Best cooling mattress protectors 2024 − ranked and reviewed for sweat-free sleep

One of the best cooling mattress protectors could save your sleep this summer, especially if you're a hot sleeper. As temperatures begin to climb, a cooling barrier between your body and your bed sounds more and more appealing.

Although you could search for a cooling mattress protector at your local home retailer, I recommend shopping with a specialist sleep store. That way, you know you're protected with a water-tight warranty, and you might even get a bedding bundle thrown in with your purchase.

As H&G's resident sleep writer, I've sampled some of the best mattress protectors on the market. These lightweight layers can bust bed bugs and safeguard your mattress from spills and stains, but only a few can stop night sweats. I've narrowed it down to the six best cooling mattress protectors that meet my needs as a hot sleeper.

Best cooling mattress protectors 2024

When you follow my mattress protector rules, you should find something to keep you just the right side of cool and dry. Full disclosure: I haven't personally tested every single one of these mattress protectors. Where I haven't been able to get my hands on a product, I've scoured the specifications and read countless customer reviews to make sure I'm recommending the best cooling mattress protectors.

The Quick List

If you already have a particular cooling mattress protector in mind, you can skip straight to that section using the jump menu. If you'd rather take stock of your options, you can browse the best cooling mattress protectors below.

The best cooling mattress protector overall

Slumber Cloud specializes in proactive, rather than reactive, temperature regulation. Where most cooling mattress protectors claim to dissipate heat and wick moisture, the Slumber Cloud Core Mattress Protector works to regulate heat and stop sweat from forming in the first place.

This cooling mattress protector incorporates NASA-endorsed thermoregulation technology to suit what we call 'thermally incompatible' couples. If you sleep hot, but your partner sleeps cold, then the Slumber Cloud Core Mattress Protector should automatically adjust to each of your ideal temperatures.

This mattress protector isn't only cooling: it's also waterproof and, crucially, silent. That means you shouldn't hear any crinkling or crumpling as you toss and turn in the night: ideal for light sleepers.

The Slumber Cloud Core Mattress Protector gets a good write-up on the Slumber Cloud site, with more than 250 five-star reviews. Just one word of warning – a few customers have noticed a strong smell emanating from their mattress protector after washing it. I always recommend washing on a cold water cycle to prevent this kind of fabric damage.

The best value cooling mattress protector

You shouldn't have to spend a small fortune to sleep well. With the Nolah GlacioTex Cooling Mattress Protector, you don't have to. You can pick up a premium mattress protector for less than $100 when you shop the Memorial Day bedding sales.

Where a lot of budget mattress protectors are thick and plasticky, the Nolah GlacioTex Cooling Mattress Protector is made from a lightweight blend of polyester and polyethylene. These fibers boast high thermal conductivity to carry heat away from your body and out of your bed.

Some cooling mattress protectors are flimsy little things that don't make much difference to the look and feel of your mattress. The Nolah GlacioTex Cooling Mattress Protector, however, is designed to elevate your sleep experience. The fabric features a soft weave for touchable texture through your bed sheets.

I'd recommend the Nolah GlacioTex Cooling Mattress Protector to almost anyone, unless you've got a really deep mattress. This mattress protector is designed to fit beds up to 15 inches thick. If yours is thicker, I suggest you shop the Slumber Cloud Core Mattress Protector, instead, which can stretch over beds up to 20 inches thick.

Nolah GlacioTex Mattress Protector | Was $209.00, now $99.00 at Nolah
Now selling for $110 less than listing price, this is one of the deepest discounts I've seen in the Memorial Day bedding sales.

View Deal

The best cooling mattress protector on Amazon

The SafeRest 100% Waterproof Mattress Protector is some of Amazon's best-selling bedding, with more than 200,000 five-star ratings from verified customers. Some of these reviews make for extraordinary reading. One husband claims his wife gave birth in bed: although the SafeRest 100% Waterproof Mattress Protector was stained with all sorts of bodily fluids, it kept the mattress underneath completely clean.

Not every review is quite so entertaining, but the vast majority are extremely positive. Customers praise the cooling comfort of the SafeRest 100% Waterproof Mattress Protector, which is made from cotton terry cloth for breathability and durability. Almost every review mentions value for money: understandable, really, when you think that you can get a queen-sized protector for less than $50.

There are a smattering of more mixed reviews, as well as some downright negative ones. Most customers agree that the SafeRest 100% Waterproof Mattress Protector really is waterproof, while others claim that the waterproofing material starts to flake off within a few years of use. Still, that seems like pretty good going for a lightweight layer subjected to nightly wear and tear, plus countless cycles in the washer and dryer,

The best smart cooling mattress protector

The Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector is scientifically designed and stylishly finished to keep you cool and comfortable all night long. 

This cooling mattress protector is made from polyethylene, which is highly conductive to quickly carry heat away from your body and out of the bed. Polyethylene works hard and looks good with a silky smooth finish that you can feel all the way through the fitted sheet.

Unlike a lot of cooling mattress protectors, the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector doesn't claim to be waterproof, only water-resistant. It should be enough to protect your mattress from spills and stains, but I wouldn't go pouring water all over the bed.

The best stretch cooling mattress protector

If you've got a thicker mattress, then you need the best bed sheets with plenty of stretch to fit all the way around your bed. The same goes for your cooling mattress protector. The Casper Breathable Mattress Protector is made from a unique blend of polyester, Tencel, and Spandex for the utmost elasticity.

Now, the Casper Breathable Mattress Protector isn't waterproof, but it is water-resistant, and it's finished with a fluoride-free chemical treatment to wick moisture of any description. This cooling mattress protector couldn't handle a major spill or stain, but it should be able to survive your night sweats.

The Casper Breathable Mattress Protector boasts a 4.2 average star rating from more than 200 reviews on the Casper site. That's not quite as high as some of the other cooling mattress protectors on this list, but there are more than 150 five-star reviews from verified customers, praising this protector's breathability. The most common complaint is the time it takes to ship: nothing to do with the protector itself.

The best organic cooling mattress protector

For deep, clean sleep in the heat, I recommend an organic cooling mattress protector. Filled with organic wool and cased in organic cotton, the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Mattress Protector uses natural fibers to boost breathability.

Wool is naturally thermoregulating and moisture-wicking: in fact, it can hold up to 33% of its own weight in water, which evaporates within minutes as soon as you get out of bed. Wool is better for moisture-wicking than down, feathers, and polyester, which makes it ideal for hot sleepers who suffer from night sweats. 

Almost every cooling mattress protector on the market is OEKO-TEX certified free from harmful chemicals, so that you can breathe cleaner air in your sleep. Obviously, that's a good thing, but it's kind of the bare minimum for bedding. 

What's much more impressive about the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Mattress Protector is the fact that it's free from any and all synthetic materials or fibers. Instead, it's filled with traceable British wool. Eco-conscious shoppers can track down the exact flock and farm that produced their wool and check the supply chain for themselves.

Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Mattress Protector | Was $239.98, now $191.98 at Woolroom
You could save almost $50 on this luxury cooling mattress protector when you take advantage of the Memorial Day bedding sales at Woolroom.

View Deal

How we test mattress protectors

We put a lot of thought into how we test mattress protectors. We assess each mattress protector against the same criteria: comfort; cooling properties; water resistance; ease of care; and value for money. When we're testing specifically cooling mattress protectors, we consider cooling properties above all other criteria. 

Our sleep experts sample mattress protectors for weeks, if not months, to monitor their performance over time and assess their breathability throughout the seasons. Where possible, we compare our findings against verified customer reviews to show a range of experience with the same mattress protector. Finally, we bring it all back to the price of the protector, noting any discounts in the bedding sales, to help you determine value for money.

Meet the team

Emilia Hitching

Emilia is our resident sleep writer at Homes & Gardens. She spends her days tracking down the lowest prices on the best bedding and spends her nights testing out sheets, shams, toppers, and protectors from the comfort of her own bed.

Louise Oliphant

Louise is one of our former eCommerce Editors. In her time at Homes & Gardens, she covered all things sleep, from big-ticket items, such as mattresses, to smaller bits of bedding, such as toppers and protectors.

Cooling mattress protector FAQs

How should I wash a cooling mattress protector?

Throw your cooling mattress protector in the washing machine on a cold water cycle (warm water might interfere with the cooling technology). Select a 'delicate' or 'gentle' setting to avoid fabric damage and make sure to avoid fabric softeners. It goes without saying, but make sure you check the care tags on your mattress protector for additional information before you begin. 

For best practice, I recommend reading two of our expert guides: can you wash a mattress protector to clean spills and stains, then can you put a mattress protector in the dryer to keep it fresh and fluffy.

Which is the best cooling mattress protector for a memory foam mattress?

Out of all the mattress types, memory foam tends to trap the most heat. That's why I recommend an active cooling mattress protector to optimize airflow. The Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector is your best bet: this lightweight layer incorporates high-tech polyethylene fibers to dissipate heat and wick moisture.

Final thoughts

If you like the sound of a cooling mattress protector, but you're looking for something a little thicker, I suggest you shop for the best cooling mattress toppers and pads, instead. I've rounded up the best options from Saatva, Sijo, and more.

If you've tried everything, and you're still struggling to sleep in the heat, then it might be time to replace your old bed with the best cooling mattress. It won't be an easy or affordable fix, but it should be the most effective.