Best Sales on Pillows, Duvets, and More Sleep Essentials

Layla’s extended Labor Day sale is the same promotion they’ve been running since Memorial Day—a buy one, get one 50 percent off deal. The adjustable-fill pillow from Layla marries polyurethane foam with kapok—the featherlike fiber made from the seed pods of the kapok tree, popular for being a vegan alternative to down. Our tests find that the model lives up to the material’s reputation, offering top-notch breathability in a soft and rather resilient package. Despite not having cooling properties as its name suggests, the pillow does not retain warmth. And while it offers stellar support for side sleepers, back sleepers are also well served by this pick.

You’re going to experience quite a bit of wrinkling with the Hotel Collection Egyptian cotton sheets, but if you don’t mind pulling out the steamer to get your sheets smooth, you have a winner with this set. It provides a great fit for mattresses up to 10 inches thick, and it can withstand quite a bit of stretching and pulling. Plus, it aced our shrinkage test—just one of five cotton sheets in our ratings to do so.

Buffy’s Cloud Comforter is the softest choice in our at-home assessment. Thanks to its smooth, silky feel and fluffiness, the duvet is comfortable enough to use without a duvet cover. Made of recycled materials, it’s uniformly stuffed in layers to prevent clumping and shedding. The shell material is 100 percent sateen-weave Tencel lyocell.

The Guohaoi Cooling Blanket is at a nice discount right now—we’ve seen it for as low as $24 before, so you might want to wait for a better deal if you don’t need it right away. It offers strong cooling performance—second only to the Elegear Revolutionary Cooling Blanket we also tried—and features a similar smooth, swimsuit-like feel. It’s made with a nylon-polyester front and a cotton back, and includes a satin border, though the build quality and stitching are less refined than the Elegear. While it stays cool during use and doesn’t retain heat, issues like the loosely attached layers and less comfortable design make it a less compelling option, given its similar price.

The Elegear Revolutionary Cooling Blanket was CR’s top pick because it kept us the coolest in our tests and was comfortable, soft, and well-made. It features smooth Arc-Chill 3.0 Cool Fabric on one side and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified cotton on the other side.

This cooling blanket from Sleep Number is not one of the chilliest options among the cooling blankets we tried, though it will keep you cooler than a traditional blanket. But it has many other great qualities that may make it worth a look. It’s well-constructed, incredibly soft, and cool to the touch. Plus, the material is very thin, making it easy to fold and store.

The Bedsure Electric Heated Flannel Blanket is thin but light. Though it’s cozy, it resembles an inexpensive fleece blanket you’d find at a grocery store. One side is striped flannel and the other is linty fleece. The flannel is not the best quality, but it does get hot. And it has the lightest wires of the blankets we evaluated. This is the price for a throw-sized blanket. Other sizes vary in price.

Blackout curtains can be a total game-changer. The Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout Curtains are among the best we evaluated for a number of reasons. Tested in both black and white, they scored a perfect 5 out of 5 for their ability to block light. As for how well the curtains provide insulation against heat loss and gain, we scored it 4 out of 5. Made from polyester/polyurethane, each panel uses loops to attach to a rod. They’re also washable—making them both functional and convenient.

If you’re looking for a small fan to keep things cool at your desk or on a bedside table, this little Vornado model could fit the bill. It’s quiet and fairly versatile, with a 180-degree tilt and two speed settings.

The Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow is made of polyurethane foam and has a micro-polyamide and polyester cover. Despite this composition, testers found that the pillow excels in breathability. According to our lab tests, it is a great choice for side sleepers but less ideal for back sleepers. Expect its firmness, height, and support to remain consistent with use.

This 3-inch queen-size memory foam mattress topper is still available for the same low price we saw on Prime Day. It offers excellent support and a deeper, more cushioned feel than many others. Infused with cooling gel, it helps regulate temperature for a more comfortable night’s sleep. The flippable design adds versatility, though it lacks a cover and corner straps, which may lead to shifting. Temperature-sensitive foam means the topper feels softer when warm and firmer in cooler conditions. Weighing 15 pounds, it provides average warmth retention and a balanced blend of comfort and support.

Viscosoft’s gel-infused memory foam topper is reasonably plush but still has a medium to medium-firm feel, based on my experience lying on it. Like the Dormeo, it earns first-rate marks for support and convenience. But this topper envelops the body more than the Dormeo, scoring on the warmer side for heat retention. Our lab data suggests that those who sleep hot are likely to feel that difference. Additional features include corner straps to help keep it in place and a removable machine-washable rayon cover. The topper can also be flipped and rotated, though it weighs 27 pounds (among the heaviest on this list), so you might need a helper. Viscosoft offers a full refund up to 90 days after purchase if you’re not satisfied with your topper. It’s also backed by a five-year warranty from the date of original purchase.

A solid value pick, this 3-inch topper from BedStory offers a luxe feel, thanks in part to its removable quilted cover. Lab tests found that its two-layer gel-infused-foam design registers warmer, and an evaluator said that it offers a resilient surface with a medium- to medium-soft feel. Highlights include an inner encasement as well as a machine-washable cover that zips down halfway. A nonslip design on the bottom of the cover gives it an extra bit of stabilization, as do its corner straps. BedStory offers a 10-year warranty on all mattresses and toppers.

The Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max Air Purifier features an indicator light to alert you when you need to change or clean the filter. It also has a dirt sensor and four speeds. On its higher setting, it’s terrific at removing dust, pollen, and smoke, but expect a bit of noise. It’s easy to use, and is designed for use in a large space of 350 to 650 square feet. CR members find Blueair air purifiers to be highly reliable, and they’re very satisfied with their purchases.

The Woozoo does a solid job at removing dust, pollen, and smoke at both high and low speeds. What’s more, it’s one of the more cost-efficient large room air purifiers to operate and maintain. Just expect a bit of noise while it’s running. This is the best price we’ve seen since the spring, when it was $250.

The Levoit PlasmaPro 600S is a solid performer all-around, clearing the air of dust, pollen, and smoke at both higher and lower settings with great results. It’s noisy while running at a high speed, but it’s relatively quiet at low speeds, making it ideal for an office or bedroom. And you don’t have to worry about keeping track of filter changes: An indicator light alerts you when it’s time. This machine also has a dust sensor and a programmable timer.

The low-priced, ultrasonic Levoit Classic 300S can humidify a room of up to 505 square feet, which earns it a solid rating in our output test. It aces other evaluations too. It has a variety of features including automatic shut-off, a digital humidity display more accurate than those of most competitors, and the option to diffuse aromas. It’s been as low as $64, but this is the best discount we’ve seen in a few months.

The 18-inch-high Intex Comfort Plush Elevated Dura-Beam garners an impressive deflection score in our tests, forming a depression of 2 inches when weight is initially applied. This, combined with its elevated height, allows you to push off the mattress with ease when you stand up. But this mattress earns a less-than-stellar rating in our convenience test. It took slightly longer to inflate, about 6 minutes, and 5 minutes to deflate it. Also, this mattress wasn’t as easy to fold up and put away as the Simmons Beautyrest and requires about 1.3 cubic feet of space to store. It comes with a storage bag and a built-in electric pump.