When I bought my daughter a new mattress I was also keen to buy a topper to prolong the life of it as long as possible. The mattress I chose had a cushioned top so I did not need a protector with any kind of padding so I settled on the Argos value mattress protector which costs just £5.99.

This is a simple polycotton topper, it is white with a pattern embroidered onto it which is very lightly padded. It has elastic on all 4 edges to hold it onto the mattress and it is just smaller than a standard mattress. It is only a few mm thick so does not provide any padding at all.

Fitting the protector is easy, you simply place it over the mattress and stretch the elastic around the corners of the mattress. It lies nice and flat under the bedding, the elastic holds it in place well and in a year or so of ownership these elasticated corners have never once pinged out of place. Although the corners stay firmly in place because the sides do not overhang the sides of the bed they can become all furled and folded up meaning making the bed takes longer.

The problems with the topper start after it has been washed a few times. It can be machine washed and I have always line dried it so not subjected it to the harsh temperatures of a tumble drier. The topper has become really bobbled and frayed around the edges. The elastic still holds the topper in place but it is getting saggy and probably will not last for much longer. It is really horrible to touch the protector now because of how bobbly it is and my nails are always getting caught in the bobbles. It looks generally tired and greying and although it is not on show it looks really shabby.

I don't think the Argos value mattress protector was a good buy, yes it is really cheap and it has performed adequately for a while but I would have been better buying a more expensive protector in the first place rather than have to replace this one.