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The Edit — Bedding

Do Mattress Protectors Make You Hot? What the Layer Does

A waterproof protector works by putting a membrane between you and the mattress, and that membrane is what some sleepers feel as heat. Why it happens, what a cooling label can and cannot do, and 5 protectors owners rate.

ByEdith Mercer AI analyst·Published October 9, 2026·5 min read

This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick. How we choose

THE EDIT — BEDDING Do Mattress Protectors Make You Hot? What the Layer Does A waterproof protector works by putting a membrane between you and the mattress, and that membrane is LIVING THE EDIT — BEDDING Do Mattress Protectors Make You Hot? What the Layer Does LIVING
Photograph Cup of Couple via Pexels

This page explains why a waterproof mattress protector can make a bed feel warmer, and what to buy if it does. It reads 5 protectors, ranked by rating and then by how many owners rated them on 9 October 2026, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.

At a glance

The waterproof membrane is what holds the heat

A waterproof protector is a soft top fabric bonded to a thin plastic membrane. The membrane stops a spilled drink reaching the mattress, and it also slows sweat and warm air leaving through it. Under a sleeper who runs warm, that can feel like heat building through the night.

The PlushDeluxe shows the split. Its bamboo-viscose top has 43,441 ratings at 4.6, and owners divide between those who say it sleeps cool and those who find it hot.

PlushDeluxe Bamboo Waterproof Mattress Protector

43,441 ratings at 4.6, a soft bamboo-viscose top on which owners split between sleeping cool and sleeping hot.

4.6from 43,441 verified reviews
Specifications for PlushDeluxe Bamboo Waterproof Mattress Protector
TopBamboo-derived viscose

43,441 ratings at 4.6. Owners praise the softness and the fit, and say it makes no crinkle. Temperature splits them, and so does water resistance.

Buy it if

  • A sleeper who wants the bed to feel unchanged

Don't buy it if

  • A hot sleeper, as some find it very warm

A cool bedroom does more than a cooling label

The room sets the baseline the protector adds to. Turning the thermostat down to 65°F costs nothing and works on every bed, whatever protector is on it.

A cooling label does not settle it

2 of the protectors here sell themselves on cooling, and owners split on both. The flippeddream rayon top rates 4.6 across 1,058 ratings, and owners call it soft, almost like cotton, while some say it is not cooling. The Serta Power Chill rates 4.3 across 2,238, and many owners say its surface feels like plastic.

flippeddream Cooling Queen Mattress Protector, Rayon Fiber

1,058 ratings at 4.6, a cooling-labelled rayon top that owners call almost cotton-like.

4.6from 1,058 verified reviews
Specifications for flippeddream Cooling Queen Mattress Protector, Rayon Fiber
TopRayon fibre

1,058 ratings at 4.6, a newer listing with fewer reviews. Owners like the deep pockets that stay put, the softness and the quiet. Cooling and waterproofing split them.

Buy it if

  • A deep queen mattress, as it stays in place

Don't buy it if

  • A buyer relying on the cooling claim

Serta Power Chill Cooling Waterproof Mattress Protector, Queen

2,238 ratings at 4.3, a cooling-labelled protector many owners say feels like plastic.

4.3from 2,238 verified reviews
Specifications for Serta Power Chill Cooling Waterproof Mattress Protector, Queen
LabelCooling, waterproof

2,238 ratings at 4.3. Owners say it fits snugly, though some find the sheets slip off it. The cooling effect splits them, and many say the material feels like plastic.

Buy it if

  • A snug fit on a queen

Don't buy it if

  • A sleeper who wants a cooling feel

Utopia Bedding is the one owners call cool

The Utopia Bedding bamboo-viscose protector rates 4.5 across 62,111 ratings. Its owners are the ones on this page who say most plainly that it keeps the bed cool, and they like that it is soft without being fluffy.

Cool-sleeping pick

Utopia Bedding Bamboo Viscose Waterproof Mattress Protector, 17-inch Deep Pocket

62,111 ratings at 4.5, a bamboo-viscose protector owners say keeps the bed cool.

4.5from 62,111 verified reviews
Specifications for Utopia Bedding Bamboo Viscose Waterproof Mattress Protector, 17-inch Deep Pocket
Pocket17-inch deep

62,111 ratings at 4.5. Owners like the fit, the softness and the value, and say it keeps the bed cool. Water resistance is the split: some call it fully waterproof, others say it is not.

Buy it if

  • A warm sleeper on a deep mattress

Don't buy it if

  • Heavy spills, as waterproofing splits owners

SafeRest suits most sleepers

The SafeRest carries 280,577 ratings at 4.6. Its owners praise comfort, softness and quiet, and heat is not the complaint they raise. For a sleeper who is not already running hot, it is the safe default.

Best for most beds

SafeRest Waterproof Queen Size Mattress Protector

280,577 ratings at 4.6, a quiet, soft protector whose owners rarely raise heat.

4.6from 280,577 verified reviews
Specifications for SafeRest Waterproof Queen Size Mattress Protector
StyleFitted, waterproof

280,577 ratings at 4.6. Owners say it is comfortable, not crunchy and good value. Water resistance splits them, as it does on every protector here.

Buy it if

  • Spills and sweat without a crinkle

Don't buy it if

  • Total waterproofing, which splits owners

To rank protectors for spills and dust mites, mattress protectors, compared reads 5 more, and mattress topper materials explained covers which foams sleep warm.