OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper review

The OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper with Charcoal delivers on luxuriousness and sumptuousness whilst being able to boast some sustainable credentials. It's one of the most cooling memory foam toppers that I've slept on — and I've tried them all.

Whether you're a naturally hot sleeper or suffering from hot flushes, the weather, or a combination of everything, you'll find yourself searching for any kind of cooling solutions for hot sleepers. A great place to start with your cooling sleep essentials is cooling mattress toppers.

If you're wondering how you know whether you need a cooling mattress topper, you probably do. They're a great way to enhance your sleep routine or improve your comfort levels without having to buy a whole new mattress. And, I think OTTY's is one of the best.

We already have OTTY in our buying guide for the best cooling mattresses, so it seemed only natural that we would give their bamboo and charcoal topper a go too. I've been sleeping on it for weeks and here's what I've found.

Specifications

Unboxing the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper

There's no fuss with the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper and I like that. It comes vacuum packed into a plastic bag, meaning that, when this arrived at my house, it was very compact and also very dense. I cradled the parcel in my hands and carried it upstairs (which felt like my workout for the day done, especially compared to other toppers) and then I set it down on the bed.

Through the plastic packaging, OTTY gives you all the instructions you need. There's a piece of paper that will tell you how to care for your topper as well as how to set it up. This means that you very quickly find out that this needs to be lain to 'rest' or 'breathe' before going to bed on it. I'm not surprised, it's been vacuum packed within an inch of its life. I chose to do this on top of my normal bed, so that it would be in the perfect position.

Who would the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper suit?

Memory foam mattresses and memory foam mattress toppers suit very specific sleepers. If you are a side or a back sleeper, these are great additions to your bed, especially if yours isn't a memory foam option. This cradles your hip, spine, and knees, keeping your whole body nicely aligned. That's why it feels so nice to sleep on. It's also why lots of osteopaths recommend memory foam for people suffering with joint pain.

If that sounds like you, that's wonderful news, but there's another aspect of memory foam toppers that you need to know about: because these sit so close to your body, they often end up becoming insulators. Already hot sleepers might find that they get even more sweaty at night, which isn't ideal. The OTTY is actually one of the most cooling memory foam toppers that I've slept on. Whilst I didn't find that I was much cooler than normal in the night, when I compared the OTTY to other memory foam toppers, it made a big difference. So, if you need memory foam and you don't want to overheat, this is one of your best bets.

The OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper is also a great option if you're all about sustainable credentials. It's crafted with bamboo and charcoal, both of which are naturally cooling. Most memory foams come with a lot of chemicals and nasties, but this is free from all of them. It's a nice breath of fresh air.

How does the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper fit on the bed?

As I've mentioned, this needs to be left for a few hours, so that it can grow back to its normal, aerated self. Once the time is up on that, you can fit it onto your mattress. Most mattress toppers come with straps, even memory foam ones, but OTTY have chosen to instead develop a grippy underlayer to their topper. I was apprehensive about whether this would work for keeping the topper on the bed, but it did. The grippiness held the topper in place and it reached all four corners of my mattress, not falling short or overflowing. What more could I ask for?

I actually think the thickness and breathability of the topper benefits from the lack of straps, because it's not being pulled in any direction. This means you get maximum sink-in softness as well as a nice open structure that will help the topper to remain breathable and cooling.

What does the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper feel like to sleep on?

I've already dropped a few hints that I enjoyed sleeping on the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper. As soon as I lay down on the surface of it, I felt a wonderful amount of cushioning around my body. Then, throughout the night, as I switched between side sleeping and back sleeping, I felt that I was getting plenty of support and cushioning. It actually transformed the comfort levels of my, already hard bed.

Whilst I didn't feel much cooler during the night, I certainly felt fresher, less sweaty, and less cloyed up by the topper. I think the cooling properties were balanced out by the memory foam.

Whilst a large amount of motion transfer will be determined by the kind of mattress you have, a topper can make a big difference. I sit dumbbells or a glass of water and then move around, to see how the topper handles movement. Then, after sleeping on it with my partner, I get a good idea of whether this enhances motion transfer or dims it. My mattress is already pretty good at minimising motion transfer and this did an equally good job. Neither my partner nor I disturbed each other when we woke up in the night. 

I'll let you in on a little secret. I had more people to stay at my house than I had beds for, so we had to do some improvising. Some people slept on camp beds and then, when we were out of them, we lay mattress toppers on the floor. We had guests like this for a few nights and the people who got the best sleep out of everyone were the ones who slept on the OTTY. If it can make the floor give you a good night of sleep, I think the OTTY can do pretty much anything.

How cooling is the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper really?

I like to think of cooling mattress toppers on a spectrum. On one end, you have the Eight Sleep Pod, which actively cools you by running water through the topper. At the other end of the spectrum is a synthetic memory foam mattress that will keep even cold sleepers warm. I’d place the OTTY at the cooler end of the scale, but it won’t actively cool you when you sleep. 

It’s naturally breathable, thanks to the charcoal and bamboo. So, if you're a hot sleeper that wants to enjoy some memory foam, this is your best chance for waking up feeling fresh. Plus, the outer casing feels breathable and light, even when it's wrapping around you.

How do you clean the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper?

Experts recommend washing your topper every three months. This can be a hassle if you need to take it to the dry cleaners. However, OTTY have been smart with their design. Whilst the memory foam inner can’t be washed, the outside case can be completely unzipped and put into the washing machine. I wouldn’t recommend anything hotter than a 60°C wash and it’s always good to use a gentle laundry detergent, such as Ecover or Method. 

OTTY says that the protective case can be tumble dried on a low setting, but I would recommend hanging it on a clothes line or an airer. You’ll get a longer life out of it. 

How does it compare?

I’ve been sleeping on a number of cooling memory foam toppers and the OTTY is easily one of my favourites. I love the strapless design that still stays in place. It means that the OTTY keeps the most depth of any other models on the market. 

It’s also nice that this is made with natural, sustainable materials, as not many memory foams are. That brings me on to OTTY's closest rival: the Panda Bamboo Mattress Topper. This thick, memory foam layer adds 5cm to your bed, the same as the OTTY. It's held on my straps, which does draw the corners a little taught, but it holds the topper in perfect place. It's made from bamboo, which is similarly eco-conscious and breathable. As a side and back sleeper, who often overheats, I had relatively similar experiences on both topper. I felt that I sunk into the Panda Bamboo topper more, so if you really like to be cushioned, this might be your better bet. It's also cheaper.

However, when it comes to washing and maintenance, the OTTY takes the edge. It feels like a more authentic memory foam topper, rather than the Panda, which is so squishy that it's almost a relative of memory foam.

Should you buy the OTTY Bamboo Mattress Topper?

The OTTY is easily one of the best mattress protectors that I have slept on. It balances the cloying heat of a memory foam mattress with the breathable, open bamboo and charcoal structure.  So, whilst you might not feel actively cooled, you'll feel cooler than you would have with another memory foam topper. If you have particular problems with joint pain, or, if your mattress is too hard for you to sleep on, this will be game-changing.