie who suffers from cold feet when visiting us.

Leave a Comment