Hi all (especially Phoenix!),
I’m looking for a 5 sided mattress protector that actually protects all 5 sides, not just the top. I saw a few older posts that recommended a few brands, but I didn’t have much luck with the links (I guess they expired). I saw Protect-a-bed referenced a few times, but the reviews have been very polarized from “best product ever” to “absolutely horrible”, so I think I’ll skip their product line for now.
Any other suggestions? Any help is much appreciated!
Thanks!
I went through and fixed most of the links in the protector post here and in this post that it links to. Some of them changed the URL on their websites so the links were broken and I hadn’t checked them in a while. Thanks for mentioning it (hopefully I got all of them).
Most of the thin membrane types of protectors are very similar products with a similar membrane and all of them have their share of complaints about the membrane failing in some cases but I suspect that many of them are from not following the care instructions because heat can degrade or melt the membrane. The biggest difference between them is in the fabric layers that the membrane is bonded to.
While many of them only have the waterproof membrane on the top surface … there are also some that protect the top and all 4 borders of the mattress. I would look for wording that says “5 sided protection” or “protects the top and sides” or something similar that makes it clear that they have waterproof protection on 5 sides of the mattress. A few manufacturers that make these that showed up with a search include …
They have all sided waterproof covers (“ultimate”) and their 5 side is the top and halfway down the sides listed as the “superior”.
Something else to be aware of, I believe it’s the cover from Malouf (they call a Five 5ided) mentions in their warranty that it covers the mattress as well however it’s very limited. The mattress is only warranted against spills if the mattress and protector are purchased at the same time and are on the same receipt if I’m not mistaken. I only point this out in case you’re comparing warranties or performance and see it mentioned that they will cover your mattress where others only cover replacement of the protector. If it’s purchased separately then just standard protector replacement applies much like other cover warranties.
Their warranty information is here:
Another consideration may be looking into Amazon’s protection plans if you haven’t already purchased a mattress. In addition to using a waterproof protector, they offer 3 and 5 year protection plans which claim to cover additional abuse (spills, stains, punctures, burns etc) - a multitude of extreme circumstances that isn’t covered normally. I believe it’s a 3rd party protection plan, so if going that route I would check into it further to determine the “fine print”.
They have all sided waterproof covers (“ultimate”) and their 5 side is the top and halfway down the sides listed as the “superior”.[/quote]
Their description says that the Superior is a mattress encasement that is 6 sided with a zipper that fully encloses the mattress and wouldn’t be as easy to put on and remove for cleaning as a 5 sided mattress protector that fits on the mattress like a fitted sheet.
Phoenix, you’re right and I forgot to mention the potential issues that may come with a zippered encasement vs a fitted sheet style. In some people’s experience I’ve read where when a failure took place, a zippered cover was a struggle to remove and couldn’t be swiftly ‘yanked’ off like a fitted style could be. This may not be the norm, but in a worst case scenario it might mean the difference between ‘spotting’ of a fluid penetration vs a more severe leak.
forthemame, I’ve seen the same thing you mentioned, the varied experiences from customer reviews on just about any brand of protector from works great to totally failed. This has been something I’ve been in the market for as well (a dependable protector) and was hoping to have complete peace of mind. However I think I’ll be changing my approach and rather than relying solely on the protector it might be better practice to use a cover as a ‘back up plan’ and still treat the bed as if it’s not covered rather than having a false sense of security. At least I think that’ll be the best approach for myself. Drying does seem to play a big role in premature barrier leaks and I’m sure it may be due to different dryers. One brand’s ‘low heat’ may be hotter, I don’t even know the actual heat my own dryer produces on varied settings and just have to rely on low/med/high heat ranges (whatever those actually are). Line drying if possible may be safer.
I don’t know the situation or your needs, it can range from preventing accidental beverage spills to children and bed wetting, medical conditions etc. If it’s a situation such as for a kid’s bed where they’re still having ‘accidents’ or for medical issues where the likelihood of needing protection is higher, additional protection like a puddle pad or similar may be a good addition to the protector itself.
I went through and fixed most of the links in the protector post here and in this post that it links to. Some of them changed the URL on their websites so the links were broken and I hadn’t checked them in a while. Thanks for mentioning it (hopefully I got all of them).
Most of the thin membrane types of protectors are very similar products with a similar membrane and all of them have their share of complaints about the membrane failing in some cases but I suspect that many of them are from not following the care instructions because heat can degrade or melt the membrane. The biggest difference between them is in the fabric layers that the membrane is bonded to.
While many of them only have the membrane on the top surface … there are also some that protect the top and all 4 borders of the mattress. I would look for wording that says “5 sided protection” or “protects the top and sides” or something similar that makes it clear that they protect on 5 sides of the mattress. A few manufacturers that make these that showed up with a search include …
Thanks Phoenix. I guess I can’t go too wrong knowing that there’s no clear cut best mattress protector given when I’m looking for.
As an aside, is this your full time job? You’ve been very helpful for years and type comprehensive replies that go in to great detail. It’s refreshing, I just don’t know how you can keep it up!
I guess I’ll just pick one at random from Amazon and hope for the best. I don’t need anything too fancy, I just want to protect my new king sized latex mattress. I don’t wet the bed or sweat much. I bought a protector already, but it doesn’t protect the sides, so I’m returning it in favor of a more robust option.
