The Best Mattress Protectors of 2022

A household name, Tempur-Pedic is known for its comfy memory foam beds and pillows, so I wasn’t surprised it also makes one of the best mattress protectors. This cover is thin, and it doesn’t have any quilting, which is a pro and con.

It’s great for those who want something that feels nearly non-existent under their sheets. One drawback is that it doesn’t absorb and wick away as much liquid as some quilted options. For someone who is looking to use a protector as bed-wetting protection, this could be more problematic. For those not concerned about large amounts of liquids, this may not be an issue as we found it does absorb some of the liquid.

I also enjoyed this mattress cover because it was easy to get on and off the bed, did not make a lot of noise while I tossed and turned at night, and felt comfortable to sleep on. Finally, though it wasn’t as cool as the Slumber Cloud, it felt cool to touch when I got into bed, thanks to the Rapidcool technology. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to last through the entire night, though I did not overheat either; it felt more temperature neutral than anything.

The Purple mattress protector is light and thin, as it doesn’t have extra fabric or quilting on top. You might think these qualities make it ineffective, but liquid did not seep through at all. It only felt cooler on the underside beneath where the liquid was dribbled.

Purple notes on its website that the mattress protector is water-resistant and not waterproof. In other words, it may not completely block a large amount of liquid or over time it may bleed through. I wouldn’t be surprised if its water-resistance decreases as the product is washed more, too.

This product is great for someone who is less concerned with liquids on the surface of the mattress and wants greater protection on the sides of their bed. Other products we tested relied on mesh fabrics around the perimeter, though this one features the same material on all five sides.

The Casper waterproof mattress protector is slightly thicker and has some cushion on top. We found that the extra padding helped absorb liquid, dispersing it through the fabric and preventing the pooling effect we saw with several others we tested.

This thicker fabric, however, felt warmer while I slept, but it wasn’t unbearably hot. The real dealbreaker was that it was extremely hard to get on and off the bed. I really had to pull on the side material to get it in place—to the point I thought I might rip it—and it took a fair amount of work to get it correctly lined up on the bed. Also, after a few times of taking it off and putting it back on, the side fabric started to curl up at the bottom. It didn’t grip the bed and slipped off, and I had to start over—a huge inconvenience.

Coop Home Goods uses its “Lulltra” fabric on the top of this mattress protector for an “ultra-luxe” feel. It’s made with polyester and viscose rayon from bamboo, making it one of the smoothest covers of the bunch, though I couldn’t tell the difference once I put sheets over the mattress protector. This protector prevented liquids from reaching the bed, but in testing the water tended to puddle rather than distribute through the fabric.

The fabric that goes around the sides of the mattress is a very thin and stretchy mesh. In this case, it was so flimsy that the protector didn’t fit securely on the bed. It didn’t bunch up underneath the sheets but it didn’t exactly lay smooth, which leads me to believe it may shift more over time.

I immediately loved that this protector had a label with “side” written on it, so there was no confusion as to which way to position it. I didn’t have to turn it or take it off after initially securing it over the wrong corner.

At first glance it seemed similar in construction to other protectors, featuring a quilted top, stretchy mesh sides, and elastic banding. But I found that it fit loosely on the bed and shifted around when I was sleeping. It wasn’t enough to feel uncomfortable, but over time this may become a problem. I also noticed a slight increase in heat while I was sleeping on it. It wasn’t enough to disturb me, but it wouldn’t be a top pick.

This protector is one of the few we tested that can be machine-washed in hot water, making it a great choice for someone who doesn’t want to run it in a separate load from other linens. During tests, it protected the mattress from liquids, but the water pooled on the surface rather than absorbing into the protector.

Unfortunately, the cons outweigh the pros. It doesn’t fit snugly on the bed and took some effort to get in the right place. It also rustles more than the others we tested, and even though it didn’t bother me, it might disturb a light sleeper. Additionally, it didn’t lay smoothly on the mattress, and I noticed a small increase in heat while sleeping.

Safe Rest’s mattress protector differentiated itself because its top cover is made out of unpadded cotton terry cloth. Because of its construction, terry cloth is very absorbent—which is why it’s popular for bath towels—and when we tested it, the material absorbed the water without penetrating to the other side.

On the other hand, the material wasn’t as comfortable to sleep on because I could feel the texture of the loops under my sheets. Its cotton was rather stiff, which contributed to my discomfort. It also seemed warmer than other mattress protectors and was a bit noisy.

The sides were made of a stretchy mesh and a thin elastic band, which made it easy to get on and off my bed, but the materials were lower quality and not strong enough to keep it secure. It shifted slightly and I could see it being an issue after multiple nights. In the lab, it stained more than most of the others we tested, retaining a slight discoloration from the pomegranate juice. Staining and shifting, paired with its already bothersome texture, made this a poor performer.

This is the cheapest protector we tested—and it felt like it. Stiff and slippery, the vinyl protector was hard to put on the bed. It felt like sleeping on a plastic shower curtain—which is as unpleasant as it sounds. My back was often hot and sweaty, as the material isn’t breathable.

On top of all this, there was a fine layer of dust all over the cover when I pulled it out of the packaging. It needed to be washed, but it didn’t include any care instructions. I threw it in the wash on cold and because I didn’t want to risk putting it in the dryer, I was left with a sopping wet mess and water everywhere.

There is one advantage to this cover: The vinyl does not absorb any liquid whatsoever. If it happens to get wet, you can simply wipe it clean rather than removing it to wash like fabric covers. Nevertheless, in our opinion, you may want to kick in a few extra bucks to buy something else.