I’m interested in finding a mattress protector which:
Is water resistant
Is breathable
Isn’t thick enough so as to change the feel of the mattress
I’ve looked through the forum and found St. Dormier, Natura, plus others in this post. But I don’t really know which ones fit the above criteria. This post does indicate that the St. Dormier does in deed affect the feel of the mattress. So I don’t want to go that route. Any further feedback would be great.
I’ve also found this protector which is thin, inexpensive, and receives high praise. But I have trouble believing that any 100% waterproof protector can really be breathable. Thoughts?
Hmm this protector from Foam Sweet Foam looks promising. It is 1/4" thick, and I’d guess they don’t get much thinner? Has anyone tried this or something similar over a latex mattress and observed any difference in the feel of the mattress?
You won’t be able to find a mattress protector which has the “best” of all the features you are looking for (water resistance, temperature regulation, and how it affects the feel of the mattress). There are always tradeoffs involved.
While I don’t have personal experience with it … it would most likely be very similar to any of the other mattress protectors that used a cotton terry fabric bonded to a semi breathable waterproof membrane.
I don’t know how much wool there is in this protector but the St Dormier has 4.5 oz/yd2 which you can use as a frame of reference to compare them. The Sleep & Beyond wool/cotton protector is also similar with 5 oz/yd of wool.
Any wool quilted cotton protector will have “some effect” on the feel of the mattress and would generally have “more effect” than either a cotton stretch knit protector or a thinner membrane style protector.
OK, that’s what I figured. Those terry cloth with polyurethane membrane types also seem to make a bit of noise.
Here is another wool option which appears quite thin in the picture. It’s essentially a moisture pad with straps. And this seller also has a fully organic wool option, but I’d probably not pay the incremental price for this. They also have the Green Sleep full cover which is similar to the Cozy Pure.
This would be similar to some of the other thinner 1/4" puddle pads that are made from densified or needle punched wool.
The Clean Shield mattress protector is a newer type of mattress protector made from Crypton fabric that is also waterproof and doesn’t have a membrane but I don’t have any personal experience with it and haven’t heard any feedback about how it feels or how breathable it is. It’s available from Walmart here and on Amazon here among other places as well.
Hmm, Crypton. It sounds like they load that stuff with chemicals…
[quote]
To avoid the plastic-like feel of water-repellant materials like vinyl, the fabric is repeatedly treated with a water-based solution containing a variety of ingredients. Mainly, these include antimicrobial and fluorochemical agents. The antimicrobials are disinfectants aimed at preventing the growth of, and killing, microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, mildew, mold and algae. Fluorochemicals (think of products like Scotchgard and Teflon, but with a unique new chemistry) help increase the fabric’s water- and stain-resistance.
Other ingredients in the fabric’s treatment may include:
thickeners to help ensure the fabric treatment is the proper consistency to effectively coat all the fibers
UV stabilizers to provide at least two years of guaranteed fade-resistance for Crypton’s outdoor line
flame retardants to help decrease flammability
resins to help strengthen the treatment’s molecular bonds
additional additives, such as dyes and pigments to add a splash of color[/quote]
BTW, I’m probably going to just bite the bullet and go with the Cozy Pure protector. It sounds like an excellent choice, albeit a tad spendy one, for latex mattresses being stretchy. I’ll just give them a quick buzz tomorrow and find out about it’s moisture repelling properties - or lack there of. It seems to be nothing more than a well-made cotton cover, so I’m not sure how it can protect much against spills. I will see what they have to say.
You can read some of Cheryl’s comments about their stretch cotton protector in post #12 here and some feedback about them from forum members here and here and here and here.
It’s won’t “repel” moisture but it is thick and moisture absorbent enough to protect your mattress from the normal body oils and fluids that we release each night.
For what it’s worth, I went with the protector from Foam Sweet Foam. It’s on its way to me.
It seems to be a good choice for moisture absorption being stuffed with wool, while also being more stretchy than a straight wool puddle pad. I also am not concerned about moisture absorption on the sides, and since it doesn’t provide any - that means it’s cheaper than other alternatives.
So I just wanted to jump in because I happened to find this thread yesterday as I was trying to find a mattress cover. I ordered the Crypton legget and platt mattress protector and it showed up today. I just put it on and I think I’ve finally found the one!
A little back story: I bought a SelectFoam Cirrus Luxe ES-13 last year and initially was disappointed with the softness of it. After some trial and error, I realized that I was most comfortable and the mattress was the softest without the fire retardant barrier AND the top mattress cover. It’s the most comfortable thing in the world to me and has the support and cushioning that I prefer but obviously just a fitted sheet over the bare foam isn’t ideal. Over the year I’ve tried numerous different mattress protectors-some that i found locally in Target or bed bath and beyond and 1 or 2 i ordered on amazon. Every single one including a tempurpedic all gave me the same result: as soon as i put them on, the mattress was noticeably different. For me, I love the feeling of my legs and arms sinking slightly into the mattress when I lay on it. I can gently press my fingers into the top layer and feel them sink down but this goes away with a mattress protector. I’ve tried sleeping on all of them for at least a night but was never satisfied.
Fast forward to today-although the Legett and Platt mattress protector does not seem all that different than others I’ve experienced, I immediately noticed the difference laying down. I can say that this is the first one I’ve tried that does not seem to affect the feel of my mattress. While it’s still got a bit of that papery texture to it and makes a little noise if you move around, it’s definitely not as noticeable. Without having slept on it yet, I can’t say for sure but I’m 75% sure that this cover has finally met all of my requirements!
I’d also like to report back on the Foam Sweet Foam protector. I felt it shrunk a tad more than expected after the first wash, and the top surface doesn’t quite cover the entire surface of my queen mattress. But we’re talking within an inch or so. The pockets are nice and deep and it otherwise fits a 10" mattress with ease. It is also a forgiving pad which doesn’t interfere with the feel of the mattress itself. No tissuey/rubbery feel; no noise. Very natural.
Now it’s not the type of pad I’d want to spill large quantities of liquid on. But it’s certainly going to do the job for minor spills. That’s all I need. I stopped wetting the bed a while back. :lol:
Looked at the Foam Sweet Foam protector and liked what I saw, all natural cotton, but they don’t carry a Split CA King size. Suggestions for a source. Would like to keep price around 150.
Make sure you have something with a bit of absorbency on top in case spills are frequent in this mattress. The Crypton works well - the fluid will roll right off the protector and down the side and then onto your foundation. It’s actually pretty cool to pour a bit of fluid on the protector and watch it roll around. If you don’t have many spills on your mattress then this wouldn’t be an issue.
I checked the cotton/wool mattress protectors I know about and none of them appear to have a split king size.
I also checked the other types of protectors and only a few of them have a split cal king protector available at all. The ones I found that do (at least in some of their protectors) are …
I also talked to Deborah at DIYnaturalbedding and if you are looking for a wool mattress protector she told me she could make a wool puddle pad for you in split cal king size.
Hi Phoenix. I was going to start a thread almost identical to this, so thought I would add my post here instead
I am wondering IF there is such a thing, as breathable and 100% Waterproof?
These are the two things I am concerned with, that and durability. I don’t mind if it adds a little softness to the mattress and would almost welcome that. Machine washable would be nice, as would good price (quietness and hypoallergenic also important I guess) .
What general or specific recommendations would you give given those requirements? I have no idea what to really look for here like materials etc. I just bought an organic Latex bed (thank you for your help!) so this is what its going on.
TIA
p.s I thought I might have found a good protector here: Amazon.ca
until I went through the low rated reviews and seen that after the protector was watched a couple of times it lost its waterproof quality so this is something I want to try and avoid as well.
p.s.s seems new website format is slowing site down
There are degrees of breathability and there are also degrees of water resistance so there really isn’t a mattress protector that is both completely breathable and completely waterproof (as much as any material can be either). The closest you will find would be the membrane types of protectors that would be “semi breathable” and “mostly waterproof”. There is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors in post #89 here. All of them have different tradeoffs between their degree of water resistance, how much they affect the feel of the mattress, and how much they affect temperature regulation and there isn’t one that has the best of all worlds.
I would also keep in mind that a thicker mattress protector (or a mattress pad that is thicker yet) can make some mattresses “feel” firmer even if the protector or mattress pad is fairly soft if the comfort layers of the mattress are in the softer range and the thicker mattress protector or mattress pad reduces the ability of the softer foam layers underneath it to contour to the shape of your body. In other words you could have a softer “hand feel” (which is the softness that you feel with minimal compression) but a firmer feel overall when you sink into the mattress more deeply.
Most of the “membrane type” of protectors such as the safe rest have some reviews that say the same thing so it’s important to make sure you follow the care instructions when you wash them and especially when you dry them so they can maintain their water resistance as much as possible.
Yes … it’s been somewhat frustrating since the new site was launched but I will be changing hosts and once the site is transferred to a new server it should start running much faster. It should be complete within a few days.
