Many people crave the luxury softness that pillow top mattresses provide. But have you ever wondered if you can flip a pillow top mattress? Here’s what you need to know.
What Is A Pillow Top Mattress?
Before we delve into whether you can flip a pillow top mattress, it’s a good idea to understand what this kind of mattress is.
Pillow top mattresses are, at their heart, regular mattresses. You may find them in ranges with pocket springs, through to memory foam or other core materials.
However, fixed onto the pillow top mattress is an additional layer. This layer may be a visible extra layer sewn on top of the mattress.
Alternatively, some pillow-top mattresses are called euro tops. Euro tops are where the pillow top sits flush with the top of the mattress. Euro tops are often less noticeable than pillow tops.
Manufacturers make pillow tops with premium materials like cotton, silk and other luxurious feeling fabrics, teamed with foams or latex. They may also add an extra layer of micro springs to give you more responsiveness.
Whatever the make-up, the pillow top layer can add several inches of padding to your mattress and provide a cushioned and soft sleep experience that you often won’t get from your regular mattress.
Who Can Benefit From A Pillow Top Mattress?
Hotels often offer pillow-top mattresses where that extra comfort is part of the luxury experience. Manufacturers claim that pillow tops can give you that pampered feeling in your own home and with all the benefits of your regular mattress.
Pillow top mattresses may be suitable for you if you need extra softness from your sleep experience.
While they can add extra warmth to your sleeping experience, a pillow top may be a good option if you like extra cushioning for sore joints. They can also work well in combination with firmer materials like foam to give both comfort and support.
So Can You Flip A Pillow Top Mattress?
We flip mattresses to make sure that they age at an even rate and to extend their lifespan.
Unfortunately, when it comes to whether you can flip a pillow top mattress, the answer is usually no.
As mentioned above, the pillow top has an extra comfort layer added to the top of the mattress to give you the premium experience you crave from your sleep surface.
If you then flipped the mattress over, you would not be resting on that pillow top but rather the underside of the mattress. Flipping the mattress is unlikely to give you anywhere near the same sleeping experience.
What’s more, because pillow tops are usually single-sided, most pillow-top mattresses will have a non-slip surface on their reverse side. You are unlikely to find the underside anywhere near as comfortable as the pillow top.
Some designers and manufacturers do not believe pillow tops are good value for money because, they say, you are unlikely to get a long lifespan from your pillow top bed.
There is an exception to this rule, though.
Manufacturers now provide solutions to make pillow-top mattresses last longer. One solution is a pillow top mattress where both sides have a pillow top comfort layer. There are relatively few double-sided pillow tops on the market, so you would have to shop around.
Another solution is making a mattress where the pillow top sits within the zippable mattress cover but can be removed and flipped. Again, there are relatively few of these kinds of mattresses on the market.
If You Don’t Flip the Mattress, What Can You Do To Prolong Its Life?
You should always read the care instructions that come with your mattress, as your bed manufacturer will know best how to keep your mattress in top condition.
However, while you cannot flip a pillow top mattress over, you may be able to rotate the mattress regularly. Rotating the mattress means moving the head of the mattress to the bottom end of the bed and vice-versa.
Rotating your mattress can help to prolong its life. Similarly, rotating the mattress can ensure that one side of the bed does not prematurely sag or lose its sumptuousness. Sagging can occur when you and your sleep partner are considerably different weights, for example.
Final Thoughts
When you buy a pillow top, it is critical you know exactly what you’re getting. Unless your pillow top is a double-sided mattress, you will not be able to flip your mattress.
A non-flip pillow top may mean that your mattress does not last as long as another mattress at the same price. Some people swear by the comfort of pillow-top mattresses, however. For them, that trade-off might be worth it.
Do you love pillow top mattresses? Or have you had a bad experience with them? Let us know your thoughts on pillow-top mattresses in the comments below.
