The mattress topper is the most critical component of making those thin, springy, vinyl-covered dorm mattresses more comfortable! This topic is a deep dive into all you need to know about mattress toppers so that you can make the best selection for your upcoming dorm bed experience.
“Comfort” may seem ‘high maintenance’ to some who endured dorm beds in their day with some rudimentary bedding or even a sleeping bag and a pillow. Yes, we survived, but why not put a little extra effort into making your student’s bed more comfortable and help ensure a good night’s sleep? Considering what we’re paying for tuition these days, investing in quality sleep and the resulting academic performance makes sense!
Read more about How To Layer A Dorm Bed for all the components that make up a comfortable dorm bed.
We’ve collected all of the mattress topper FAQ’s from the Dorm Shopping Facebook Group and answered them below. The most frequent question is which mattress topper we recommend for dorm beds, but we wanted to share all of the questions so that you can see how we arrived at our recommendations. If you have other questions, you can ask us in the group or leave us a comment at the end of the article.
FAQ 1: What are the types of mattress toppers?
FAQ 2: What size mattress topper do I need for a dorm bed?
FAQ 3: How thick should a dorm mattress topper be?
FAQ 4: How can I avoid toxins in a dorm mattress topper?
FAQ 5: Do mattress toppers make you hot? Or cold?
FAQ 6: Do you need a mattress pad and a topper for my dorm bed? I thought those were the same thing?
FAQ 7: Do I need deep pocket sheets or even a larger size sheets when I use a topper?
FAQ 8: Will the mattress topper stay in place? How do I keep it from sliding around?
FAQ 9: Do dorm mattress toppers really need to ‘expand’ for 24-48 hours?
FAQ 10: What should I budget for a dorm mattress topper?
FAQ 11: What are your recommended dorm mattress toppers?
OTHER QUESTIONS: Ask us additional mattress topper questions!
Based on our experience in the Dorm Shopping Facebook Group, I would say that 95% of students choose a memory foam mattress topper for their dorm room.
Another option is a down-alternative topper, which is like a thick duvet. The feedback is that these are ok, but they go flat pretty quickly. If you go this route, be sure to look for an OEKO-TEX® certified (no toxins) down-alternative topper. There are other options, such as latex and down-filled, but these are not commonly used in dorm situations due to the expense.
This is a very important question and one that ONLY your school can answer when you receive your dorm assignment. Or, if ALL freshman dorms have the same size bed, you don’t necessarily need to have your specific dorm assignment. But please, before you purchase a dorm mattress topper, be sure of your dorm mattress size.
I often get the question, “Can I just use a Twin mattress topper on a Twin XL bed?” Yes, you can. Twin and Twin XL are the same width, but a Twin XL mattress is 5″ longer than a Twin. If you put a Twin-size mattress topper on a Twin XL mattress, you’re going to be missing 5″ at one end or the other. If that won’t drive you crazy, you can do it, but you will risk the topper sliding around in that extra space.
I strongly recommend against putting a Twin XL topper on a Twin bed. Those 5 extra inches will cause the topper to ‘bunch’, and you’ll also have issues with your mattress pad and fitted sheet not properly fitting and potentially popping off more easily due to an oversized topper. Please just match your mattress topper size to your dorm mattress size.
This is a very frequent question and one that is often completely misunderstood!
There is an assumption that a thicker topper is a better topper. This is not typically the case, and I often use a Goldilocks analogy to discuss the 3 most common thickness options for foam mattress toppers.
To make this decision more challenging, there really isn’t a way to ‘try out’ a topper in a store. Foam toppers are vacuum-packed with all air removed, and if you open the box, there is no getting the topper back inside to return it or for travel to college.
My college son and I did video reviews of 3 popular mattress toppers, and you can find those in our Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. You’ll need to join the group; just be sure to answer the 3 quick questions when you do to expedite your acceptance. Once you’re in, this is the link to view the 3 video reviews.
Or you can find them on YouTube: Sleepyhead Mattress Topper Review, Sure2Sleep Mattress Topper Review.
Our favorite mattress topper company, Sleepyhead Mattress Toppers, is the only topper brand I’m aware of that lets you exchange a topper if you’re unhappy with the size you purchased. Sleepyhead only offers 2″ and 3″ toppers, but they are wonderfully high-quality and comfortable.
The most important thing to look for is CertiPUR-US® certification. This ensures that there are no toxins in the foam. Unfortunately, many toppers, especially the inexpensive ones, are manufactured overseas in factories that use potentially toxic materials and operate under very few regulations.
If you experience a topper with a strong smell when you open it, it is not CertiPUR-US® certified. If you see reviews that state there was a smell that took days to dissipate, move on from that selection. “Gassing off” and “airing out” should not be a thing.
Read more about how we review and test products before we recommend them for dorms and college apartments.
The nature of memory foam or even down-alternative toppers may leave you feeling warm if all you have is a thin sheet over the topper. Unfortunately, many sheets marketed for dorms are the thin microfiber sheets, and that material runs hot too, especially when placed directly on memory foam!
The good news is that many foam topper manufacturers use an infused gel to add a cooling property to the foam. I would be sure to look for this for any warm sleepers, and just keep in mind that while the topper may say ‘cooling’, it really means that the gel properties are keeping the foam from getting hot, but you won’t have a cool-to-the-touch experience.
Some toppers come with their own cover, which also helps with cooling, like the Sleepyhead toppers mentioned above. If a topper comes with a cover, please ensure that it is certified non-toxic as well. The certification for textiles, including topper covers, mattress pads, sheets, comforters, and towels, is OEKO-TEX® certification. Also, check whether the cover is removable and machine washable, as this will help keep things clean and hygienic during the school year.
As we learned in Uncovered – How To Layer A College Dorm Bed, a mattress topper is a 2-4″ thick slab of memory foam, with or without its own cover, and a mattress pad is a protective, thinner layer that goes over the topper and has a fully elasticized bottom to secure around the topper on the bottom of the mattress.
For toppers that do not come with their own cover, I highly recommend placing a mattress pad between the topper and the fitted sheet.
The mattress pad will do 2 things.
1) The first is to put a layer of protection between the sheet and the topper. You can’t wash memory foam toppers, so a layer in between is a good idea. You can choose whether to use a regular or waterproof mattress pad based on the student/situation.
2) The second reason is that students often take inexpensive thinner sheets to school, and while foam makes the bed more comfortable, you don’t necessarily want to feel it directly through your thin fitted sheet.
Learn more about how to layer (and what the layers are) a dorm bed.
Most regular fitted sheets indicate ‘for mattresses up to 15 inches deep’. Most deep-pocket sheets are for mattresses up to 21″ deep”.
You’re fine with regular sheets, but it is important to use a fitted sheet with a strong, fully elasticized skirt rather than just elastic in the corners. This is pertinent advice for any fitted sheets, not just dorm sheets, as this will keep your fitted sheet from pulling off in the corners.
If you are using a mattress pad and a fitted sheet with fully elasticized skirts, these should keep your topper in place.
If you are using a topper with its own cover, your fitted sheet should keep your topper in place. The Sleepyhead topper covers have gripping dots on the underside and corner straps for additional stay-in-place assistance.
Should the student still experience movement even with these skirts and straps in place, you have a couple of options.
1. Insert a grippy rug pad between the mattress and the topper.
2. Use sheet straps to tighten the mattress pad skirt. I do not recommend using these on the fitted sheet as it will make changing sheets more tedious, and we don’t want to add any reason not to wash and change the sheets!
If you watch the videos of our mattress topper testing mentioned above, you’ll see that the 3 toppers we tested averaged 2-6 hours to reach full expansion. And as mentioned above about toxins, you SHOULD NOT have to wait to allow a topper to ‘gas off’ or for the smell to dissipate. If you purchase a certified topper, you will not have gases, toxins, or smells.
No!
You should leave the topper sealed in the box until you arrive at your dorm on move-in day. When you arrive at the dorm, one of the first things you’ll do is open the topper and let it expand. It will be fine by bedtime. Here’s a step-by-step plan for move-in day to save for later.
A properly certified quality mattress topper can range from $65 to $300+.
This is one dorm essential where you really need to skip the cheap options on the market. You will be risking toxins in the foam and an uncomfortable sleep environment. Please make this a priority as you invest in dorm essentials.
Using the information provided above, our own testing and what our kids and group members’ kids have loved, the following are our recommendations.
Our top 3 recommendations are:
Select from the GEL TOPPER or the SUPER TOPPER. Both are CertiPUR-US® certified. The Gel Topper is the baseline topper, or you can consider the Super Topper, which is copper-infused for additional anti-microbial and hypoallergenic properties. The Super Topper is also made in the USA. See the side-by-side comparison chart of the two toppers.
TwinXL is available in 2” and 3”. Twin, Full, FullXL, Queen & King are available in 3″ only.
All Sleepyhead toppers come with a thick but soft, cooling, removable, machine-washable cover. The cover has gripping dots on the underside, as well as mattress straps at each corner to ensure the topper stays in place. The cover is OEKO-TEX® certified.
Our favorite 
Made In The USA CertiPUR-US® certified is the Sure2Sleep 3” Gel Swirl Topper.
Available in 2″ or 3″ thicknesses in Twin, TwinXL, Full, Queen, King, and California King.
Please note that this topper tends to sell out every summer by early July. Act fast is you want this most chosen topper by the Dorm Shopping Facebook group.
This topper does not come with a cover, but you can pair it with this fully elasticized OEKO-TEX® certified mattress pad for an extremely comfortable night’s sleep.
Another fantastic under-$100 memory foam mattress topper for dorm beds is the Linenspa mattress topper.
Available in 2″ or 3″ thicknesses in Twin, TwinXL, Full, Full XL, Queen, King, and California King. Some sizes are avaiable in 4″ size.
This topper also does not come with a cover.
TwinXL toppers, including those we’ve recommended above, tend to have stock issues by mid-summer. We continually tell our Dorm Shopping group to shop early for all things TwinXL, but if you’re reading this when there are stock issues with our mattress topper recommendations, please see a few alternatives below.
The following are 2 alternative options for CertiPUR-US®-certified toppers. Please note that they are either more expensive, not as highly rated or have some questionable reviews. If the price is not far from the Made In The USA Sure2Sleep above, I would choose the Sure2Sleep if it is in stock.
Alternative 1: This Serta 3” Soothing Cool Gel Mattress Topper. Exclusively available at Kohl’s, it has received positive feedback from our Dorm Shopping Facebook group. The issue is that when it is not on a major sale or without a 30% off coupon, it just doesn’t make sense versus the Sure2Sleep topper above.
Alternative 2: Lucid 3” Gel Mattress Topper. Always check Lucid product listings to ensure they are sold by the retailer whose site you are viewing. If you see it is sold by a strange sounding 3rd party company, move on from that listing, as those are likely returns being resold. Also, check all Lucid listings to be SURE they are CertiPUR-US® certified. This is new for many of their products, and older models are still on the market. This mattress topper is also sold at Walmart and had some great price drops a couple of years ago, but we haven’t seen it recently. Worth checking though!
If you’ve read through this whole module and did not get your question answered, please comment below, or come ask us in the Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group.
=> Please share this article with your dorm-bound friends and their parents using the sharing buttons on the left. I would love for everyone to be clear on what to look for in dorm mattress toppers and the importance of non-toxic certifications before they start shopping!
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Sherry says:
any familiarity with Dreamsmith 3 ” topper – seems like similar to Sleepyhead but lower price point while still being certipur and okeotex certified?