People around the world follow a strange procedure when it gets cold. Like many people, you may feel uncomfortable when the temperature drops, so you grab something warm and try to get comfortable.

For many people, grabbing something warm to put against your skin is the first step that you take. This could include a heating pad or perhaps even a hot water bottle, but there are certain precautions that should be taken if you decide to go this route.

A hot water bottle is preferred by many because it is easy and you can simply take it to bed with you and within a few minutes, you feel nice and toasty. They are relatively common products that most people have at home, and most people don’t give them more than a passing thought.

There is a detail about hot water bottles that you should know, however, because it can mean the difference between you staying warm and getting seriously injured. Katie Piper knows this very well, and she is going online to let other people know about it.

Piper shared a post she saw from a woman who was using a hot water bottle and it burst. The woman had severe burns on her skin after this occurred, and she went on Instagram to tell others about it. Katie Piper is sharing this through The Katie Piper Foundation, urging people to check the dates on the hot water bottle.

The woman whose post was shared said that she did not keep an eye on the date on her bottle and unfortunately, she ended up at the intensive care and burn unit at Clemsford hospital. She was there for a month after the hot water bottle burst.

The woman said that it would take two years for her to recover and she would probably have the scars on her stomach and thighs for the rest of her life. She doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else so she says you should check the dates on your hot water bottles.

To check the date, look for the flower symbol. This indicates when the hot water bottle was made.

The number in the middle is the year it was made. The petals of the flower indicate the months and the dots inside represent the weeks.

Since old water bottles can burst, it’s important to check the dates on those water bottles regularly and discard them if they are more than two years old.