I was referred to this forum through a different website. It has been a wealth of information. Thank you Phoenix for creating a site with so much information for the consumer.
Based on what I read here, I ultimately purchased a Restonic s bliss firm latex mattress. I received a fair price locally.
However, the salesperson recommended a dri-tec mattress “sleeve” to protect the mattress from stains. I was informed that the manufacturer would not honor their warranty if the mattress was stained. I understand after some internet research that this type of “stain” warranty disclaimer is not uncommon.
Their price was double the amazon.com price, so I deferred purchasing the protective cover. It seems like a stain-causing event (wine spill, etc.) would likely penetrate the cover, so I am wondering if it even makes sense to purchase the cover. It isn’t too expensive ($109 on amazon), so I just wanted to get the forum’s thoughts on whether buying this extra level of “insurance” is even necessary. Thanks for any input/experience you all may have.
Yes … the “norm” is that any stain on a mattress (even a water ring) can invalidate any warranty.
I believe that a mattress protector is always a good idea to protect the mattress from stains and the normal moisture, body oils, and shedding skin that can lead to less hygienic conditions including the dust mite population in your mattress (not to mention protecting it from accidents). Mattress protectors are much easier to wash and keep clean than a mattress cover.
There are different types of protectors available depending on which of the tradeoffs are most important to you but the different types and their pros and cons and some sources for each are listed in post #89 here.
Both the “waterproof” membrane type and the water resistant wool type will protect against “accidents” from penetrating the protector (waterproof more effectively than water resistant) into the mattress below. Of course where you buy the protector doesn’t matter as much as that you have one that is effective because the warranty doesn’t depend on which protector you buy … only that there are no stains on the mattress.