I now heat my feet like a grandma
2/12/2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
I use a foot warmer to try and thaw out my permanently cold boots - without burning them like I did once before. Will my cold feet finally get cold feet?
Apart from getting married, I get cold feet all the time: in woollen socks, in lined shoes, after sport, yes, even in the height of summer. My circulation runs about as smoothly as a blocked pipe. Anyone who says there is no wrong weather, only wrong clothes, I'll shut them up with alpaca socks.
Or I blow it away - with a hairdryer. It's the only way I can get my feet up to normal temperature. However, the thing eats up electricity like crazy. Luckily, I've just tested a slightly more economical 100-watt alternative: a foot warmer. One of those terribly patterned heating bags that are springing up like Fusspilze mushrooms in old people's homes.
A direct route to the big time
When I pick up the toe toaster from the Galaxus shop, I'm amazed: the Beurer model isn't all that ugly. Something has changed in the toe warmer design. Nevertheless, I feel like a grandma. «Chic», says the colleague from the shop mischievously. I laugh - I've often picked up bizarre products from him - and can already feel my hips cracking after his subtle side blow. Stiffly, I stagger home through the cold.
At last! I switch on the foot warmer, put my feet in and set it to the highest level three (what a rhyme). Although cool air seeps through the slightly large opening, after a few seconds I feel a pleasant warmth on my soles: marvellous!
My feet tingle cosily in the washable teddy lining. However, the fact that it is removable has a catch: it slips quickly when I move my feet. There is no fastening here. Or I need larger feet than a 36: the foot warmer fits up to size 47.
My icicle treads are gradually thawing in the foot warmer, but not getting hot. Half cooked, so to speak - perfect for me. For some commentators on Galaxus, however, a little too lukewarm:
After an hour and a half, something happens that also annoys some commentators: the foot warmer switches off automatically. If I want to start another cycle, I have to switch it off, wait five seconds and switch it on again. According to Beurer, this prevents overheating. An unrealistic scenario? As if. I speak from experience.
An almost flambéed foot
Winter 2020: I switch on my grandmother's foot warmer (the best heirloom I've ever had). Because my upper body is also shivering, I spread a blanket over me. This is a mistake. «Something smells of smoke», I think, and then I feel it: the heat on my toes.
I throw the foot warmer off me with a jerk. A black, charred spot forms on the left side. I immediately unplug the device and slap a wet cloth on it. I can already see the headline in front of me:
Charred feet: Grosi (27) sets fire to her flat with a heating bag
Important footnote at the end
Since this experience, the following has been burnt into my memory: Foot warmers do not belong under blankets. Heat build-up and overheating can be fatal in the worst case scenario. I therefore don't consider the automatic switch-off and overheating protection of the foot warmer to be cumbersome, but rather sensible. Also because I often forget to unplug it when I leave the house.
You see, my memory seems to be failing too. The transformation into a grandma is almost complete. All that's missing is a quirky shopping trolley ... Hold my tea ...
In a nutshell
Warm feet at last
What is "warm enough" is a matter of opinion. For me, the Beurer foot warmer hits the right temperature - neither too hot nor too cold. If the opening were a little narrower, it would keep even more heat in. The automatic switch-off after 90 minutes and the necessary restart are for safety reasons, which I appreciate. An earlier model from another manufacturer almost caught fire. The Beurer device, on the other hand, seems well thought out: the teddy lining can even be washed at 30 degrees. However, it slips a little quickly because it cannot be fastened.
Pro
- Pleasant temperature
- 90-minute automatic switch-off with overheating protection
- Washable teddy lining
- More attractive appearance than other models
Contra
- slightly wide opening for small feet
- the removable teddy lining slips out of place quickly
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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