Mattress Protectors

The job of a protector is to keep the mattress dry without turning the bed into something that rustles, and this one states waterproof, noiseless and a depth all three. Several others do too. What is not shared is the combination of a named fiber with an actual pocket depth rather than a mattress ceiling.

In its favor

• States all three of the things this category is judged on: waterproof, noiseless and a 17 in pocket depth.
• Uses the correct fiber name, viscose, with bamboo given as the source.
• Seventeen inches clears most queen mattresses with room to grip.
• A knit viscose face is smoother against a fitted sheet than a terry surface.

Against it

• Noiseless is a seller word with no measurement behind it, and film always makes some sound eventually.
• Viscose is weak when wet, and this is an item that gets washed because something got wet.
• A waterproof film limits airflow no matter what the face fabric is.

Best for

A queen mattress up to about 15 inches, where the sound of the protector is the thing that would put you off.

Twenty-one inches is the tallest stated fit anywhere in this catalog, matched by one other protector here, and the 8 inch floor makes it a genuine span rather than a ceiling. That combination covers almost any stack you could build, including a thick mattress with a foam topper already on it.

In its favor

• The widest stated fit range in the catalog at 8 to 21 in, shared with one other protector here.
• A stated floor as well as a ceiling, so it will not swim on a thinner mattress.
• Names the fiber as viscose with bamboo as the source.
• A spacer mesh face rather than a flat laminate against the sheet.

Against it

• A spacer construction adds a little height of its own, which the listing does not quantify.
• Air fabric describes a structure and carries no airflow measurement.
• The waterproof film is still a film, whatever sits on top of it.

Best for

A tall stack, or a bed whose thickness is about to change because a topper is going on.

An 18 inch ceiling with a viscose face and both waterproof and noiseless stated. Eighteen inches is a tall ceiling, and with no floor given, this is one to check against a thinner mattress before buying rather than after.

In its favor

• States an 18 in ceiling, taller than most in this section.
• Uses viscose as the fiber name with bamboo as the source.
• States waterproof and noiseless.
• A knit face sits smoothly under a fitted sheet.

Against it

• A ceiling with no floor, so a shallow mattress may leave it loose.
• Viscose loses strength wet, and this item gets washed for wet reasons.
• No fabric weight or construction detail beyond the face fiber.

Best for

A queen mattress in the 12 to 18 inch range, where a smooth face matters under the sheet.

The same 8 to 21 inch span as the widest fitting protector here, with a spacer mesh face and no fiber named. It states 100% waterproof, which is an absolute claim, and absolutes are worth reading twice on a product that has to survive a washing machine.

In its favor

• An 8 to 21 in stated span, matching the widest range in the catalog.
• Spacer mesh construction rather than a flat laminate face.
• A stated floor as well as a ceiling.
• Queen, the most common bed.

Against it

• No fiber content stated for the face fabric.
• 100% waterproof is an absolute claim with no test method attached.
• Nothing stated about noise, which is the other half of what this category has to get right.

Best for

A tall queen stack where fit range is the priority and the surface fabric is not.

A 17 inch pocket with stretchable pockets called out separately, which matters more than it sounds: a stretch pocket grips a range rather than one thickness, and it is the difference between a protector that stays put and one that walks overnight.

In its favor

• States a 17 in depth figure.
• Stretchable pockets are named as a construction feature.
• States both waterproof and noiseless.
• Spacer mesh face rather than a plain laminate.

Against it

• No fiber content stated.
• Stretch is described but not quantified, so the working range is unknown.
• Air fabric is a structure name and carries no airflow figure.

Best for

A queen mattress around 12 to 16 inches where the protector needs to grip rather than drape.

The only protector in the catalog with a fabric weight on it. Two hundred grams per square meter tells you roughly how substantial the surface is, which is a genuinely comparable number in a category where almost everything else is an adjective.

In its favor

• States 200 GSM, the only fabric weight figure in this section.
• States a 15 in mattress ceiling.
• Machine washable is stated rather than implied.
• Twin, a size that gets fewer protector options than queen.

Against it

• The face fabric fiber is not named.
• A ceiling with no floor, so on a thin twin mattress it may sit loose.
• GSM describes weight, not waterproofing or quietness.

Best for

A twin mattress of 15 inches or less where a heavier surface fabric is wanted.

A 6 to 18 inch span, which is the lowest floor stated anywhere in this catalog. That low floor is the interesting part: it means the elastic is cut to grip a thin mattress, which most deep-pocket products handle badly.

In its favor

• The lowest stated floor in the catalog at 6 in, so it grips thin mattresses.
• A twelve inch working span, which is generous.
• States both noiseless and breathable.
• Queen.

Against it

• No fiber content stated for the surface.
• Breathable is claimed on a product with a waterproof film in it, which deserves scepticism.
• No fabric weight or laminate type given.

Best for

A thinner queen mattress, or a guest bed whose mattress thickness you genuinely do not know.

The only king protector in the catalog, at a stated 18 inch depth. On a king, the protector is also the largest thing you will regularly wash apart from the comforter, so machine washability being stated is worth more here than it is on a twin.

In its favor

• States an 18 in depth figure.
• The only king protector here.
• Machine washable is stated explicitly.
• Breathable and waterproof both claimed, so the trade is at least acknowledged.

Against it

• No fiber content stated.
• A ceiling with no floor.
• Nothing stated about noise, which is the complaint people have about protectors.

Best for

A king mattress up to about 16 inches, where this is the only option in the size on this site.

Terry is a looped pile, the same construction as a towel, and it is the most absorbent surface in this section. That is the reason to want it and the reason it takes longest to dry, and the listing names the construction while leaving the fiber unstated.

In its favor

• Names terry, which is a real construction and tells you how the surface behaves.
• States an 18 in deep pocket.
• The looped surface holds a spill on top rather than spreading it.
• Queen.

Against it

• Terry is a pile construction, not a fiber, so the content remains unstated.
• The most absorbent face here is also the slowest to dry through.
• Loops catch on rough fitted sheets and on jewelry.

Best for

A bed where spills are a realistic prospect and absorbency beats a smooth surface.

A cotton blend surface with stretchable pockets. Blend names one fiber and hides the rest, so this listing gets you halfway to a content statement, and stretch pockets do the same job here as elsewhere: grip a range rather than one thickness.

In its favor

• Names cotton as part of the surface, which most of this section does not.
• Stretchable pockets are called out as construction.
• Machine washable is stated.
• A cotton face feels less synthetic under a sheet than a plain laminate.

Against it

• Blend leaves the other fiber and the proportions unstated.
• No depth figure at all, so the fit has to be checked in person.
• Nothing stated about noise.

Best for

A queen bed where the surface fiber matters more than having an inch figure to work from.

The Twin XL version of the same seller queen protector, with the span cut down to 6 to 15 inches. Comparing the two is a small lesson in itself: the same product in a smaller size is built for a shallower range, which is a sensible decision and not an obvious one.

In its favor

• A stated 6 to 15 in span with a genuine floor.
• Twin XL, a size with few protector options.
• States noiseless and breathable.
• Directly comparable to the same seller queen version.

Against it

• No fiber content stated.
• A 15 in ceiling is beaten by most of this section.
• Breathable on a waterproof product is a claim without a measurement.

Best for

A Twin XL up to about 13 inches, where a low floor keeps the corners from lifting.

The only full size protector in the catalog, and a quilted one, which puts a thin layer of fill between the sleeper and the film. That padding is the point of a quilted pad, and it also means more to dry through after every wash.

In its favor

• The only full size protector here.
• Quilted construction adds a little padding over the film.
• States a 14 in deep pocket.
• The quilting keeps the film from lying directly under the sheet.

Against it

• No fiber content stated for the face or the fill.
• Quilted pads take considerably longer to dry all the way through.
• Fourteen inches is a modest ceiling if a topper is going on.

Best for

A full mattress up to about 12 inches where a little padding is wanted between sleeper and film.