Mattress protector works as a protector for a mattress as its name refers; it helps protect from dyes, bedwetting, liquid, and spills; you will still need to rarely clean the bed. The mattress protector your bed and the mattress remain new for a long time because it completely covers the top, bottom, and side. When you buy a mattress, make sure to invest in a quality mattress protector as well. Here is the detailed mattress protector buying guide.
Contents
1. The Need For A Mattress Protector
- Dust protection: Your mattress gets easily dusted because of the recurrent usage; this could affect the quality of the mattress. If you want to keep your mattress clean and for a long period, you should go for a durable mattress cover; clean up becomes relaxed instead of vacuum to get rid of dust. This keeps your mattress forever new, no matter how old it is.
- Guard against mould/mildew: Every person sweats, and it is a natural phenomenon to lay down on the bed as soon as you reach home to relax. If they sweat extremely the matters without any protection, it might l affect the mattresses durability, affecting your health.
Many people prefer to have snacks and food on their beds that will seep into it and cause bed bugs to develop. To avoid this, you should put a proper mattress protector. This will also prevent the increasing number of mould and mildew, leading to respiratory infections and allergies.
Also Read: Everything You Know To Know About Mouldy Mattress
- Helps protect the warranty: Your warranty can turn out to be invalid, even if the mattress has strains. You will protect your mattress by using a waterproof mattress protector. Many companies do not cover impairment triggered by spills or burns under the warranty period.
2. Types of Mattress Protection
The mattress should be protected from the below-mentioned issues
- 1. Wear And Tear
We are using mattresses in our day to day life; it also plays an important role in good sleep. The mattress will get dirty over a period and can experience smalls rips or tears. To avoid this rip, you should use mattress protectors, mattress covers, and mattress pads that will help to prevent these issues and increase the mattress life.
- 2. Spills, Strain, and Incontinence:
The waterproof mattress protects from spills, stains, liquids, and sweat. It helps to restrict the liquid that soaking into the bed. The people who use their bed more often and who eat in the bed, people who sweat a lot, family with babies, the child with bedwetting behavior, etc. We must buy a waterproof mattress to avoid incontinence, spills, and stains because this will shorten the life of the bed and cause allergies that will affect your health. The waterproof mattress is much needed to increase the durability of a mattress.
- 3. Allergen-Free Bed:
The dust particles are common in bed, but if you refused to safeguard your mattress, that would show some health difficulties like the respiratory problem or even trigger asthma. To avoid these dust particles and want to have a healthy sleep, you must buy a dust mite mattress cover that fully coats the mattress on all edges. For allergy protection, you can apply a box spring cover to avert dust mites.
- 4. Bed Bug-Proof Mattress:
To avoid bug development, you can go for bed bug mattress encasement. It won’t permit the bed bugs to enter the bed because the bed bugs encasement is very thick and hard to enter.
As we all know, bed bugs live on human and animal blood, and it also chooses to stay inside mattresses and pillows, causing skin allergy.
For extreme protection, use good mattress protection on the bed, invest in a bed bug proof box spring cover. For the best fortification, make sure to look for pillow covers that are lab certificates to avoid health difficulties.
3. Types Of Mattress Protectors
- 6-sided mattress encasements:
A six-sided mattress encasement incorporates the whole mattress with a large protective fabric bag with zipping. This helps in protecting against bed bugs, dust particles, dander, allergens, and other contaminants.
To get rid of all of them, you should purchase a model that consists of a micro-tooth zipper or a zipper small enough to avert bed bugs from entering into the mattresses. It is better to buy a six-sided mattress to stay away from all those dirt and dust mites. It plays as a safeguard.
- 5-sided fitted sheet style protection:
This 5-sided protection mattress will fit all over the side just like the other fitted sheet, and it also contains elastic to fit incorrectly. This 5-sided fitted sheet style protection mattress with waterproof will safeguard that is contrary to spills, stains, and incontinence. It also helps in protection against simple wear and tear.
They offer extra fitting on top and side for protection to get rid of bed bugs and dust. Compared to other mattresses, this 5-sided fitted sheet style mattress is less effective than others because it doesn’t cover the bed’s bottom.
- Strapped Mattress:
The strapped mattress protector is supreme for defending your mattress all year round. The easy to suit flexible straps confirm a comfy fit on your bed.
4. What To Look For In A Mattress Protector
The mattress protector is important to ensure and increase the durability of your mattress. Moreover, it provides a happy and healthy sleeping environment by guarding allergens, dust mites, bed bugs, etc.
Also, it guards your mattress against some accidents like a spill, stain, etc. It comes in various size materials, colors, styles, and with varying protection benefits. Here are the things that you have to look for when you are buying a mattress protector.
1. Size
Mattress protector comes in all different sizes; you have to purchase the one that will fit your mattress. There are mattress protectors available even for a crib mattress and mini-crib mattress. The most common mattress sizes are
- ➔ Twin size mattress
- ➔ Twin XL size mattress
- ➔ Full-size mattress
- ➔ Queen size mattress
- ➔ King size mattress
2. Materials
Mattress protectors come in a variety of materials. Also, they may come in a blend of few materials; some of the major materials of the mattress protectors are
- ➔ Wool (provides extra warmth and protection)
- ➔ Cotton (generally thin and washing machine friendly)
- ➔ Vinyl
- ➔ Polyurethane
- ➔ Latex (tend to be long-lasting)
- ➔ Down feathers (lightweight, fluffy, and soft)
Here, vinyl and polyurethane materials are waterproof; they will be used more often in the best waterproof mattress.
3. The way it holds your bed
Not all the mattresses are the same; there are a lot of varieties available on it, and the way that the mattress protector holds your mattress hardly depends on the type that you are purchasing. And the common types in waterproof mattress protectors are
- ➔ Zipper (encasement) covers 100% of your mattress, and this protector often comes with a zipper.
- ➔ Fitted – tucked under your mattress with the pocketed corners
- ➔ Elastic strap – these types of mattress protectors will have an elastic strap on the four corners, and those straps should be wrapped around the corners of your mattress.
4. The types of finish
The type of finish of the mattress protector is directly related to comfort, and the mattress protector comes in many types of finish, for instance, microfibre filled, cotton filled, padded filling, etc. You can choose according to your need and budget.
5. The thread count
Thread count is an important factor to consider; thread count means the number of threads woven into a square inch of fabric. The higher the thread count, is higher the quality and durability of the mattress protector. And the mattress protector comes in various thread counts, like from 200 to more than 1000.
6. Breathability
Almost all the types of mattress protectors will ensure you breathe; even though it is a water-resistant mattress protector, it will let you breathe. The cotton mattress will be good when it comes to breathability.
7. Is it easy to clean
Since the waterproof mattress protectors are designed to guard your mattress against spills, stains, and other mishaps, it is important to remove and wash them. So consider buying a machine washable and dryer friendly mattress protector.
8. Is it hypoallergenic
Consider the most important feature of the mattress protector when you are purchasing it; hypoallergenic. It is ideal for people who are allergic to dust mites, chemicals, pesticides, and certain fabrics. In this case, you can consider bamboo or Tencel.
9. Warranty
When shopping, the mattress protectors ensure that the company is offering a solid manufacture’s warranty. The ideal warranty lasts about ten years, and it will cover the defects in manufacturing issues and performance due. A machine-washable mattress protector is a reliable pick.
5. How to Care for Your Mattress Protector
If you have taken steps to guard your mattress against stains, spills, dust mites, and other allergens, you need to know how to care for them and not worry because it is not rocket science.
Almost every mattress protector can be machine washed and dried, and you do not need to wash it before put on for the first time.
The mattress protectors need to be washed once or maximum twice a year unless something is spilled. You can wash your mattress protector with hot water, but it is recommended to wash with warm water (and ensure high durability) and use the detergent you are using for other bedding and do not use fabric softener or chlorine bleach while washing the cover.
Make sure the zipper is zipped before washing. Do not iron, dry your mattress protector on a medium setting, and make sure that your mattress protector is completely dry before putting on your mattress.
6. Why Should You Buy a Mattress Protector?
After checking out the above mentioned Mattress Protectors Buyers Guide, it is obvious for you to plan and invest in a good mattress protector for a comfortable sleep. Here are the three reasons to buys a mattress protector
- Keeps your mattress clean
Our bodies are pretty gross, and we sweat at night; we all produce oil from our skin, shed dead skin cells, and wear makeup. Some other activities can make a wet spot on the mattress. So once a little gets into your mattress, then you can not take it out from it.
A mattress protector prevents everything without getting into the mattress, and it can be taken off and washed. You are assured of getting comfortable sleep.
- Keeps the mattress in a new condition
Moisture, spilling a drink on the mattress will wear down the foam in the mattress, and it shortens the durability and comfort. Your mattress protector will guard your mattress against getting moisture, spill, etc., and keeps your mattress in a new condition for a long time.
- Prevents dust mite allergies
Dust mite allergies are common, and it will cause certain issues like running nose, sneezing, wheezing, etc. They eat dead skin cells, and if you do not use a protector, there will be many dead skin cells.
7. Pros And Cons Of The Mattress Protector
Pros
- Affordable (most of the effective mattress protectors are much cheaper)
- Protects the mattress (it safeguards your mattress against moisture, spill, insects, and other allergens)
- Easy to clean (you can easily wash the protectors)
- Lightweight (easy to put on the mattress and remove)
Cons
- Does not add comfort (the sole purpose of a mattress protector is to protect)
- Loud (certain protectors will produce crunchy, and plastic sound when you move around)
- Hot (certain mattress protectors will cause some heat retention and for avoiding this, look for a breathable protector)
Conclusion
Mattress protectors are a must to safeguard and protect your mattress. It not only increases durability but also helps to reduce the overall cost of managing and maintaining mattresses. The above-mentioned buying guide will help you answer your question of what to look for in a mattress protector.
FAQ’S
1. How to use a mattress protector?
The mattress protector is recommended for individuals who are more prone to chronic allergies or dust issues. A full zipped quality protector mattress can act as an extra layer of protection from the allergies.
It also protects against the bed bugs; make sure to use the zipped one. The mattress protector also helps increase the life span from about 5-10 years, depending on the mattress’s quality and the mattress protector. Most of the mattress protectors are waterproof.
2. Does a mattress protector keep your bed clean?
Yes, the mattress protector keeps the individual from the dust mites that cause some chronic allergies or asthma symptoms. The mattress protector acts as an extra layer of protection between the user and the mattress. Look for the zipped mattress to get full protection from the bed bugs.
3. Are a cover and a protector the same thing?
The mattress covers are also known as the mattress protector. This zipped case protects your mattress from wear and tear and dust mites. It acts as an extra layer of shield between the user and the mattress, so you don’t need to worry about any dust particles entering into the mattress and protection from chronic allergies as most of these covers are waterproof.
4. Do you require a mattress protector if you use a mattress topper?
Suppose you want to use both protector mattress and mattress topper on the bed. Then place the mattress protector on the top and place the sheet over that. As both have their advantages, the mattress protector prevents the dirt mites from entering the mattress, and the mattress topper will help keep the mattress’s stiffness. This will all provide more protection from the dust mites to enter the mattress and increase the mattress’s durability.
5. How to wash your mattress protector?
At least every two months, you should wash your mattress protector. The easy way to wash your mattress is as follows
a). Check for any open stitching
Before cleaning your mattress protector, check if there is any loose stitching; otherwise, the washing machine could be jammed with feathers. If you find any loose stitching, repair it by tailor before washing.
b). Stain removal
If there is any stain in the mattress protector, soaks them for about 10-15 minutes on the detergent before washing. Doing so will make it easy to remove stain from the mattress protector.
c). The setting of the washing machine
Set the setting of the washing machine according to the care tag on your mattress protector
d). Delicate wash
Wash your mattress protector in a delicate cycle mode. The temperature of the water should be cool and add a gentle detergent.
f). Drying
Dry your mattress protector; make sure to stop the dryer after every 20 minutes; otherwise, it will build up dried lumps, thereby ruining its smoothness.
6. What temperature should be used to wash?
The temperature of the water should not be too hot. It should be set to cool or lukewarm and add a small amount of detergent to give your mattress gentle care. Please do not put the mattress in the tumble dryer; it is best to dry it on the sun’s heat.
7. When to replace your protector?
The mattress protector helps to increase the lifespan of your mattress. But it needs to be changed after 8- 10 years, depending on the mattresses quality.
8. How long does your mattress last with a mattress protector?
The mattress protector helps increase mattresses life span from about 5 to 10 years, depending upon the mattresses quality and the protector.
