When you’re purchasing a new bed, the ideal scenario is to purchase a mattress topper at the same time. The amount of times I’ve had to purchase a new mattress due to stains and general wear over time is just too many. I’ll never go without something to protect my mattress again – it’s needed if you want to prolong the lifespan of your bed.
This is important if you’re someone who relocates often – like me – and will eventually need to sell your mattress. Having a topper or pad to protect it will keep your bed feeling brand new, so that you’re able to keep the warranty valid. Aside from worrying about future you, there’s also the obvious benefit of purchasing a mattress topper – it will make your bed much more comfortable!
I decided to purchase a mattress topper because I didn’t have the money to buy a new mattress altogether. My current mattress isn’t super comfortable – let’s be honest, I bought it the day I moved and picked the first semi-decent one I could find at IKEA – and it was giving me some back issues that I couldn’t handle anymore. Having an extra layer of support on my bed was really the best and only option for me, since I couldn’t afford to break the bank.
One of the most raved about mattress toppers currently on the market is the Gel Infused Mattress Topper from Linenspa. I chose to give the 3-inch topper a try, as I wanted an extra bit of loft for my bed. Below are the corresponding specs for this product, and I’ll take you through what my first and lasting impressions were once I tested it out.
SPECS:
- Material: 100% polyurethane memory foam with gel beads
- Sizes: Full, Full XL, Twin, Twin XL, Queen, Short Queen, King, California King.
- Odor: Minimal offgassing, lasted <1 day
- Warranty: 3 year limited manufacturer warranty, 30 day return period
- Dimensions (Queen): 59” L x 79” W x 3” H
Unboxing and First Impressions
After unboxing the topper, I placed it on my bed straight away (it took a few hours to fully decompress). It was heavy and a bit tricky to move into the perfect position, but once I got it in place I had no issues. There was a slight smell in my room for a while, but it wasn’t unbearable or too unpleasant.
After sleeping on it overnight, the chemical foam smell was completely gone. I’d say that the offgassing was minimal overall, not problematic at all, but I’d recommend leaving the windows open for a few hours to help alleviate the smell.
The thick blue foam felt high quality, and I liked the tiny blue and silver beads that are incorporated into it. As cliche as it sounds, laying on it for the first time felt like sleeping on several clouds – a HUGE upgrade from my uncomfortable mattress!
Let’s talk about the size of the Linenspa Topper. The fit itself was perfect on my innerspring mattress, and luckily I had deep-pocket fitted sheets to cover the extra 3 inches of memory foam. This is a factor to take into account if your fitted sheets usually fit snug on your mattress. Be sure that yours have deep enough pockets before you buy a topper as thick as this one. Alternatively, you could always opt for the 2-inch version that Linenspa offers.
Features and Benefits
This topper is different from most others I’ve tried. I’ve found that many memory foam toppers make you feel like you’re sinking (which would especially be true for heavier sleepers, I’m around 115 lbs for reference), and that you can’t maintain a comfortable sleeping position, making it feel like you’re constantly on an angle.
The Linenspa topper didn’t feel like that at all, which was a huge plus. However, if you’re sitting in bed for longer periods of time (e.g. working on your laptop, reading etc.), it’s difficult to get up and out of bed as you can feel the indentation of your body shape.
Given that I’m typically a cool sleeper and usually need extra warmth from my bedding, I had no issues regulating my temperature with this topper. However, it’s designed to keep you cool and wick away moisture as you sleep, so those who find themselves tossing and turning at night due to overheating, you may benefit from a topper such as this one.
Firmness and Durability
Depending on the thickness of your mattress, you should decide whether you’d prefer the 2-inch or 3-inch (the one I purchased) to give you that extra lift. From the first night sleeping on it, I found that it gave my bed a noticeable lift, which is ideal given that my bed frame is low to the ground.
If you have a frame that sits low, and your mattress isn’t super thick, getting a topper is a superb option to give you some extra loft. Regarding durability, it has definitely retained its thickness and shape over time, and I’ve slept on it for well over a month now.
Motion Transfer Capabilities
Memory foam is beneficial for reducing motion transfer, so you won’t feel someone tossing and turning next to you. I hear this is ideal for couples, but I wouldn’t know anything about that… However, I’m sure this would come in handy if I DID have someone sleeping beside me. Since I have my queen bed all to myself – like the *queen* I am – I had no issues with this.
When it was time to get up in the morning, it did make my bed harder to leave, not just because of the plush comfort it offers. Because memory foam molds to your body shape, it leaves the imprint of your body when you move around. Just keep in mind that getting out of bed will, in general, slow you down, as the dent in the topper takes time to bounce back up.
Check our bounce test.
Maintenance, Care and Warranty
Memory foam should never be washed in your washing machine, so it’s spot cleaning only for this topper. The three-year warranty and 30-day return period gave me peace of mind that if anything were to go wrong, I should be able to exchange or return it with no problems. As it turned out, I had to put the warranty to good use – I contacted both Linenspa and Amazon’s customer service team about an initial issue I had with the topper, which I’ll dive into below.
Customer Service
The initial Linenspa mattress topper that I received was damaged, with a sizable tear on the bottom right hand corner of the topper.
When I called Amazon to process the exchange, I decided to also give Linenspa a call to inquire about the best way to re-package the topper, given that it had fully expanded. After spending a half hour folding up the memory foam as best I could (which included sitting on it to try to compress it) and trying to shove it in the box it came in, the darn thing would not budge.
I was a sweaty mess, and it finally occurred to me that this was impossible. Anyone who tells you that re-packaging any memory foam product in the box it came in is possible, has clearly never tried it themselves.
I spoke to a lovely customer service rep at Linenspa who assured me that they don’t expect customers to re-package their memory foam products to send it back. But, since I’d purchased it through Amazon and not Linenspa directly, I had to follow Amazon’s return instructions instead.
They insisted that I fold it up and try to find a bigger box, which of course I didn’t have. I also don’t have a car, so packaging a heavy box and walking it to the post office wasn’t an option for me.
There’s also a weight limit for products that you can schedule to be picked up (e.g. large and heavy mattresses would fit the criteria), and even though this thing was huge, it technically didn’t meet the weight requirements to be collected and returned for me. Luckily, the Amazon rep made an exception and agreed to send a new one – and I could dispose of or donate the damaged topper.
After this whole debacle, the exchange was processed through Amazon and a replacement arrived at my door in no time. I was impressed with Linenspa’s willingness to assist me with my return, but was disappointed with Amazon’s lack of support and unreasonable return expectations.
Conclusion
Overall, I feel that the Linenspa 3 Inch Gel-Infused Memory Foam Topper was a worthwhile purchase. It wasn’t that much more expensive compared to similar products currently on the market, and it gave me everything I was looking for to rejuvenate my mattress.
Both Linenspa and Amazon had great customer service when contacting them about an issue, so that was another plus to have support in case things go wrong. I absolutely needed something to protect my mattress and to give me that extra plush support, and this product certainly delivered!
Frequently Asked Questions
How thick is the Linenspa Gel-Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper?
This mattress topper comes in both 2-inch and 3-inch options to suit your personal preference, and this review is based on its 3-inch size.
Is it easy to roll up and store a mattress topper? Is it heavy to transport?
This mattress topper was cumbersome to move when I was placing it on my bed, but this is to be expected of most memory foam products. The thicker the foam, the heavier it will be. It’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to roll up to its original size, as memory foam expands once taken out of the packaging. If you do need to roll this topper up to put it into storage, keep in mind that it will take up a bit of space.
How long is the warranty?
Linenspa offers a three-year limited manufacturer warranty, while Amazon has a 30-day return period.
Is there an initial offgassing period?
There is an initial chemical odor that you’ll find in most memory foam products, but the offgassing for this product was minimal. It barely lasted a full day, and the smell was completely gone after the first night.
Will a mattress topper soften or harden the feel of my sleep surface?
The Linenspa Gel-Infused Mattress Topper is designed to soften your sleep surface, and I can confirm that the 3-inch topper I purchased made my mattress feel much more plush than it did before.
Does it include features to help keep it in place, like corner anchors?
This particular topper didn’t come with corner anchors to secure it to the mattress, but again this is common for memory foam products. It is essentially like a slab of foam placed on top of your mattress. But fitting my sheet on top was still a simple task as the topper doesn’t move around at all, so corner tabs weren’t needed.