What Do You Need To Protect Against?
Before starting your shopping, take a moment to think about how you intend to use your new mattress. Is this going to be an occasionally-used guest bed, or do you intend to sleep on it every night? Who is going to be using the bed? Do you have pets, children, allergies, or any other special considerations? Finally, do you want padding or other comfort enhancement, simple dust and stain protection, or both?
1. Protect Against Wear And Tear: A Cotton Cover
Are you dressing a seldom-used bed? In that case, your optimum choice is a simple cotton mattress cover, designed to prevent basic wear and tear of the mattress and provide a barrier against dust. A regular cotton cover isn’t waterproof, so this is not a good choice for a child’s bed, and because it doesn’t protect against dust mites, the cover should be laundered as often as you launder your sheets.
2. Protect Against Stains: A Waterproof Cover
Many people need to provide a bed for children or people with incontinence problems, and a waterproof mattress cover is a necessity in this case. Look for a cover that can provide waterproof protection for the entire mattress. While modern waterproof covers are much more cloth-like and less “crinkly” than old-school plastic mattress pads, some people find that layering a normal cotton mattress cover over the waterproof cover is more comfortable.
3. Stop Sneezing: An Allergen-Resistant Cover
If you’ve got allergies, than you’ll want to prevent your new mattress from getting infested by dust mites. Choose an allergen-resistant mattress encasement system–a mattress cover that surrounds the entire mattress like an envelope, often shutting with a zipper. And don’t forget your pillows: dust-resistant pillow covers that can go between your pillow and your pillowcase can keep dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens from getting deep into the filling of difficult-to-launder pillows.
You’ve made a smart investment with your new mattress. With just a bit of forethought, you can keep your bed in tip-top condition for many years to come.
Sources:
11 Surprising Health Benefits Of Sleep – www.bedbathandbeyond.com.com
Caring For A Mattress – www.bettersleep.org