“Decide first whether you need to wash your topper, because that one question splits the John Lewis range in two. If you do, buy the Soft Touch dual layer, and if you would rather sleep on wool or down, accept that it will only ever be aired, sponged or dry cleaned.”
Washable or not
John Lewis toppers fall into two groups. The synthetic ones can go in the washing machine at 40°C, meaning the Soft Touch Dual Layer and EasyCare (polyester fibre) and the Specialist Support Ultimate (memory foam and fibre), while the 5-Zone Aurora foam topper has a removable cover that can. The wool, feather and down toppers and the wool enhancer can only be sponged, spot cleaned or dry cleaned, so they need a washable mattress protector over them.
A 40°C wash freshens a topper but does not deal with dust mites. Allergy UK advises that “Washing at 60 degrees centigrade or above will kill mites. House dust mite allergen dissolves in water so washing at lower temperatures will wash the allergen away temporarily, but the mites will survive and produce more allergen after a while.” None of the toppers on this page is rated for a 60°C wash, so if you have a mite allergy, the charity’s other advice matters more, which is an allergen-proof barrier cover that fully encloses the mattress.
What each filling changes
Polyester fibre adds softness and is the easiest to look after. Wool adds a natural layer that John Lewis says regulates temperature, although the research is thinner than the marketing. In a 2016 sleep laboratory study in Nature and Science of Sleep, Shin et al. put 17 young adults through nine nights of testing and found no effect on sleep from wool rather than polyester bedding, even though wool sleepwear helped them fall asleep faster. The study was co-authored by the wool industry body Australian Wool Innovation.
Feather and down toppers are the softest and loftiest. Both John Lewis feather toppers here use fill certified to the Responsible Down Standard, which Textile Exchange says prohibits force-feeding and live-plucking of waterfowl. Foam is the only filling that adds support. The 5-Zone Aurora firms up an uneven surface, while the memory foam in the Ultimate Dual Layer moulds to the shoulder and hip.
Size, depth and fit
Every topper here comes in the four main UK sizes, single (90x190), double (135x190), king (150x200) and super king (180x200). Only the Soft Touch and the wool enhancer are also made in a small double (120x190), and only the enhancer goes up to an emperor (200x200). Check your mattress depth before ordering, because the stated fits run from 32cm to 42cm and a topper whose straps are too short will slide or pull at the corners, which is the usual problem on pillow-top and deep hybrid mattresses. For more choice in one size, see our double mattress toppers and king size mattress toppers comparisons.
Returns, guarantees and what a topper cannot do
John Lewis applies a hygiene restriction to its toppers, so unless one is faulty it only takes it back unopened, unused and with the seals intact. None comes with a sleep trial. Guarantees run from none stated on the EasyCare to seven years on the wool enhancer, and standard delivery was free on orders over £50 and £4.50 below that at the time of writing (October 2026).
A topper also has limits. It can soften a firm mattress or even out a slightly uneven one, but it cannot restore support to a mattress that sags. The National Bed Federation recommends replacing a mattress every seven to eight years, by which point it has clocked up around 20,000 hours of use, as Furniture News reported. If yours is older than that, a new mattress is the better spend.
Other brands John Lewis stocks
Alongside its own range, John Lewis sells toppers from Silentnight, Sealy, Floks and Bedfolk. These were their price ranges on johnlewis.com on 4 October 2026.
Silentnight’s own shop sells more of its range, which we compare in our Silentnight mattress topper rankings, and our best mattress toppers guide ranks the strongest toppers from every brand.
