This post is about mattress toppers/mattress protectors. If you came to this post after Googling “mattress topper Kenya” and are wondering where to buy a mattress topper in Kenya, you can find a good selection of mattress toppers online at Jumia Kenya or at Mr Price Home.

I’ve recently been told by people close to me that I am rigid.

This shocked me the first time I heard it. I was sure that the person I was talking to had it all wrong.

On second thought, though, I see where these people could be coming from.

About certain things in my life, I see no compelling reason to compromise (at least not for the most part).

In those areas, I stick to running my life exactly as I see fit.

One such area of my life is sleep.

Keep reading to find out more about something I learned about that helps get your mattress the perfect combination of firm and soft for that perfect night’s rest.

READ ALSO: Steps to Leading a Healthier Lifestyle in 2020

The Importance of Good Sleep

After having been sleep deprived for many years (first as a student then as a young professional who still insisted on having a very active social nightlife :-)), I’ve since come to value good sleep.

When I’m well rested, I am a nice person to be around and can handle anything that comes my way.

When I don’t get at least 7½ hours of sleep a night, I am like a flag flying at half-mast. I get cranky and don’t operate at optimum capacity.

READ ALSO: How to Make Your Mattress More Cool on Hot Nights

The reason I’m telling you this is to share why I value a good night’s rest.

It’s also to explain to you why I would bother to post about the subject I am posting about today.

Mattres Topper Kenya: A Mattress Pad Helps You Get Better Sleep

You see, in pursuit of the perfect night’s rest, I’ve come to realize that my sleep environment and the conditions surrounding my going to bed are crucial to determining the quality of sleep I will eventually have.

For instance, I’ve learned that I sleep much better in a bed that’s made. That’s why I now make my bed every day after 29 years of rarely giving it a second thought.

I’ve also learned that the over-consumption of substances such as caffeine and alcohol are sure to give me fitful sleep. Nowadays, I make sure to consume those in limited quantities.

Still, beyond these everyday good sleep-inducing habits, I’ve come to discover a product that never fails to elevate my night’s rest from ordinarily good to simply great.

This seemingly inconsequential product is a mattress pad.

How Does a Mattress Pad Make Your Sleeping Mattress Better?

Put simply, a mattress pad is a cover for a mattress.

Mattress pads come in various designs and in many different materials.

Also referred to as mattress toppers, or mattress protectors, mattress pads serve to protect a sleeping mattress from soiling and staining.

Mattress toppers can also add comfort and support to a mattress.

Mattress Topper Kenya: Discovering the Benefits of a Mattress Topper

I first discovered mattress pads when I began to question why a particular friend’s bed was always so comfortable.

Being a good gal pal of mine, I often found myself spending the night at this friend’s home whenever we would talk late into the night and I couldn’t be bothered to drive across Nairobi to get to my own place in the middle of the night.

My friend had a beautiful bed that she kept dressed in gorgeous matching linens.

Although I am sure this went a long way to making sleeping in her bed a pleasant experience, this wasn’t enough to explain how my friend’s bed could be both very firm and very soft, all at the same time.

One day, not able to contain my curiosity any longer, I peeled back the covers of my friend’s bed. I had to get to the bottom of this mystery!

That’s when I discovered the secret to my friend’s comfortable bed: the mattress pad that she placed between her mattress and her sheets.

My friend told me that she’d picked up this habit while living in the US. This is where she had bought her mattress pad.

I began to wonder: could mattress pads be found locally in East Africa? (This was before there was a lot of local online content, so I couldn’t just Google “mattress topper Kenya”)

Luckily, I didn’t have to wonder for long.

While browsing though Mr. Price Home at the Westgate Centre in Nairobi, I saw mattress pads displayed on a shelf at a price that I remember considering reasonable when I saw it (excuse me, but I can’t remember exactly what that price was).

Searching for Mattress Pads in Tanzania

Last Sunday, as I was browsing through Mr Price at Mlimani City in Dar es Salaam, I decided to check out if there, too, mattress pads were available.

Indeed, they were!

I found two types. One was a true mattress protector which would only protect a mattress from dirt and stains; it wouldn’t add any comfort to the mattress.

The second, a quilted one, would add comfort to the mattress as well. This second one sold for Tsh. 40,000—76,000 depending on its size.

If you are unable to find a mattress pad at a store near you (or aren’t willing to spend that kind of money on a sleep accessory ;-)), fret not! Did you know that you can make a mattress pad, quite easily, from scratch? Here’s how.

Mattress Topper Kenya: Simple Do It Yourself Mattress Pad Tips

1. Make a Mattress Pad out of Fleece

Fleece makes a great mattress pad, warm and cozy, and since it doesn’t unravel, no hemming is necessary.

Place two or three layers of the fleece together, according to the size of the bed, and sew around the perimeter of the pieces.

Tack the top to the bottom, here and there, and you’re done. How simple is that?

2. Make a Mattress Pad From Fabric Other Than Fleece

Other cloths work just as well for a mattress pad: flannel, broadcloth or for a cooler pad, cotton.

Any fabric which will unravel after cutting needs to be hemmed.

The best way to make the pad and hem it too is to place the cloth right sides together and sew around. Start at the bottom of the pad, a few inches from the corner. Sew to the corner, up the side, across the top, down the other side and a few inches on the bottom. This leaves a gap in the bottom panel for turning the pad.

For extra cushioning, pin a thin piece of foam onto one side before sewing.

After turning the fabric right side out, sew across the bottom.

Now tack the pad here and there to hold the pieces of cloth and foam to each other, or quilt it by running seams down the top of the pad.

If you’ll be quilting, make the pad a few inches larger to allow for shrinkage during the quilting.

3. Use a Blanket as a Mattress Pad

A blanket that’s just taking up closet space makes a fine mattress cover.

Cut it to fit the mattress, then use it alone or cover it with cloth.

The cloth can be on only one side, or both, depending upon how you want to make it.

4. Make a Mattress Pad From an Old Quilt

An old quilt can also serve as a mattress pad.

After cutting it to size, hem around the perimeter and place on your bed.

Or use the quilt as the stuffing for the mattress pad by cutting two pieces of cloth, aligning it with the quilt in the middle, sewing around the perimeter, but leaving a place to turn.

After turning and sewing the bottom shut, tack the quilt here and there to keep it from ballooning.

5. Making a Mattress Pad from Thin Fabric

Even very thin material can become a mattress pad.

Just stack layer after layer of the fabric until you have the proper thickness, then sew the perimeter.

Be sure to tack it at various spots, or quilt it as mentioned before.

Mattress Topper Kenya: How to Make Your Mattress Pad Stay in Place

To make sure that any mattress pad stays in position, you can buy mattress pad clips which hold the pad in place.

The clips are just a piece of wide elastic with a metal or plastic clip on each end.

One end is clipped near the corner of the mattress pad, slid under the mattress, then clipped back up to the opposite side of the corner.

The clips are placed on each of the four corners of the mattress pad to hold the pad still.

Other Things You Can Use as a Mattress Pad

Other suggestions for a mattress pad are used sleeping bags, sheets stuffed with cotton, a thin piece of foam rubber, or curtain panels that have been stacked and sewn together.

READ ALSO: Best Mattress Topper for Sofa Beds (Reviews & Buyers Guide)

So…that’s all I have for you today, folks.

I wish you all good and restful sleep…every night.

If you would like to share something about mattress pads or anything else that enhances the quality of your sleep, please drop me a comment below.

For now, I hope all is well with you in your respective corners of the world.

Until the next time,

Biche

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Photo Credits: SleepFoundation.org, Fizkes, Your Best Digs, Wallpaper Flare, Atelier Nostalgia, Wendy Copley, Crafting a Green World

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