Is a Mattress Protector Necessary?

Most mattress retailers have warranties up to 10 years, but if you read the fine print there are many things that can void their warranties.  Here is an excerpt of the Purple mattress warranty, note I have highlighted the things that could be prevented by a mattress protector:

“This warranty shall not apply if Purple determines in its reasonable discretion that the mattress or foundation has been damaged, abused, or neglected; it shall be reasonable without limitation to make such determination if the following are present: Tears, stains, odors, unsanitary conditions, folds, footprints, burns, cuts, or signs of jumping on the bed, rodents, insect damage or other infestation, damage from liquids or gels or blood or bodily fluids or other fluids, or damage from weather or sun exposure. Purple highly recommends the use of a very stretchy, breathable mattress protector because without such protection your mattress may not be clean enough or undamaged enough to have this warranty apply. Please note that a non-stretchy or non-breathable mattress protector (or non-stretchy tight sheets) will negate much of the benefit of The Purple® Bed.”

As you can see from my video above, all of the mattress protectors that were tested kept liquids off of the mattresses that I used for testing.  In the first 30 seconds of the video you can see the wine and juice pooling in the tufted sections of the mattress closest to the camera (DreamCloud).  The Purple mattress protector that was on that mattress collected all of the liquid and after a few minutes not a drop went through.

I don’t have any rodents or “other infestation” to test on, so I’ll just take the manufacturers’ word that they prevent it.  This is a case where I’ll trust the FTC to regulate for false advertising.  There is no way I’m going to acquire an infestation just to see if my mattress protectors can keep them away from my mattresses.

Will a Mattress Protector Keep my Mattress Clean?

I can’t tell you how often I catch my little ones wiping their hands off on a couch or a mattress after they have a bag of cheetos or doritos…  So that’s why Cheetos made an appearance in the second test of the video above (about 15 minutes into it).  So ice cream, oreos, chocolate syrup, and cheetos were no match for the protection of the 3 mattress protectors that were tested.

How to Care for and clean a Mattress Protector

They are all washing machine safe.  I have been using a Tomorrow Sleep mattress protector on my daughter’s bed for about 6 months now.  I wash it frequently, although she is getting better at the night time bed-wetting thing, and it still maintains the protective qualities that I’m looking for.

The day after this test, I used a garden hose to rinse off the ice cream and other stuff from all of the protectors that were in my video.  I then let them dry off and put them into the washing machine.  Why this extra step?  Well, the spills that I usually get aren’t nearly as bad as a full ice cream sundae.

Top 7 Mattress Protector Reviews
Nest Bedding Mattress Protector

Mine somehow shipped to my next door neighbor, so I think it took 5 days to get here, but it could have been at her house for some of that time.

Nest Bedding’s cooling mattress protector is my personal favorite as it incorporates cooling tech into the waterproof material.  It is a bit more expensive than many of the competing products, but that cooling effect is well worth it (especially if you live somewhere warm, like I do).

The cover is cool to the touch and is quite breathable.  You will notice that my daughter said, “Brrr” in the video as she was sitting on it.  Trust me that wasn’t scripted.  The Nest Bedding protector was in the second test on the mattress in front.  None of the food, or liquid penetrated the protector.

PROS

• Cooling
• Passed the Test
• Feels Good
• Doesn’t Crinkle

CONS

• Expensive

Purple Mattress Protector

I just love their advertising campaigns, and the one that they do for the mattress protector stars Sasquatch.  The purple mattress protector is also breathable so it is cool over night, it’s just not “cool to the touch”.  It’s also stretchy so it has a great feel.  It ships in a smaller package than all of the other mattress protectors, which was a bit of a surprise to me.  I paid $59 plus tax and it arrived in 5 days.

PROS

• Stretchy (It fit over a 15″ thick hybrid mattress)
• Thin/Hard to Notice
• Doesn’t have a “plastic” feel
• Passed the Test
• Affordable
• Not Crinkly

CONS

• I’m afraid that Sasquatch may come visit me

You saw how dirty it got with the red juice and wine on it.  I then let it sit out overnight, and washed it per the instructions on the tag.  Here are the results

Tomorrow Sleep Mattress Protector

I chose to not feature the Tomorrow Sleep mattress protector in the video as I have already been testing it for about 6 months.  It has already been through the most rigorous test possible, the potty training process of a 3 year old.  Nothing has gotten through this protector and it has probably been in the wash over 30 times.

I considered showing it in the video, but then it would have been an odd number.  In addition, it has already been through some rough testing and I’m not sure it is in the 100% out of the box condition that the others in the video were.  So, to the folks at Tomorrow sleep, I didn’t forget about your product, it just didn’t make the video.

PROS

• Over 6 Months of potty training and sleep testing
• Has passed all of the tests that a 3 year old can attempt

CONS

• Priced higher than many of the others that we tested
• I don’t love the feel, but I know it is getting the job done.

Brooklyn Bedding Mattress Protector

The Brooklyn Bedding mattress protector is an easy add on when you are doing your one stop shopping on their online store.  It is an affordable option and it passed the test in the video.

PROS

• Attractive Price
• Passed the Test
• Stretchy
• Doesn’t Crinkle

CONS

• It doesn’t have the same feel as some of the more expensive options

Saferest Mattress Protector

This is Amazon’s top selling mattress protector.  It passed the test and sells at a lower price than most of the others that I tested.

PROS

• Attractive Price
• Passed the Test
• Amazon sells a ton of these

CONS

• It doesn’t have the same feel as some of the more expensive options

 Nectar Mattress Protector

I paid $85 for it and it shipped to me in 4 days.

The Nectar protector adds an element of softness to the protection that you need.  For those of you who feel that their Nectar mattress may be a bit too firm, this will add some fluff to the feeling.

PROS

• Passed the Test
• It is soft
• Doesn’t Crinkle

CONS

• Priced higher than many of the others that we tested
• My preference is for a thinner cover (yours may differ)

Casper Mattress Protector

I paid $90.99 after taxes for it, and it shipped to me in 4 days. Here are a couple of pictures of the Casper mattress protector:

One of the best features of Casper mattress protector is that you can feel it through the box at your local Target.  This is a huge advantage, as Target has other mattress protectors to choose from.  Right before I shot the best mattress protector video, I considered buying another one from Target.  However, when I went up to the Casper display:

I had the opportunity to feel it before I made the purchase (although I ultimately ordered it online so I could test the shipping time).  That was the deciding feature for me when I opted to include it and not the target brand.

PROS

• You can feel it at Target (You can buy it while you are there also)
• Passed the Test
• Doesn’t Crinkle

CONS

• Priced higher than many of the others that we tested
• I didn’t love the feel of it when compared to the others

Best Material and Type

The two main things that you have to look for in a mattress protector are:

• Waterproof
• Breathable

If it’s not waterproof all of the sweat will work into your mattress. Oh, waterproofing your mattress is also an important thing to have when you are potty training your little ones.  I’m SOOO embarrassed by the video below.  My daughter took a nap on my Sapira and it didn’t have a mattress protector.  Don’t be like me!  I was lucky that the Sapira had a removable cover.  You can see the results on my YouTube video.

It’s also important to get a breathable mattress protector so that your sweat doesn’t just pool on you.

• Cool
• Feel

The feel of a mattress protector is what makes it so hard for me to commit to one.  New mattresses show up at my door step often, so when I’m testing them I really want to feel the mattress.  There is no getting around this; a mattress protector will take away some of that awesome feel of a new mattress.  This means that you have to do your own cost vs benefit analysis.  Does the better feel without a protector outweigh the damage that you do to your mattress every night?  You have to decide for yourself!

Bed Size

Mattress protectors fit over standard sized mattresses.  Here are the sizes for American beds.