I tested Soak & Sleep's wool mattress topper for three months to see if it could put an end to my night sweats – I was impressed by the results

I'm already a fully signed-up member to the temperature-regulating benefits of wool bedding as someone who feels the cold when they first get into bed, but often wakes up a sweaty mess. I was delighted to put Soak & Sleep's New Zealand Mitchell wool mattress topper to the test to see if it could compete with the best mattress toppers and elevate my own sleep, while also making my sofa bed more comfortable for guests.

In a nutshell

The Soak & Sleep wool mattress topper is a strong contender for the best cooling mattress topper. Made out of 100% New Zealand Wool, it is designed to regulate your body temperature and even help with allergies. The biggest improvement I noticed in my sleep was that I was no longer waking up sweating or needing to stick a leg out of the bed to cool down.

However, the topper is slim at 2.5cm deep, and only offers a little extra soft cushioning on top of a mattress. Its limitations in the comfort department became most clear when I tested it on my sofa bed, where it didn't feel that different to just laying an extra duvet under the bottom sheet.

It isn't expensive for a mattress topper at £130 for the double size, but it does feel like a big spend on something so thin that it feels more in keeping with an extra-thick mattress protector. Still, it is well-made and comes with a 5-year guarantee. I also have to commend the elastic straps; this topper does not budge an inch when on a bed.

Specifications

• RRP: £130, £150, £170
• Sizes: Double, King, Super King
• Depth: 2.5cm
• Construction: 233TC Cotton Casting, 100% New Zealand Wool filling
• Care instructions: Machine washable, but professional wash and dry recommended
• Manufacturer sleep trial: No
• Guarantee: 5 years

Who tested

Rebecca Knight

I tested the Soak & Sleep New Zealand mattress topper in my London flat on top of a TheraPur ActiGel® Mattress from Dreams that I share with my partner. For the last three years, I've suffered from night sweats and overheating at night. I have already switched to a wool pillow and duvet, and currently sleep under the Woolroom deluxe washable duvet, so the mattress topper was the final piece of my fully wool bed set-up. I have slept on the mattress topper for the last four months, before writing this review.

My sleep stats

Sleep position: side

Tension preference: Medium

Sleep problems: Overheating and lower back pain

Height & weight: 5ft 6, 10 stone

Unboxing and first impressions

The Soak & Sleep New Zealand wool mattress topper arrived in a square plastic and fabric zip bag with handles. The topper is only 2.5cm deep, so it could be folded up to fit in the bag again if you wanted to store it away at a later date.

The topper didn't require any expansion time like other deep mattress toppers that arrive vacuum-packed. It just needed to be shaken out and could go straight onto the bed.

The thinness made the topper appear more like a generous mattress protector than a traditional mattress topper. It felt like handling a winter duvet, but a bit springier thanks to the 100% wool filling. The topper has an even flat profile thanks to its quilted design that was undetectable once a bed sheet was on top.

My favourite feature (aside from the wool filling) was the thick elastic straps that hold the topper in place around the corners of the mattress. I have had many bad experiences with slipping mattress protectors and toppers with flimsy straps. These straps do not budge. For the first time in months, my bottom sheet stayed firmly in place, helped by this new topper.

In the four months I've been testing it, the straps still feel secure and strong with no signs of stretching, despite being moved back and forth onto a sofa bed when guests have visited.

I was warned that a wool mattress topper can give off a 'sheep' smell rather than the off-gassing smell other toppers have. However, when I unpacked it, I noted no particular smell at all, which meant I didn't need to air it out before sleeping on it.

Comfort

Soak & Sleep refer to the New Zealand Mitchell Mattress Topper as offering a 'fine layer of comfort'. This is the best way to put it. My mattress certainly felt more comfortable with a topper on it; it added a soft, springy top layer. However, the 2.5cm depth isn't deep enough to offer the additional pillowy softness that you get with something like the Woolroom Deluxe mattress topper, which is also made out of 100% wool, but is a little deeper at 4-5cm.

This became even clearer when I tested it out on my Haru sofa bed from Made.com. This sofa bed has a very uncomfortable bar running along the middle that hits most guests in the back. The topper eased this discomfort by offering additional padding on the bed; however, if you are looking for a mattress topper to make a sofa bed more comfortable, I'd go for something thicker, like the Panda mattress topper, which has memory foam and is 5cm deep and comes in a wide range of sizes, or the Emma Flip mattress topper, which is 6cm deep.

The Soak & Sleep mattress topper is about half the depth of many other luxury mattress toppers on the market, so it struggles to compete with the level of cushioning other toppers can provide, and it offers zero motion isolation.

But it delivers comfort in other areas. Its quilted surface stops the wool from bunching up in any way, creating a lovely, smooth and even sleep surface. The wool filling also offered me just enough cushioning for my knees, hips and lower back, which helped ease any aches and pains I had.

Temperature regulation

This is the main USP of the New Zealand wool mattress topper, wool is not only naturally hypoallergenic (great news if you suffer from allergies). But it also has natural temperature-regulating properties. The wool absorbs and releases humidity to help you sleep at the perfect temperature.

I had already switched to an almost entirely wool bedding set up a few years ago as a sleeper who often overheats and suffers from night sweats. I honestly can't recommend wool enough as a sleep material. I no longer switch between summer and winter bedding as the wool bedding keeps me warm in winter (without night sweats) and cool in summer.

The topper was the missing piece of the puzzle, as I was also still suffering the occasional sweaty night with my old wool bedding set-up, but since adding this topper to my bed, I haven't woken up a single time from overheating.

At one point, I naively hoped I'd just outgrown my night sweats. However, a few stays in different posh hotels and at friends' houses, where I immediately started to overheat in bed, were enough to convince me this was not the case. In fact, it was just a testament to how effective the Soak & Sleep mattress topper was at keeping me cool at night.

Care instructions

Soak and Sleep recommends that you use a mattress protector on top of the topper to protect it from any spills or stains. They also suggest shaking it out once a week or every time you change the sheets to redistribute the filling and turn it regularly.

The wool topper does require regular washing - about every 6 months. However, while it is machine washable, you need a tumble dryer to ensure the topper is bone dry after washing, as Soak and Sleep warns that even the slightest bit of moisture can cause the filling to clump. It is for this reason and due to the size of the topper, which has to be washed in its entirety, that they recommend getting it professionally washed and dried.

I don't have a tumble dryer at home so was unable to machine wash the topper myself. Most mattress toppers we've tested either require dry cleaning or can only have the cover washed. So even though it will require professional washing, it's one of the easier to care for toppers we've tested at Ideal Home.

Value for money

While this mattress topper might be called 'luxury' with prices starting at £130 for a double, it's actually quite an affordable cooling mattress topper. In comparison, the Simba Hybrid Mattress Topper will set you back £314, and the Woolroom mattress topper will cost you £269 for a double.

However, both of these toppers are about double the thickness of the Soak & Sleep wool mattress topper. Plus, both come with sleep trials, which allow you to test out whether the topper improves your sleep before committing to keeping it, which sadly, Soak & Sleep's topper does not.

The brand has worked out that the cost per use of this mattress topper should work out at 4p per sleep over the course of 2 years. That could well be worth it if you're simply looking for a cooler sleep, but I would consider this mattress topper more of a turbocharged mattress protector; so, for its thickness, I would say that it's expensive.

Should you buy the Soak & Sleep New Zealand wool mattress topper?

Overall, I have enjoyed sleeping on the Soak and Sleep mattress topper. It has put an end to my overheating in bed and adds a lovely extra layer of luxurious cushioning to my mattress. It is really well made and comes with a 5 year guarantee, so it is built to last. However, I wouldn't recommend this mattress topper if you're looking to add extra support to your current mattress or a sofa bed.

You should buy if:

• You overheat at night
• Only want a thin layer of extra cushioning
• You have a tumble dryer/access to a professional cleaner

You should not buy if:

• You need something more supportive
• You have a single or small double bed/sofa bed
• You need to be able to clean the cover regularly