Temporary mattress protector

[phoenix]

Hi shellylh,

Will several layers of cotton make me sweat more?

Probably not because cotton is very breathable and does a good job or wicking moisture as well. There is more about all the many variables that can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here.

I thought about just going ahead and trying out the mattress pad from Foam Sweet Foam but now I am worried that it might have some mold/mildew in it so I may just have to throw it out (since I will alwasy worry that there is mildew on the inside). The problem is that I got it about a week ago and immediately put it in the hot dryer for a couple of hours to kill any potential bed bugs (I do this with all clothing, sheets, blankets, etc. to be cautious). I was worried that the bed bugs wouldn’t be killed so I through the hot blanket into a garbage bag and sealed it up. This was a mistake. Since the protector was warm at the time, I fear that there could have been condensation in the closed up bag, causing a bit of mildew to form on the inside. It turns out that keeping natural fibers like cotton and wool in a closed up plastic environment isn’t a great idea.

Wool is also a very breathable material and also stores moisture inside the fiber itself so it’s very resistant to mold and mildew and this isn’t something that I would have any concern about with a mattress protector that has quilted wool covered with cotton.

Hopefully you didn’t ruin the protector by putting it in a hot dryer for a couple of hours (they recommend a medium dryer setting).

If one ordered a puddle pad, would it be sufficient to use a flannel sheet on top of it or should one get another cotton mattress protector to use over it.

The previous post I linked includes my comments about using a puddle pad with either a sheet or a cotton protector on top of it. While it’s not waterproof it would be water resistant and it would certainly be “good enough” for most people.

Has anyone tried just using a wool blanket instead of a puddle pad? Perhaps they are too thin?

It would depend on the specifics of the blanket but a wool blanket is normally woven rather than needle punched or felted to densify it so it wouldn’t be as water resistant and it also may feel a little more prickly and not as soft as a protector or puddle pad so if you decide to go in this direction then it may be a good idea to felt the blanket.

Phoenix