Many of us like to use a mattress protector as part of our bedding. Its main function is to help protect your mattress - but our quilted wool filled mattress protector comes with some extra special features and benefits.
At Devon Duvets, we’ve been award-winning wool soft bedding experts for nearly two decades. Each duvet, pillow, mattress topper and mattress protector has been specifically designed to help you sleep better, and is individually handcrafted in our energy efficient workshops, based on the edge of mystical Dartmoor.
Whereas most mattress protectors are made with cotton and synthetic blends - with some even being 100% synthetic - ours are crafted using a layer of high grade, fully traceable 100% British wool, gently encased in luxurious, quilted 100% cotton. An elasticated cotton skirt enables you to slip the protector over your mattress.
Why do we use wool for our mattress protectors?
Wool is a wonderful, natural fibre that is sustainable, temperature regulating and hypoallergenic. We are committed to supporting British sheep farmers and so the wool for our mattress protectors is gathered from local farmers in Devon and the South West and washed in a traditional British mill. Our wool is certified by British Wool (formerly the Wool Marketing Board) and this also means that our wool is coming from farmers that adhere to the highest standards of animal welfare.
We worked closely with British Wool to launch their traceability scheme, which also means that our farmers get paid a price that is higher than the market value for their fleeces.
What are the benefits of our wool mattress protectors?
Our wool mattress protectors have several features that are beneficial for your sleep and wellbeing.
Breathable and moisture wicking: Each protector is made with 300 grams of 100% British wool per square metre - and because wool is breathable and moisture wicking, this makes it very efficient at temperature regulation. It does this by working with your body and the ambient temperature in your bedroom to help keep your core body temperature balanced whilst you sleep. This means you are more likely to have a better quality of sleep and less likely to have disrupted sleep through waking up feeling too hot or too cold.
Hygienic: Wool’s natural ability to wick away and release moisture makes it more hygienic than other fillings that trap moisture and create the ideal environment for bacteria. Wool’s naturally hygienic properties means you can keep the need for washing the protector to a minimum and keep the wool fresh through regular airing. This is best done outside on a dry day – or drape the protector over a clothes airer near an open window, allowing the air to get right around the protector. If you do need a deeper clean, then our protectors are washable on a 30 degrees wool wash, using a wool detergent, then air dried.
Hypoallergenic: The moisture wicking properties of wool described in the above also applies where dust mites are concerned. There is nothing that dust mites like better than a warm, humid environment. However, wool’s ability to wick moisture away makes it naturally resistant to dust mites. A wool mattress protector is therefore a wonderful option for those who experience symptoms of asthma as a result of allergens produced by dust mites.
Chemical Free: We don’t use any chemicals when we wash our wool, as we want to be sure that the wool in our bedding stays as natural as nature intended. That’s also why we don’t recommend dry cleaning your protector as this process uses chemicals. By ensuring our wool is chemical free this makes it better for you – and for our planet.
Sustainable cotton: Our cotton fabric is specially woven to our strict specifications and using fibres that have been certified by Better Cotton. This global initiative supports and promotes more environmentally friendly cotton farming practices as well as better socio-economic factors, within cotton growing communities, such as fair pay and improved working conditions. Our cotton fabric is 260 thread count, making it feel soft and luxurious and because it is 100% natural, it works with the wool filling to help with temperature regulation.
Quilted for extra luxury: The quilted cotton casing surrounding the wool layer adds that extra touch of luxury on top of your mattress and underneath your bottom sheet. While we’re on the subject of bedlinen, we’d always recommend using duvet covers, sheets and pillowcases that are made with 100% natural materials (such as cotton, linen or hemp), rather than polycotton blends. These blends contain synthetic fibres that are not breathable and if used with wool bedding could lessen the efficiency of the wool’s temperature regulating properties.
Naturally fire retardant: Wool’s natural fire retardancy makes it a safer option as a soft bedding filler.
A mattress protector that is crafted for you and your sleep
We are committed to quality and that’s why each mattress protector is individually handcrafted by one of our professional seamstresses. We believe that handcrafting is important, because it is only an experienced hand and eye that can ensure the stitching is right and create the correct tension of the fabric and wool layers to give the best feel and fit. It’s what makes our products stand out from those that are mass produced on large roller machines with no craftsmanship involved. Our mattress protectors come in standard UK sizes (Single to Super King) but because each one is individually made this means we can also make bespoke sizes or adjust the depth of the ‘skirt’ to fit shallower mattresses.
If you’d like to speak to the team about our mattress protectors – or any of our other individually handcrafted products – then please get in touch. We’ll be happy to help!