The Sleepy People guide to choosing the right topper
Finding the right mattress for your personal taste and body type is one of the hardest purchases to get right. That’s why – whether you already have a mattress you love, or are struggling to get comfortable on your current mattress – a topper can be a great idea. After all, even the best quality mattresses will lose a little bit of comfort over the years.
How Do Mattress Toppers Work?
As the name suggests, a mattress topper goes right on top of your existing mattress, and is usually held securely in place by straps at each corner, which simply slip underneath the corners of your mattress.
All of them are designed to prolong the life of your mattress, though in addition to adding years to the working life of a favourite mattress, mattress toppers are also the ideal way to add softness to an over-firm or lumpy bed, or, conversely, a little extra support to a mattress that has lost some of its spring.
How Do I Care For A Mattress Topper?
Good hygiene in bed is incredibly important to all of us, so we recommend that you use a sheet or mattress protector over the top of your mattress topper, to keep it fresh and hygienic for as long as possible between washes.
Most of our Mattress Toppers can also be washed at home, though we do recommend that you use a professional cleaner for mattress toppers with natural fillings because, just like naturally-filled duvets, they can be hard to dry properly without the right equipment.
What Size Of Mattress Topper Do I Need?
Sleepy People only offers standard UK bed sizes, so as long as your beds are standard Single, Double, King, or Super King sizes, ever mattress topper on sleepypeople.com should sit right on top of your existing mattresses.
Which Mattress Topper Filling is right for you?
Getting the filling right is very much a matter of taste, and what you want from your new topper. There are options available that can help to make your bed firmer as well as softer – not to mention warmer – though it’s worth bearing in mind that while natural fillings are a popular option, they aren’t always the best idea for those who suffer from allergies or asthma, unless they offer additional anti-bacterial protection like our Silentnight Luxury Duck Feather and Down Topper.
Goose feathers are a very traditional choice for mattress toppers, because they offer exceptional levels of comfort and are highly breathable, to help regulate your temperature in bed. Some goose feather fillings have also been additionally softened, as is the case with the rest Assured Softened Goose Feather Mattress Topper. So if you dream of the soft support offered by an old-fashioned feather bed, goose feather may well be the best filling for your ideal mattress topper.
Just bear in mind that even though cotton covers will resist many house dust mites, goose feather isn’t especially recommended for allergy sufferers. It’s also worth noting that while goose feather mattress toppers can be machine washed at home, our experts recommend specialist cleaning, mainly to ensure that all of the feathers inside are completely dry before you put it back onto your bed.
If you’re a feather bed fan, a blend of duck feathers and down is another popular choice, offering both support and softness. Like a goose feather filing, duck feather and down is also highly breathable, to help you stay warm in winter and pleasantly dry on the humid nights of summer. Importantly, while feathers and down aren’t always the best idea for allergy or asthma sufferers, our Silentnight Luxury Duck Feather and Down comes with a 100% cotton, anti-bacterial cover that resists dust house mites, making it suitable for everyone.
Hollowfibre is a spun filling made from polyester, which is light and naturally non-allergenic, making it an incredibly popular choice for pillows and duvets as well as mattress toppers. Obviously, there are different densities and compositions of hollowfibre, but its main purpose in a mattress topper is to add comfort to a mattress that has lost some of its natural softness and support. The Silentnight Superspring Mattress Topper, with its spring-like fibres, is a good example of this, as is the Silentnight Posture Plus Mattress Topper.
Hollowfibre filled mattress toppers are suitable for use all year round. However, some are a little more breathable than others, making them particularly beneficial in summer, such as the Silentnight Cooler Summer Mattress Topper. Or if you want to enjoy the best of both worlds, you can always choose an option like our Silentnight All Seasons Reversible Mattress Topper, which has one microfibre face for summer use, and one fleecy velour face for winter use.
Naturally breathable, hollowfibre mattress toppers can also be washed and dried at home.
Our sleep experts particularly recommend memory foam mattress toppers to people suffering from aches and pains. That’s because this space age material is temperature sensitive, which allows it to soften and shape itself to your contours as you sleep, spreading your body’s weight and reducing the pressure on your spine and other pressure points.
Having said that, you don’t have to have aches and pains to enjoy the comfort and support of a memory foam mattress topper; they can improve the support and durability of any mattress and help just about anyone to enjoy a better night’s sleep. Memory foam mattress toppers are also completely non-allergenic, and usually come with removable covers that are easily washed in your home washing machine.
Is it really a 2-year guarantee?
We make all of our pillows in our own Lancashire mills, which means we are 100% confident in the quality of their materials and manufacture. So if you have a problem within two years that arises from a manufacturing fault – as opposed to too many pillow fights – we will be happy to refund or replace any pillow at our discretion.
We will also offer a refund or replacement at the time of delivery if any pillow is incorrectly supplied, faulty or damaged on delivery.