Hi lovadey,
Thanks for the update and for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress 
You certainly made a great quality/value choice and it’s good to hear that it’s working out well for you.
[quote]If this mattress were to get wet, could we use a dryer over a few days and not sleep on it to bring it back to normal? Or would you suggest a mattress protector from someone like protectabed
Just trying to evaluate if a protector is necessary or not[/quote]
Liquids can certainly damage the foam in a mattress (depending on the type of liquid and on the type of foam) and an accidental spill or stain can also void a warranty.
Outside of any potential damage to the mattress … I would also consider a mattress protector to be important to protect your mattress from stains and the body fluids, skin cells, and oils that we release each night, to protect against spills and accidents, and to keep your sleeping surface in a clean and hygienic condition. It will also protect your warranty because most mattress warranties are usually voided with any type of stain on a mattress. They can be easily removed for washing and are usually designed to have the least possible effect on the feel and performance of the mattress itself. This way you won’t need to clean your mattress cover except for spot cleaning when necessary and vacuuming the surface from time to time. There is more about the pros and cons of the different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here.
Phoenix