Revamp an old mattress or add cushioning to a new mattress with a topper that adds padding, temperature control, and support to your bed. Featherbeds are the classic mattress topper, traditionally made from fowl feathers or goose down and placed in a channeled casing that keeps the stuffing evenly distributed. Newer mattress toppers are often made of memory foam, a polyurethane product that conforms to a sleeper’s shape. The foam provide support to the spine and neck and returns to its original shape after use.
Other options include natural wool mattress toppers and soy-based memory foam mattress pads.
Following is a sample of mattress toppers available from online stores.
Visco Memory Foam Mattress Topper
One price, $95.98, gets any size Visco Memory Foam 3-inch Mattress Topper from Smartbargains.com (see photo below). Choose from twin, full, queen, king, and California king sized memory foam toppers that feature the NASA-developed polyurethane foam that fits your body’s contours as you sleep. This topper arrives tightly packed, so lay it flat and let it air out for a few hours before its first use. Also, some reviewers on the site complain about the chemical smell of the foam for the first few weeks of use. At press time, shipping was $5.
Natural Wool Mattress Topper
Go all natural with the Natura Wool Mattress Pad from Cabelas.com. This fleecy wool mattress topper, pictured below, naturally insulates, wicks away water, and repels allergens. Attach the pad to your mattress with thick elastic corner straps. The machine washable pad comes in twin ($129.99), full ($179.99), queen ($189.99) and king ($239.99) sizes). Shipping starts at $14.95.
Discount Memory Foam Mattress Topper
Rated a Best Buy by Consumer Reports, the Spa Sensations brand of memory foam toppers available through Walmart.com (see photo below) are inexpensive foam pads that provide support and comfort rivaling more expensive brands. Sizes range from twin ($89.98) to California king ($159.98). Again, reviewers on the site complain of the foam’s off-gassing smell that lasts a few weeks, but give the topper otherwise excellent ratings. Choose site-to-store ordering for free shipping and pick up the pad at your local Wal-Mart.
Down Featherbed Mattress Topper
Just like Grandma’s, the Down on Top Featherbed Set from Overstock.com features a pillow-top down layer over a baffled feather bed and a 100-percent cotton cover. Only twin and queen sizes were available at press time. Price: $99.99. Shipping is $2.95 with free shipping offers cropping up frequently from Overstock.
Eco-Friendly Soy-Based Mattress Topper
Obus Forme Ultimate Memory Foam Soy Mattress Toppers from Greenandmore.com forgo petroleum-based memory foam for a foam made from soy extracts. The manufacturers claim no chemical odors emit from their product while also featuring the benefits of polyurethane memory foam toppers. Available in a smooth, 1.5-inch design or 2-inch, multi-zone variation that offers different levels of support to different body regions. Prices for twin, full, queen, and king mattress toppers range from $299.99 to $499.99. Shipping is $24.99.
All of the above mattress toppers, except the wool pad, must be hand washed or spot cleaned and air dried to protect loft in the featherbed and the cellular integrity of the foam bed toppers. Choose your topper based on the amount of support you desire and the materials you want next to your body for eight hours each night.
Judith Zwolak - Judy is a mother of two and a freelance writer living in South Dakota. Raised by notoriously frugal parents, she comes by her family ...
