All items · Electrical
Electric blankets and heat pads
Also covers: heated blanket, heated throw, electric underblanket
Can you donate electric blankets and heat pads to a UK charity shop? Usually not.
Why shops may refuse it
Ageing wiring inside the fabric is a fire risk that can't be spotted by inspection.
What to do instead
Take them to the small-electricals bank at the council recycling centre.
Charity by charity
61 mentions-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Ardgowan Hospice category-wide rule
Whole "electrical items" category listed as currently not accepted.
Their wording
“Currently we CANNOT accept: -Toys, large furniture or electrical items.”
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Can't accept
Same line also excludes (non-specified) heaters.
Their wording
“Electric blankets and heaters”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric Blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets & showers”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Claire House Children's Hospice category-wide rule
Blanket exclusion of electrical items, though brand-new factory-sealed hard drives, SD cards or USB sticks are excepted.
Their wording
“Electrical items”
- Can't accept
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Can't accept
Cransley Hospice Trust category-wide rule
Listed under 'Unfortunately, we are unable to accept some items' ('Electrical items, Kitchen equipment and utensils, Used baby equipment including car seats and prams/pushchairs, Bikes') with no exceptions stated.
Their wording
“Electrical items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“duvets, bedding, mattresses, electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Listed under 'we don't accept' alongside hot water bottles; no new/sealed exception is stated for these two items.
Their wording
“Duvets, pillows (unless new & sealed), electric blankets & hot water bottles”
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Can't accept
Listed among items ellenor's free furniture collection service will not collect.
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“mattresses and electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets and foot warmers”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets, fires and heaters”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Microwaves, electric blankets and heaters”
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Can't accept
Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland category-wide rule
Applies to all electrical items
Their wording
“Electrical and medical items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Katharine House Hospice, Banbury category-wide rule
Listed under 'Unfortunately, we're unable to accept' on the shop donations page.
Their wording
“Electrical items or any furniture.”
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Can't accept
'Heat Pads' is also listed separately as not accepted in the same list.
Their wording
“Heated Blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Cookers/microwaves/heated blankets”
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Can't accept
Phyllis Tuckwell category-wide rule
No electrical items are currently accepted, with one exception: old mobile phones and tablets are welcomed.
Their wording
“Unfortunately we are currently unable to accept any electrical items or suitcases.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Shown when searching 'Electric Blanket'.
Their wording
“Thank you for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept this item for health and safety reasons. We can’t guarantee to our customers that second-hand safety equipment is still fully protective or hasn’t been damaged before.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electrical goods: That haven’t been PAT tested, and excluded items like electric blankets, oil-filled radiators and petrol-fuelled garden tools.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Electric blankets listed under items the charity cannot take.
Their wording
“Heating, lighting and cooking equipment that use gas or oil, knives and scissors, ovens, electrical items e.g. foot baths, sun lamps & shavers, electric blankets, power tools or food mixers without instructions, microwaves”
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Can't accept
St John's Hospice (London) category-wide rule
Applies to all electrical items
Their wording
“Electrical items”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets, showers, sunbeds, tanning equipment”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
St Raphael's Hospice category-wide rule
Stated on the Our Shops page for shop/Donation Centre drop-off. The separate Furniture Collections page still refers to collecting 'large items of furniture or electrical items' via its home-collection service, so this blanket refusal may be specific to walk-in shop donations rather than the large-item collection route.
Their wording
“We are no longer accepting any electrical items or pet toys, sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric Blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets.”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets and hot water bottles”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric Blankets”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Check first
Not accepted unless brand new in original packaging.
Their wording
“Electric blankets”
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Check first
Save the Children category-wide rule
Exception: accepted at selected stores — donors are told to check first.
Their wording
“We're unable to accept electrical goods (except in selected stores - please check first)”
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Check first
Strathcarron Hospice category-wide rule
Donors are asked to check with their local shop before donating electrical items.
Their wording
“Electricals (but please do check with your local shop before you donate these).”
Not mentioned in 92 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Acorns Children's Hospice
- Age UK
- Ashgate Hospicecare
- Ayrshire Hospice
- Barnsley Hospice
- Bolton Hospice
- British Red Cross
- Butterwick Hospice
- Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
- Crisis
- DEBRA
- Derian House Children's Hospice
- Douglas Macmillan Hospice
- East Lancashire Hospice
- Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria's Children's Hospice
- Emmaus
- Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
- Garden House Hospice Care
- Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
- Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice
- Heart of Kent Hospice
- Helen & Douglas House
- Hope House & Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices
- Hospice in the Weald
- Hospice Isle of Man
- Hospice of the Valleys
- Jersey Hospice Care
- Julia's House
- Katharine House Hospice (Stafford)
- Keech Hospice Care
- LOROS Hospice
- Marie Curie
- Martin House Children's Hospice
- Moya Cole Hospice
- Naomi House & Jack's Place
- Nightingale House Hospice
- North Devon Hospice
- North London Hospice
- Nottinghamshire Hospice
- Octavia Foundation
- Oxfam
- PDSA
- Pendleside Hospice
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Primrose Hospice
- Prospect Hospice
- Queenscourt Hospice
- Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People
- Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
- Rotherham Hospice
- Royal Trinity Hospice (London)
- Saint Francis Hospice
- Salvation Army (SATCoL)
- Samaritans
- Scope
- Sense Scotland
- Severn Hospice
- Shelter
- Shooting Star Children's Hospices
- St Catherine's Hospice (Crawley)
- St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire)
- St Christopher's Hospice
- St Clare Hospice
- St Columba's Hospice
- St Cuthbert's Hospice
- St David's Hospice Care
- St Helena Hospice
- St Luke's Cheshire Hospice
- St Luke's Hospice Basildon & Thurrock
- St Luke's Hospice Plymouth
- St Margaret's Hospice Care (Somerset)
- St Michael's Hospice (North Hampshire)
- St Nicholas Hospice Care
- St Peter & St James Hospice
- St Richard's Hospice
- St Wilfrid's Hospice
- The Kirkwood
- The Myton Hospices
- The Prince of Wales Hospice
- The Shakespeare Hospice
- Traid
- Treetops Hospice Trust
- Tynedale Hospice at Home
- Wigan and Leigh Hospice
- Willen Hospice
- Willow Burn Hospice
- Willow Wood Hospice
- Wirral Hospice St John's
- Wisdom Hospice
- Woking & Sam Beare Hospices
- Woodgreen Pets Charity
- YMCA (England & Wales)