Mattresses are a rather large investment in today’s world, though most do not offer as much comfort as some would like. Many people like their beds to stay cool at night, and their sheets dry. Others want to sink into the bed, as if they’re sleeping on a cloud. This is where mattress toppers come into play. With such a wide assortment from which to choose, and dozens of companies producing these products, it can be hard to pinpoint the exact type of mattress topper you will buy. So before you rush out to the store to buy a specific topper, let us first have a quick look at toppers in general and some of their pros and cons.
The Good with Mattress Toppers
Let’s discuss some of the benefits, starting with customized comfort. Because you can choose from pillow top toppers, memory foam, adjustable air toppers, and much more, it’s actually quite a large benefit, given that you’re able to custom-tailor your bed to your specific wants and needs. While another strong benefit, along these same lines, would be the durability of some of the toppers on the market. A foam topper, for instance, may last just as long as the mattress itself, if cared for properly.
Another great aspect of mattress toppers is the fact that market parity has driven the prices down. The same way multiple smartphone companies mean you don’t have to pay a fortune for a phone, having competition in the topper marketplace has led to competitive prices. So you can easily find a mattress topper in your specific budget.
The last benefit we’ll touch on here is the fact that toppers are pretty easy to install. Most of them either lie flat on the bed-top and will be secured down with sheets, or they will feature elastic on the ends, like fitted sheets, and allow you to easily place them on the mattress securely so that they aren’t slipping and sliding around.
The Bad with Mattress Toppers
There are some negative points here, of course, so don’t think that it’s all sunshine and rainbows. For example, mattress toppers can be notoriously hard to clean. This is because they’re so bulky and typically won’t fit into any sort of home-use washing machine. The topper does have the great benefit of protecting the actual mattress from dirt and filth, but the topper itself is highly susceptible to becoming dirty, and it’s very hard to clean.
You also have to consider sheet fittings with some toppers. While this is more of a vanity negative than a functional negative, the fact is that a large topper, like a pillow-top model or thick memory foam model, will require you to obtain larger sheets to fit over the topper and the mattress, and so you could end up spending more money. For instance, if you have a queen bed and a three-inch pillow-top memory foam topper, you would likely have to purchase a king sheet set, and the extra fabric is going to cost you extra money.
When you really get down to brass tacks on the mattress toppers, however, what you’re going to find is that the benefits outweigh the negative aspects. Sure, they may be difficult to clean, and you could end up spending a couple of extra bucks, but having a more restful sleep and keeping your mattress cleaner more than makes up for those slight negatives. Before you purchase any sort of mattress topper, just be sure that you understand both sides of the argument, the pros and the cons. Having the right information will lead you to the right decision.
