A mattress protector is the cheapest insurance anybody buys for a bedroom, and the three types do genuinely different jobs. Buying the wrong one is how people conclude that protectors do not work.
Quilted
A padded, breathable layer that absorbs the ordinary damp of sleeping — and everybody sleeps damp. It adds a little softness, washes easily, and is what most households want. It is not waterproof: a spilled drink goes through it.
Waterproof
A membrane bonded to a fabric backing. This is the one to buy for a child's bed, for anyone unwell, for a pet who sleeps on the bed, and for any room that is let to strangers. The modern ones are quiet and breathable; the cheap ones crackle.
The membrane is also the part that needs care: wash warm, never hot, and tumble low or line dry. High heat lifts the laminate off the backing, and a delaminated protector has stopped working without looking any different.
Encasement
Zips all the way round the mattress and seals it. This is the only option that addresses dust mites properly, and the one to use on a new mattress you intend to keep for a decade, or an old one you want to isolate. It takes longer to fit and it is worth doing with two people.
Depth, again
A protector has a skirt like a fitted sheet, and the same rule applies: measure the mattress from the top face to the base, add any topper, and buy to the total. A protector that will not reach is a protector that comes off in the night.
Pillows need protecting too, and nobody does it
A pillow absorbs more than a mattress does, over the same years, and is far harder to clean. A pillow protector under the case costs very little and roughly doubles how long a pillow stays pleasant.
For cots and children's beds
Waterproof, every time, and washed often — which means owning two. Our cot, moses and bunk protectors are cut for UK cot and cot bed mattresses rather than trimmed down from an adult size.
Browse mattress protectors, or if you are buying for several rooms at once, the hotel linen cupboard guide covers quantities.
