For those who have tried to lower heating costs, you may have turned to trendy, fluffy electric throws during the colder months of the year.

But after long, dreary winter spells, you might be wondering if and how you can safely wash them in a washing machine to give them a new lease of life, especially when it comes to getting rid of any musty smells and stubborn stains.

With this in mind, we asked the experts for their recommended advice and compiled a trusty how-to guide when it comes to cleaning heated blankets properly.

Energy saving tips – what works and what’s just a myth

Can you wash electric blankets in a washing machine?

Scott Byrom, energy expert at The Energy Shop explained: “In most cases, yes – modern electric blankets are designed to be machine washable, as long as you detach the controller and power cable first.

“Once unplugged, treat it a bit more gently than your usual bedding. 

“Always be sure to check the manufacturer’s guide and the wash label on the blanket itself.

“If your blanket is washing machine-safe, always be sure to keep the temperature to 30°C max, and use a mild detergent.

“Always avoid bleach or fabric softener, as these can damage the internal wiring. A shorter wash is best to avoid unnecessary strain.”

How to wash a heated blanket with wires in it?

Scott added: “Those that own a heated blanket containing insulated wiring within them should be aware of aspects such as harsh chemicals, high temperatures and fast motions, such as sharp twists and spins”.

Additionally, he said those looking to wash electric blankets should first ensure the blanket is disconnected from all electricity sources for safety reasons.

Scott continued: “Following that, it’s worth examining any stains or bits of dirt to see if they can be spot cleaned, and if so, apply lukewarm water and a mild detergent to a localised area.”

However, if spot cleaning does not suffice, and your heated blanket is machine washable, simply wash it on the recommended setting, which is likely to be a low temperature, delicate cycle, Scott advised.

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How to clean an electric blanket without using the washing machine?

If your heated blanket cannot be cleaned in a washing machine, Scott further detailed: “For heated blankets that are not machine washable, wash by hand using lukewarm water and a mild detergent, rinsing thoroughly and ensure all detergent is removed whilst avoiding wringing out the blanket to avoid damaging any metal wiring.”

7 steps to cleaning your heated blanket properly and safely according to an expert

In agreement with Scott, smol’s sustainable cleaning guru, Catherine Green has offered an additional seven top tips when it comes to cleaning your electric blanket safely.

Unplug and disconnect

Before cleaning your electric blanket, unplug it from the power source and remove any cords or controllers. Ensuring the blanket is completely disconnected is key to cleaning safely.

Check manufacturer instructions

Refer to the manufacturer guidelines for specific cleaning recommendations – a lot can be machine washed, but some may require hand washing or spot cleaning.

Tackle stains

For localised stains use a stain remover, like smol’s bleach-free stain gel. Apply a small amount to the affected area and gently rub with a soft cloth or sponge. Alternatively, apply a weak-ish solution of laundry detergent and warm water to the stain with a cloth, and then use another clean, damp cloth to rinse out.

How long have you had your electric blanket? (Image: HONGZHI LUO/Getty)

Machine washing

If machine washing is safe for your electric blanket, remove all cords and controls and use a gentle, cold-water cycle. Catherine recommends smol laundry capsules, which don’t contain bleaching agents or conditioners.

Rinse thoroughly

Ensure thorough rinsing to remove all detergent residue- multiple rinse cycles may be necessary to achieve this.

Dry carefully

As previously mentioned by Scott from The Energy Shop, Catherine also clarifies you must never wring out or twist the electric blanket as you may damage the wiring.

Instead, gently press out excess water and then air-dry the blanket on a flat surface.

Avoid using heat sources like radiators or tumble dryers, as they can damage the electrical components.

Reconnect and test

Once the blanket is completely dry, reconnect the cords and controllers, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Test the blanket to ensure it functions correctly before use – if the shape has been changed or the wiring damaged, a more gentler hand wash may correct things.

Have you found this guide to cleaning your heated blanket useful? Let us know if you have any washing tips in the comments below.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav added 32 for India, who then ended Pakistan’s run chase before it ever really began as the early wickets tumbled. Pakistan were reduced to 13/3 and then 34/4 in dismal fashion, with Usman Khan’s spirited 44 off 34 balls not enough to spark any sort of sustained fightback. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 114 in 18 overs, with the two teams failing to shake hands once again after a one-sided Group A contest. The captains also did not engage in a handshake after the toss.

The Met Office has issued an update on the outlook for the coming days

There’s a new week coming up and more rain in the forecast but weather experts say Tuesday looks to be the best day for most of us.

The Met Office says the coming days will bring unsettled and blustery conditions with showers across the whole of the country, which will ease into Tuesday.

Another weather system will arrive on Wednesday bringing more unsettled weather. Thursday is expected to be drier but spells of rain will move in later in the evening.

READ MORE: Northern Ireland has been relentlessly miserable this year and there’s no sign of it endingREAD MORE: ‘Exceptional’ rainfall brings one of wettest Januarys on record for Northern Ireland

Here’s what’s forecast for Northern Ireland in the coming days, according to the Met Office:

This evening and tonight:

Variable amounts of cloud this evening and overnight with scattered showers, occasionally heavy in the west. More in the way of drier weather across the southeast. Minimum temperature 2°C.

Monday:

A few bright or sunny intervals otherwise rather cloudy with scattered showers. Becoming drier in the evening with just the odd wintry shower. Maximum temperature 7 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Dry and bright on Tuesday. Mostly dry on Wednesday but somewhat cloudier with chance of the odd wintry shower, and a cold southeasterly wind. Dry with some brightness on Thursday.

UK long range weather forecast: Friday 20 February – Sunday 1 March

Showers or longer spells of rain, as well as occasional strong winds, are most likely at first as Atlantic low pressure systems dominate in the vicinity of the UK. Some heavy rain is likely in places, with some snow probable at times, mainly on high ground in the north.

Temperatures varying from around, or a little above, average especially in the south to cold at times, mainly in the north. Although unsettled weather is likely to dominate at first, there will be some drier interludes between weather systems. These drier interludes will become increasingly likely and perhaps more prolonged through the period.

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EXCLUSIVE: Lord Haughey said the Scottish Labour leader’s gamble has benefited him and Keir Starmer at the same time.

One of Scottish Labour’s top donors has claimed Anas Sarwar’s call for Keir Starmer to quit was the “best Machiavellian plot” Labour has “ever hatched”. Lord Haughey said the Scottish Labour leader and the Prime Minister are both in a stronger position after Sarwar’s explosive intervention.

Sarwar sent shockwaves through Scottish politics on Monday after he demanded the resignation of his friend Starmer. He said the Labour Government had made too many mistakes and called for fresh leadership.

But the move shored up support for the PM, as Cabinet Ministers and Scottish Labour MPs lined up to support Starmer. A new poll has also found that Scots back Sarwar’s intervention.

Lord Haughey, a successful businessman who has donated millions to Labour, attended an emergency meeting of the party’s Scottish parliamentarians on Tuesday. Speaking on the Go Radio Business Show, the Sarwar ally spoke of the moment he watched the Glasgow MSP make the call at a dramatic press conference.

“I’m explaining it to my missus that, ‘no, this is a Machiavellian plot. Something’s going on here.’ And she’s like that, ‘don’t talk rubbish. This is what you say all the time’.”

READ MORE: Anas Sarwar hits out at MSP friendship with sex offender as he says paedophiles should be ‘shunned’READ MORE: Scots back Anas Sarwar over call for Keir Starmer to quit as Prime Minister

“What I said and what I implied is exactly what happened.”

The tycoon said both Sarwar and Starmer had been emboldened by the quit call:

“Anas, to be fair, showed true leadership. He didn’t need anybody behind him, [he] said exactly what he thought.

“He’s put it out there that we’re not a branch office of London. We’ve got our own opinion. We’re going to do what we’re doing here. And without cutting the umbilical cord, he kind of declared UDI for Scotland.”

“I’m sure that he felt a bit disappointed that ten or twenty other people didn’t fire in after him, but he decided whether to do it or not, this is what I think is right for the country.”

He said of the impact of the Starmer: “It smoked everybody out. So, within hours, every Cabinet Minister that may have been plotting, not been plotting, had to come out and back the Prime Minister. He goes into a meeting at night and gets a standing ovation in the way in, and a standing ovation in the way out.”

He added: “Today, Anas is in a much stronger position than he was last week and so is Keir Starmer.

“It’s going to go down as the best Machiavellian pot that Labour ever hatched.”

He said: “That’s a fact.”

Haughey also said: “I’ve said for years and years and years that maybe we should look at an independent Labour Party in Scotland.

“I think Anas went a long way to saying, ‘we’re going to operate as that anyway’.”

It comes after a new poll found Scots backing the Scottish Labour leader over his call for the PM to resign.

A new Norstat poll of 1,001 people for the Sunday Times, conducted after Sarwar’s press conference, found 52 per cent backing the Glasgow MSP.

ARSENAL 4-0 WIGAN ATHLETIC: Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus all got on the scoresheet as the Gunners eased past their League One opponents in the FA Cup

Arsenal reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in six seasons by thrashing Wigan. The relegation-threatened League One side were blown away by four goals in 16 first-half minutes as the Arsenal juggernaut kept rolling in all four competitions.

The complete mismatch was obvious right from the off and Arsenal were in a ruthless mood, with Noni Madueke putting them 1-0 up from the first of many Eberechi Eze through balls. It was 2-0 minutes later when Eze picked up a pocket of space and slid Gabriel Martinelli in down the opposite side and the Brazilian finished well into the corner.

A Jack Hunt own goal added insult to injury after Madueke and Bukayo Saka combined nicely down the right and Gabriel Jesus got in on the act by gathering Christian Norgaard’s ball over the top of a non-existent Wigan defence before chipping Sam Tickle for 4-0 in the 27th minute.

Kepa Arrizabalaga did have to be alert to save from Joe Taylor, but by then the game was already over as a contest. The second half passed by with little action as Mikel Arteta made substitutions to keep his players fresh. Here are the talking points from the Emirates Stadium.

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READ MORE: Arsenal star ruled out moments before FA Cup tie as Bukayo Saka statement issuedREAD MORE: Millionaire former Premier League owner stabbed in own home by masked robbers

1. Eze confidence boost

If there was one Arsenal player in need of this kind of game, it was Eze. The playmaker has found it tough in recent months, struggling to fit into Mikel Arteta’s structure and therefore finding himself on the bench more often than not. His positional flexibility has perhaps worked against him, but it is his tendency to drift out of high-intensity clashes that needs to be addressed.

Against a struggling League One opposition, there was none of those concerns and Eze thrived, dropping into space, locating pockets and sending deadly balls in behind the Latics’ flat (in a bad way) back five. Eze’s vision and weight of pass with both feet is a delight in pressure-off situations and he showed it here.

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2. Saka’s unfamiliar role

It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Arteta had to think fast after Riccardo Calafiori withdrew on the brink of kick-off. The Arsenal manager had wanted to experiment by playing Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield, but Calafiori’s absence shunted the youngster back to left-back and instead meant an unusual role for Bukayo Saka, who came into the starting XI for Calafiori.

With Madueke in Saka’s normal position on the right wing, the England star was fielded in central midfield alongside Eze and in front of Norgaard. It was an intriguing prospect and, with rotation and fluidity the order of the day against a much inferior opposition, Saka seemed to relish it, sometimes dropping deep and sometimes switching with Jesus to run beyond. Against opponents who employ a low block, packing the midfield with creators could be a ploy for Arteta to repeat.

3. Madueke in good form

Having an alternative to Saka on the right wing was clearly something Arteta craved when they shelled out £48.5million to sign Madueke from Chelsea in the summer and he is beginning to find some consistency to go with his undoubted talent.

His towering header in the 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday was unexpected, but the pace and curling finish past the goalkeeper against Wigan was much more in the winger’s wheelhouse. It took a Premier League goals panel to award him a goal in the 4-0 win at Leeds last month – and maybe now the floodgates have opened.

4. Glimpse of the future

With the game sewn up, Arteta gave William Saliba a rest, taking the centre-back off for 16-year-old Marli Salmon. The young defender came on as a substitute for his third senior appearance for the club, having also featured in the win over Portsmouth in the previous round.

Salmon also featured in the Champions League against Club Brugge earlier in the season and is an exciting prospect. “He can play as a centre-back or as a full-back and I’m delighted,” Arteta said back in December. In truth, there wasn’t an awful lot of work for Salmon to do, with the game drifting by without much action in the second half.

5. Quadruple still on

Arsenal remain in all four competitions and in good shape, in theory, to win them all. There are those, including the Mirror’s own chief sports writer Andy Dunn, who have argued that being knocked out of the FA Cup might not be the worst thing for Arsenal as they chase a first Premier League title in 22 years.

But with squad depth like this, and a draw like this, there was no realistic chance of the Gunners waving the white flag on Sunday. The Premier League remains the priority. They have a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on March 22. They have a perfect record in the Champions League. The FA Cup is likely the fourth priority right now. But that’s not a bad place to be.

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Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.

The church went up in flames on Saturday afternoon with firefighters battling the blaze well into the evening.

A Scots village church was “deliberately” set on fire, according to police, who have now launched an investigation into the huge blaze which erupted yesterday afternoon in Falkirk.

The alarm was raised at around 3.30pm on Saturday, February 14 when emergency services were alerted to a fire on Main Street in Camelon, Falkirk.

The fire engulfed St John’s Church, a derelict church. Crews including Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service raced to the scene and remained on site well into the evening, with the area being made safe at around 12:30am.

No one was hurt, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed, but the cause is not yet known. Diversions were in place on Hamilton Street and motorists and pedestrians were urged to steer clear of the area.

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No arrests have been made. Dramatic photos of the inferno appeared to show the devastating incident having nearly destroyed the church in its entirety.

Bright, orange, angry flames could be seen ripping through the building as smoke billowed into the air. Another aerial view image shows the roof completely caved, exposing the charred, blackened structure within.

Only the front façade appears to have remained somewhat in tact. Firefighters in full protective gear and helmets were seen blasting water onto the crumbling building while two appliances and more personnel stood guard.

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A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 3.30pm on Saturday, 14 February, 2026, we received a report of a fire at a derelict building on Main Street, Camelon.

“The fire is being treated as wilful and anyone with information should contact 101 quoting reference number 1856 of 14 February, 2026.”

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The UK’s top prosecutor has warned “nobody is above the law” as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces a police probe over alleged leaks to Jeffrey Epstein.

Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, said “no, of course not” when asked whether he thought the royals were above the law. He added that he has “total confidence” that the police will be independent.

It comes as Thames Valley Police examine claims that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential reports while in his role as the UK’s trade envoy with the paedophile financier.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, he said: “Nobody is above the law… It’s my job to enforce the law, and I do so without fear or favour, and that is unaffected by the status of the individual concerned.”

The warning from Mr Parkinson comes as evidence of the former prince’s alleged involvement with Epstein has mounted, with more revelations published in the latest tranche of Epstein files.

According to emails released by the US Department of Justice, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to have forwarded official reports on trips to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Vietnam in 2010 and 2011 to Epstein, when he was a government trade envoy. Trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality.

Thames Valley Police’s prosecution will look into whether the sharing of this information constitutes misconduct in public office.

Peter Mandelson, the disgraced former UK ambassador to the US, also faces a police probe over allegations he sent market-sensitive information to Epstein while he was business secretary during the financial crisis.

The Metropolitan Police have searched two of Lord Mandelson’s properties as part of their investigation.

open image in gallery

Mr Parkinson told The Sunday Times that misconduct in public office was a relatively popular offence with which to charge a public officer.

He said: “From my perspective, I don’t find it a difficult offence to prosecute because the core of it is a gross breach of trust by someone performing the function of a public officer.”

If Mr Mountbatten-Windsor were to be charged after a new police investigation, he would become the first royal in modern times to face trial over a serious offence.

Last week, Prince William and Princess Kate spoke out publicly for the first time regarding the ongoing revelations, saying they are “deeply concerned” by the scandal, and their thoughts are with the victims.

And considering the Antoine Dupont-inspired visitors – of which his half-back, Matthieu Jalibert, maybe enjoying his best performance in the blue shirt – were 19-0 ahead after only 15 minutes, it was something of an achievement for Wales to limit the damage of the ensuing 65 minutes to 35-14. 

Indeed, the scoreline might not even have reflected the improvement in the Welsh from the insipid dross they delivered in the 48-7 annihilation against England eight days before. 

Their defence was better, their set-piece was in a different class and at last, after two games of not even scoring a point in the first half of their last two Tests, they gave the Welsh public something to cheer on before they went off to get their leek bovril. 

But still, they lost by 42 points and this was their worst defeat in Cardiff against France. Furthermore, it was their 13th Six Nations defeat in succession and their 21st loss in 23 games in the the championship since winning the title in 2021.  

Regardless of whatever signs of promise the red-shirted faithful carried out into the wet Welsh air on Sunday evening, this must now be regarded as one of the most dramatically quick downfalls in the history of any sport.

A third wooden spoon beckons and with the Welsh Rugby Union overseeing something approaching a civil war in the domestic game, it is all the governing body deserves. It is a shocking mess.

More to follow…

Scoring sequence 0-5 Gailleton try, 0-7 Ramos con; 0-12 Bielle-Biarrey try; 0-17 Brau-Boirie try, 0-19 Ramos con; 5-19 Carre try, 7-19 Edwards con; 7-24 Jalibert try, 7-26 Ramos con; 7-31 Marchand try, 7-33 Lopez con; 7-38 Attissogbe try, 7-40 Ramos con; 7-45 Attissogbe try, 7-47 Ramos con; 7-52 Ollivon try, 7-54 Ramos con; 12-54 Grady try.

The Mobile traditional Fish & Chip Van, a familiar sight across Durham for many years, confirmed in an emotional social media statement that the business will not be returning.

In a Facebook post, owners Adele and Scott said: “As you may already know, we have had our business off the road for the last four months.

“It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that The Mobile traditional Fish & Chip Van has closed its hatch for good.”

Following a crash in October last year, the van has been out of action for the past four months.  

The owners said the insurance payout was not enough for them to reopen, bringing an end to “many happy years of frying”.

The post added: “So unfortunately after the accident, the payout hasn’t been what we hoped for so unfortunately, the decision has been made for us.

“After many happy years of frying, we, Adele and Scott, won’t be coming back and would like to thank you all for your support, loyalty, gossip, general chit chat, moans, groans, getting wet and cold, coming out in the snow, putting up with us and for all you whom turned in to our friends. We thank you all.

“We genuinely cannot thank our suppliers and everyone enough for the continued support through such hard times, which allowed our business to grow and succeed for all those years!

“Lastly, customers, a huge and massive thanks to you. Our amazing supporters and everyone who has helped us in any way, thank you for keeping us going.

“This is a very emotional farewell.”

Since announcing the news of the closure, customers have inundated the couple with support.

One person said: “You will definitely be missed; they were the best fish and chips about.”

While another person commented: “So sorry to hear this, the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.

“You have to do what’s best for you and I wish you all the best for whatever the future holds for you both.”