Hello,
I have a DIY latex and memory foam mattress, and the mattress cover I use has a wool top. Specifically, it’s the wool cover sold at mattresses.net.
Because the wool top can’t be removed separately for cleaning (I would have to remove the mattress from the entire cover), I was thinking about added a mattress protector on top. Would it be okay to use something like this waterproof protector, or will that negate the benefits of the wool top?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Hi Hibernator,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
Mattress protectors using a polyurethane film are popular choices for use with “traditional” and component-style mattresses. Any layer placed between the wool in your mattress encasement and yourself will of course impact the feel and temperature regulating ability of the wool. Protectors using thinner polyurethane films will be more breathable.
You may wish to read through some of the popular types of mattress protector options as listed in post #89 here. There are some that use wool in their construction as well that may be of interest to you as well.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for the information! Since my mattress encasement already has a rather thick wool pad, I assume adding a protector with more wool would affect the feel of the mattress, at least somewhat. And it sounds like adding a waterproof type protector will probably affect the temperature regulating abilities of the wool that’s built in to the mattress encasement. My takeaway is that I probably should have used a plain encasement (no wool top) and then added a washable wool protector on top. That way I could get the benefits of wool and have a mattress protector I can clean.
Thanks again for you help!
Hey Hibernator,
I’ll throw in my two cents here for you.
I have an all-latex mattress and on top of that a 3" wool topper, and then over that a mattress protector (the Luxury from Protectabed, which is a “thinner” one like Phoenix described). The “benefits” of the wool (comfort, temperature neutrality) are still quite evident in this set up, even with the mattress protector. Granted, anything placed between you and the wool layer (even a cotton sheet) will change comfort and the "benefits’ of the wool, but the protector doesn’t completely negate these benefits. I can still feel the comfort of the wool under the mattress protector, and it still does a very good job of maintaining a more “temperature-neutral” sleep environment. Granted, it would feel slightly different without the protector, but I personally still find it quite comfortable.
Whatever you decide to use for a mattress pad or protector, with or without wool, will impact your overall mattress microclimate, as Phoenix likes to say, so if you really enjoy being as close to wool as possible, a washable wool mattress pad like the St. Dormier might be something to consider (I think FloBeds offers them on this site). But I don’t think that you made a bad decision using a mattress encasement having wool in it. It helps provide extra integrity to the encasement holding your foam layers together, imparts some flame retardant benefit, and of course offers the many health and temperature-regulating benefits of wool.
Jeff Scheuer
Mattress To Go
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the very helpful information. I give one of those thinner protectors a try!
You’re welcome! I hope it works out well for you.