John Lewis' budget mattress protector is one of the best I've tested

John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector on my bed with a dark border around it.

Crafted to feel super soft (even though it is polyester) the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector offers a plush layer to pop over your normal bed. It's super cheap, but should we be cheerful about that?

When it comes to sleep, I always preach to invest in your rest, but sometimes you don’t have to. In my search for the best cooling mattresses protectors, I’ve slept on some pretty expensive options (one even cost £4,500). 

Whilst I won't try to argue that this £24 option is better than all the smart mattress protectors out there, I do think it's pretty good, especially for the price. I’ve been using it for weeks, spilling coffee, wine, and water over it and the results are in. This is a bedroom essential.

Specifications

(Image credit: John Lewis)

Unboxing

Here's the packaging - you can see it's very simple (Image credit: Future)

As you can imagine, John Lewis has kept packaging to a minimum with their mattress protector. It’s easy to get this out of the plastic sleeve and then there are elasticated corners for fitting this on however you choose. There's a cardboard sheet that gives you all the information that you'll need, from the composition through to cleaning instructions and that's completely recyclable once you're finished. 

You can recycle the soft plastic at bigger supermarkets, which makes life easy. In an ideal world, John Lewis would have either turned their packaging into a storage bag like some other brands do, or, alternatively, they would  have made it all completely recyclable, but you get what you pay for with cheaper products. 

Who would it suit?

This is the top of the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector on my mattress (Image credit: Future)

As a budget option, the John Lewis Mattress Protector is a great option. Even if you need something simple that'll do the job of keeping your mattress safe, this will be money well spent. It feels a lot softer and more plush than you might expect from synthetics, which I think is down to the microfibre filling.

Another reason the John Lewis makes for a great layer is how low maintenance it is. Experts recommend washing your mattress protector every two months. Naturally, the polyester washes, dries, and refreshes really quickly. This makes it easy for you to get your bedding back in top condition.

The downsides of using polyester are that it isn't as breathable and it also doesn't create a waterproof layer. Whilst some people won't need that, it's worth noting nonetheless. 

How does it fit on the bed?

These are the elasticated corners of the John Lewis protector (Image credit: Future)

The John Lewis comes with elasticated corners that stretch generously around the mattress. It’s easy to fit on, even over my 34cm deep mattress and topper, which is a great start. The maximum depth that this can cover is 35cm, which is about as deep as most mattresses and toppers would get, so I think you'd be safe investing in this.

The John Lewis topper looked nice and even, completely crease-free. That's one of the many beauties of polyester: it doesn't really need to be ironed or tumble-dried, because it takes care of itself. Given that we were off to a great start, I thought I would put this through some of our tests.

You can see the depth of my bed here as I'm putting the protector over my mattress. (Image credit: Future)

What does it feel like to sleep on?

Here's a side profile of the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector (Image credit: Future)

For the next few weeks, with a sheet on top, I hardly noticed that the mattress protector was on the bed. It didn’t crackle or crease like some do, especially if they're waterproof, which was a nice change. The quilting of the topper is filled with polyester and then the case itself is soft microfibre. When it's brand new, this feels lovely to sleep on. It adds subtle cushioning to any mattress without going overboard. If you have a hard mattress and you don't want to change it, this is a great topper option.

I wouldn't say that this made much difference to the heat transfer in my bed. I thought that the polyester might get quite hot and sweaty since it's not as breathable as my normal cotton topper. It might have made my bed a little warmer, but not in any obvious way.

How waterproof is it really?

On the left, you can see the glass of water that I was about to tip over the topper. On the right, you can see the damp underside of the topper. (Image credit: Future)

The John Lewis protector doesn’t claim to be waterproof, but I wanted to see what would happen if you had an accidental spill. I poured a glass of water directly into the protector and let it sit. For a few seconds, that’s exactly what happened. The water just sat on top and then I could see it start to sink deeper into the protector. After two minutes, I used a towel to mop up the leftover water and I turned the protector over. I could see that the water had soaked through, but it hadn’t yet reached my next sheet, which is great news. The John Lewis did its job, absorbing all the water so that the mattress wouldn’t.

This is water sat on top of the sheet that I put over the John Lewis Mattress Protector. You can see that it needed a little while to sink in. (Image credit: Future)

How do you clean the protector?

These are the cleaning instructions on the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector (Image credit: Future)

This is easy to clean and quick to dry, so it's easy to refresh your bedding. You just have to pop it in the washing machine at 40 °C. I would recommend using a gentle laundry liquid, such as Ecover or Method because this will be softer on your fibres. The John Lewis Mattress Protector is also safe to tumble dry on a cold setting, so you don't need this hanging around all day. However, if you want to extend its life, the best thing to do is leave it to air dry.

How does it compare?

This is the Panda London Mattress Protector fitted onto my bed for testing. You can see that it's a different texture to the John Lewis topper. (Image credit: Future)

I've praised the John Lewis Mattress Protector for its price, but you do make some compromises by opting for a cheaper option. If you've got another £20 to spend, you can get your hands on a much more sustainable, breathable mattress topper: Panda London Waterproof Mattress Protector.

All of Panda London's bedding is crafted from bamboo, which is not just sustainably sourced, it's also much more breathable than polyester, which is what the John Lewis protector is made of. The Panda Mattress Protector is also much more waterproof and protective than the John Lewis one. Even though the John Lewis protector kept my mattress clean, if you were to spill more water or leave it for longer, it would eventually seep through. The Panda one will keep all liquids off your mattress without any trouble. The one aspect missing from the Panda is the quilted feel of the John Lewis protector. The Panda has a looped, terry top, which doesn't feel as plush as the quilting on the John Lewis. It does also have quite a distinctly 'waterproof' feel for the first week. It's a little bit like sleeping on thin plastic.

Price-wise, you won't do better than the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector. However, if you can make some room in your budget, you'll really benefit from it.

Should you buy it?

This is my bed with the John Lewis Soft Touch Washable Quilted Mattress Protector on top of it (Image credit: Future)

If you just want a simple mattress topper, this does the job. It's the best budget option that I've slept on. I wouldn't feel like I'd been cheated of my £18 (to £38) if I bought this for my bed. However, for just another £10, you can pick up a bamboo, waterproof, breathable option. It's worth a little extra, I think.