Whether we’re working with our hotel clients around the world to create beautiful and hygienic beds for their guests or with our retail customers to design their individual sleep havens, we always begin with the foundational items that will protect their mattresses and pillows. No matter your individual sleep style or your bedroom aesthetic, waterproof mattress pads and zippered pillow protectors are must-have elements of a hygienic bed.
Bed Hygiene Is Critical to a Great Night’s Sleep
Even if you don’t have pets or children climbing in and out of your bed, you need to protect your mattresses and pillows. Face it, we all sweat and drool when we sleep. We also shed skin cells that attract dust mites, spill food and drinks, and suffer the occasional accident or illness. Unprotected, your mattress and pillows can become soiled very quickly.
By preventing these contaminants from reaching your mattress and pillows, you can extend their useful lives and protect your sleep health and well-being. That’s why we strongly recommend consistent use of a waterproof mattress pad and zippered pillow protectors.
How Do I Choose a Waterproof Mattress Pad?
A mattress pad can provide extra cushioning for your mattress, as well as protect it from dirt and debris. However, all mattress pads are not created equal. down etc spent years developing and perfecting our lilypads® line of waterproof mattress pads to meet all of our customers’ needs for noiseless, motionless, and breathable pads for their mattresses. lilypads® mattress pads are designed with a 100% polyester nonwoven backing to provide a waterproof barrier shown to be capable of holding up to three gallons of water; a 100% cotton top layer to provide a soft and silky base on which to place the bottom sheet; and polyester fill to wick moisture away and provide added cushioning. Double-diamond quilting holds the layers together and provides the pads with the strength to withstand repeated laundering. The full elastic skirt prevents the pad from moving regardless of the movement of the sleeper and provides protection for mattresses up to 18” deep.
Recognizing that some sleepers like extra cushioning, we offer our lily pads® in your choice of 5.5 oz of fill or 15 oz of fill. In response to customer requests, we’ve also created lily pads® waterproof overlays that provide the same motionless, noiseless, and breathable protection from spills and incontinence. They can be placed on the bed, as well as on furniture, car seats, and wheelchairs to provide peace of mind. Easy to launder in the washing machine and dryer, they eliminate the waste that results from disposable incontinence pads.
The mattress pad not only provides a barrier between you and your mattress; it provides an extra cushion for sleeping, as well as a soft and silky base on which to place the fitted sheet to alleviate tugging when you change your sheets. Make sure you select the right size pad for your mattress so that it covers the top and sides completely and tightly. Our lily pads® come in all standard mattress sizes.
What’s the Difference Between a Mattress Pad and a Mattress Topper?
While a waterproof mattress pad is intended to protect your mattress from spills and accidents, a mattress topper is designed entirely for comfort. Our favorite mattress topper is our essential feather bed with baffle box construction. We continue to recommend a waterproof mattress pad, but the feather bed offers several benefits for both your wallet and your sleep. Often seen only at the most luxurious hotels, they are also a wonderful alternative to immediate investment in a more expensive mattress as they are placed on top of the mattress and deliver an extra level of cushion and comfort.
Our essential feather bed offers an extra 2 ½” luxurious layer of loft to create your best night of sleep. We manufacture our feather beds to the same exacting standards as our comforters, covering them with a double layer of 100% preshrunk, super-soft, down-proof white cotton. The 2½” baffle box construction with invisible seams keeps the feathers from moving to one end of the feather bed. Double stitching and German cotton piping make this a long-lasting investment able to withstand institutional laundering by some of the most discerning hotels in the world.
How Do I Choose a Pillow Protector?
We have recommended the use of our zippered essential cotton pillow protector to protect against sweat and spills and to extend the life of the pillows you love so often that it has become our mantra. In response to requests from customers, we introduced our waterproof zippered pillow protector. It has a 90% bamboo surface for softness with a 100% polyurethan to make it waterproof.
Pillow protectors help promote healthy sleep and contribute to a healthy sleeping environment in several ways. First, moisture in your bedding can quickly lead to mold and mildew. A zippered pillow protector provides another layer between your pillow and your head to absorb any moisture. Second, a zippered protector creates a barrier against dust mites and helps prevent the spread of bed bugs. Third, if you and your family are prone to allergies, a pillow protector acts as an allergen barrier so you can get to sleep instead of sniffling and sneezing. Finally, cooling pillow protectors can help you sleep better during warmer months. Our hot/cool pillow cover is made with a hot side that provides a warming effect on the skin and a cool side that dissipates excessive heat to create a cooling effect. You choose.
While pillowcases can help keep your pillow clean while you sleep, they don’t offer the same level of protection as zippered pillow protectors. We recommend using both. While pillowcases should be changed each week (more frequently if you're prone to allergies or have skin concerns), we recommend a pillow protector be laundered monthly or when it becomes soiled. Bottom line: Removing a pillow protector for regular laundering is much easier than washing your pillows.
Are Waterproof Mattress Pads and Zippered Pillow Protectors Necessary If I Don’t Have Kids or Pets?
The short answer is yes. We recommend consistent use of a waterproof mattress pad and zippered pillow protectors from the moment you bring your mattress and pillows into your home.
If you’re adding these hygiene items to your existing mattress and pillows, we recommend giving your mattress a thorough spot clean and vacuum before placing the waterproof mattress pad on top. Similarly, we recommend you wash and thoroughly dry your pillows before placing them into zippered pillow protectors. That way, you’re protecting a clean mattress and pillows.
How Should I Wash My Mattress Pad and Pillow Protectors?
Our mattress pads and zippered pillow protectors can be laundered in your machines at home so long as you have machines large enough to allow them to move freely. We recommend machine washing in warm water with mild detergent on the gentle cycle and tumbling dry on low heat. Avoid using fabric softener during the wash cycle or dryer sheets while drying your mattress pads as fabric softener will damage the surface of the pad. We do not recommend dry cleaning or ironing the mattress pads. Before washing your pillow protectors, be sure the zippers are fully closed so nothing is damaged.
When Should I Wash My Waterproof Mattress Pad and Zippered Pillow Protectors?
Like all bedding, your mattress pad and pillow protectors should be cleaned when they become soiled or pick up a smell. Even without obvious soiling, you should launder your mattress pads and pillow protectors periodically to remove the accumulation of dander you might not be able to see. The change of seasons can be a reminder to take this extra step.
Read more:
Do You Need to Cleanup Your Bed for Better Sleep?
Why Do I Need a Pillow Protector?
Bedding Buying Guide: How to Care for Your Pillows and Bedding
About down etc
For over twenty years, down etc has worked with hoteliers and professional housekeepers in hotels around the world to provide pillows and bedding that will offer hotel guests memorably great sleep. Through our retail website, we seek to provide products that will result in the same quality sleep for our customers at home. We believe in the restorative power of a great night’s sleep, whether at home or away.
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