If you are adding weighted blankets to a hotel, a spa or a care facility, three questions arrive before the first guest does. How do you launder it between users, whose body weight is the blanket sized for, and who decides which guest or resident is allowed to use it. Wholesale weighted blankets bought for a property in Toronto, a spa in Mississauga or a residence in Vancouver have to answer all three before the price is discussed. Each answer is a specification, and the specification is what you are buying.
The guide below covers the specification that holds up to commercial laundering and the weight and safety rules for each facility type. Then it covers how you sample, price and order in bulk.
Specify the Fill, the Cover and the Construction Before the Weight
The weight is the number on the label. The fill, the cover and the stitching decide whether the blanket keeps that weight evenly distributed after fifty of your washes. Those three come first.
Glass Beads or Plastic Pellets
The weight comes from beads sewn into quilted pockets. Glass microbeads are denser, so the blanket is thinner and quieter and runs cooler. Plastic pellets are bulkier, need more batting to mask their feel, and sleep warmer. For a commercial buyer the difference is in the laundry. Glass beads tolerate hot washes and tumble drying that some pellets do not, and a thinner blanket dries faster and takes less space on a housekeeping cart.
| Fill | Weight per volume | Feel and sound | Heat | Laundering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass microbeads | High, thin profile | Sand-like, silent | Cooler | Withstands hot wash and tumble drying |
| Plastic poly pellets | Lower, thicker profile | Grainy, audible | Warmer | Check the pellet’s heat tolerance before hot washing |
| Knitted, no fill | Weight from the yarn itself | Open knit, silent | Cooler | Washes like a heavy blanket, longer dry time |
Pocket Size and Stitching
Even distribution depends on the pocket. Pockets of roughly four to five inches keep the beads from migrating to one corner when the blanket is folded, carried or washed. Each pocket has to be closed with its own stitching rather than relying on the quilting line. The outer seams need a double stitch, because a burst seam on a 15-pound blanket empties beads into your washer drum. A bead-free knitted weighted blanket avoids the pocket question entirely and suits properties where a leak is unacceptable.
The Removable Cover
A commercial weighted blanket has two parts. The inner weighted blanket carries the beads and is laundered on a schedule. The removable cover is what the guest or patient touches and is laundered between users, the way a duvet cover is. The cover needs a closure that survives industrial processing and ties or loops at the corners so the inner blanket stays put. The same closure rules that apply to percale duvet covers in spas and wellness facilities apply here, and the same cover fabrics are used.
- Inner blanket: quilted pockets, glass or pellet fill, laundered on a monthly or quarterly schedule
- Cover: cotton, bamboo viscose or a minky-style polyester, laundered between users
- Closure: hidden zipper or button placket, with corner ties to hold the inner blanket
- Certification: OEKO-TEX on the cover fabric, with the certificate supplied for the compliance file
Our covers and inner blankets are supplied separately or as a set. You can hold more covers than blankets and keep the blankets in service while the covers turn. Request a quote for either through the Blankets and Throws category or from the weighted blanket product page [INTERNAL LINK: weighted blanket product page].
Match the Weight and the User to Each Facility
The consumer rule is that a weighted blanket weighs about 10 percent of the user’s body weight. You do not know who will use yours. The weight is therefore chosen for your facility’s population and the use case, and the safety rules are written into the procedure that goes with the blanket.
The Weight Rule and Its Limits
Ten percent of body weight is a comfort guideline rather than a safety limit, and anything over 15 percent is treated as too heavy. Weighted blankets are not for infants or children under three. They are not for anyone who cannot remove the blanket unaided, or who has a respiratory, circulatory or mobility condition, without a clinician’s agreement. For a commercial buyer those rules translate into a weight range and a written procedure.
| Facility | Typical weight | Size | Who uses it | Procedure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel guest room or pillow menu | 12 to 15 lb | 48 by 72 inch throw | Adult guests on request | Offered, not placed; care card in the room |
| Spa and wellness treatment | 10 to 15 lb | Throw sized to the table | Adult clients during a treatment | Placed by the therapist, removed at the end |
| Retirement and senior living | 5 to 10 lb | Lap or throw | Residents assessed by staff | Staff-issued, removable by the resident |
| Healthcare and hospital | 5 to 12 lb | Per unit policy | Patients under a care plan | Prescribed, documented, supervised |
Hotels and Inns
A hotel offers the blanket rather than placing it on the bed. A 12 to 15 pound throw in a neutral cover suits most adult guests. A care card in the room states the weight, who it is not for, and how to request a different weight. The blanket sits on your pillow menu or amenity list. Housekeeping changes the cover between guests and launders the inner blanket on the same cycle as the duvet inner. A Toronto property with 100 rooms rarely needs 100 blankets. A stock of 10 to 20 with 40 covers serves your requests.
Spas and Wellness Facilities
A spa uses the blanket for the treatment, not the night, so the weight can sit at the lighter end and the cover has to change with every client. The blanket is placed by the therapist and removed at the end of the session, which resolves the safety question, and the cover is laundered with the treatment linens. A cotton or bamboo cover matches the sheets on the table. A 10 to 15 pound throw sized to the table’s width is the usual specification for spas in Mississauga and across the Greater Toronto Area.
Retirement Living, Senior Care and Healthcare
Senior living and healthcare buyers work to a lower weight and a stricter procedure. A resident’s weight, mobility and respiratory status are assessed before a blanket is issued. The weight is 5 to 10 pounds, and the resident has to be able to remove it unaided. In a hospital the blanket is issued under a care plan, and a blanket a patient cannot remove is treated under restraint policy rather than as bedding. The inner blanket has to withstand the same hot-wash processing as the percale sheets used in healthcare and hospitals, and the cover is changed between patients without exception. The comfort case for residents is the same one that applies to the Egyptian cotton sheets in senior living, and the laundering case is stricter.
Launder, Sample and Order in Bulk
A weighted blanket is judged on its cost per turn in your laundry, not its unit price. Three things decide that cost, and you test all three before the order.
Commercial Laundering
A 15 to 20 pound weighted blanket exceeds most residential washers and needs a commercial front-loader. The inner blanket is washed on a warm or hot cycle depending on the fill, then dried on low or air-dried flat. Seams are inspected before it goes back into service. The cover is processed with the sheets. If you run an on-premise laundry, check the washer’s load rating against the wet weight of the blanket, which is well above its dry weight. If you use an outside laundry, confirm the plant accepts weighted items, because some do not. The processing arithmetic is the same as for commercial duvet covers in a laundry and rental operation.
- Inner blanket washed monthly or quarterly, or after any soiling, on the fill’s rated cycle
- Cover washed between users with the room or treatment linens
- Seams and pockets inspected after every wash, and any leaking blanket withdrawn
- Wet weight checked against the washer’s rating before the first cycle
Sampling Before the Order
Samples are sent so you can wash them, weigh them and put them on a bed or a table before you commit. A sample tells you whether the label weight is accurate and whether the beads migrate after a wash. The same sample tells you whether the cover closure survives your dryer and whether your therapist or housekeeper can handle it. Northern Linens sends samples on request, and your laundry runs them through its own cycle rather than a manufacturer’s test.
Bulk Pricing, Custom Runs and Delivery
Stocked weighted blankets and covers ship by the carton from our Canadian and US warehouses, usually within a few business days, to Toronto, Mississauga, Vancouver, Montreal and across Canada. If you need a specific weight, size, cover fabric or a private label, we run a custom order. The approved specification stays on file so every reorder matches the first. The custom bedding manufacturing programme covers weighted blankets at the fill weights and dimensions a facility sets.
| Order type | What it suits | Minimum | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stocked blankets and covers by the carton | A hotel building an amenity stock, a spa outfitting treatment rooms | By the carton | A few business days from stock |
| Custom weight, size or cover fabric | A residence standardising on a lighter weight, a spa matching table sizes | Higher, quoted on the spec | Confirmed before the order is accepted |
| Private label | A hotel group or a retailer branding the blanket | Quoted on the run | Confirmed before the order is accepted |
Send your room count, facility type and the weights you have in mind through Request a Quote, and bulk pricing, lead times and product samples come back from us. No account setup is required to ask.
Specify to the Laundry and the User, Then Sample
The blanket that suits a facility is the one its laundry can process and its users can safely handle.
- Choose glass microbeads in four to five inch pockets with double-stitched seams, or a knitted bead-free blanket where a leak is unacceptable
- Buy the inner blanket and the removable cover as separate items, and hold more covers than blankets
- Set the weight to the facility, 12 to 15 lb for hotel and spa adults, 5 to 10 lb for senior living and healthcare, with a written procedure on who uses it
- Confirm the washer’s load rating and the fill’s wash cycle before the first order
- Wash and weigh a sample in your own laundry before the bulk order
Tell us what your rooms or treatment tables need, and the samples, the pricing and the lead time come back from Northern Linens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one weight serve a whole hotel?
For a guest amenity, a single 15-pound throw serves most adults, offered on request with a care card stating who it is not for. A second, lighter weight is worth stocking where the property serves older guests or a wellness market. Placing a blanket on every bed by default is not recommended, because the weight suits the average adult and not every guest.
How often does the inner weighted blanket have to be washed?
Between guests the cover is changed and the inner blanket stays in service. The inner blanket is washed on a monthly or quarterly schedule in a hotel or spa, and after any soiling. Healthcare units wash it more often under their infection control policy. A blanket that is used daily in a treatment room is on the shorter end of that range.
Do weighted blankets need any certification for a Canadian hotel or care home?
There is no Canadian standard specific to weighted blankets. Buyers specify OEKO-TEX on the cover fabric for chemical safety, and healthcare and senior living buyers apply their own infection control and restraint policies to the product. The certificate for the fabric is supplied with the order for the compliance file.
What size should a spa order for treatment tables?
A throw sized to the table’s width, usually 48 by 72 inches, at 10 to 15 pounds. A larger blanket hangs over the table’s edge and pulls the weight to the sides, which defeats the even pressure the treatment relies on. Confirm the table width before the order and sample one on the table.
Can Northern Linens match a weighted blanket a property already uses?
In most cases, yes. Send the blanket or its specification, and the weight, size, fill, pocket construction and cover fabric are matched as closely as the materials allow. The record is kept on file for reorders, so the second delivery matches the first.
