Mattress protectors: A household necessity

A mattress cover will afford you a clean mattress. For those that need a luxurious look, a fibre mattress cover is ideal. Shutter photo

What you need to know:

  • As essential as clothes are to our bodies, so are mattress covers to mattresses. They are not a luxurious item as they lend durability to the mattress and comfort to you.

Lillian Nakanwagi, a resident of Nateete-Nakawuka Road, had always had a rough time dealing with dust that often times left her clothes, beddings and other house hold items dirty and unfit for use.

The mother of two says her rest after a day’s work was never the best because she would go back to a stuffy environment. “The dust always made me sneeze and it always resulted in a cold,” she says.
To deal with this, Nakanwagi sought protective measures such as improving and modernising of the house, frequent cleaning and dusting.

Considering that she spends most of her time in her bedroom, whose window faces the road, she bought herself a mattress protector to cover her mattress that would easily get covered in dust yet hard to wash thus making her uncomfortable.

“From one of my friend’s advice, I managed to export a mattress protector made out of fabric with an anti-dust mite barrier. What excited me the most was the fabric was soft and comfortable to sleep on even without the use of bed sheets,” Nakanwagi says.

Being a mother of two young ones who still wet bed, she says she tried coping up with the washing and changing their bed sheets and bringing out the heavy mattresses to dry but this had turned out to be tiresome.

Nakanwagi turned to leather mattress protectors which helped to lighten her load since they only needed wiping with a clean cloth and soap water.

Robert Mugabe a marketer at E-Home accessories, an online store, explains that if one does not take care of their mattresses, it is like wearing the same clothes every day without washing them.

“Our bodies releases sweat and dandruff every day which may be difficult to wash off your mattress. It is also easy to spill liquids that stain the mattress. But with a mattress protector, cleaning is eased and the mattress is protected,” Mugabe explains.
Today, there are several brands selling mattress covers in various sizes. Nonetheless, there are two types, fiber and leather.

Comparing the two types, Mugabe says the main advantage of fiber to leather is that it comes in a variety of beautiful designs and is cheaper. He says fiber is mostly used in hotels because it is more of a luxury.

Mugabe adds that leather does not wear out easily so it can be used for long, it is easier as one only wipes while fiber must be washed, “More to that, leather does not get stained and keeps liquids off the mattress in the event that one has a bed-wetting child.

Carol Katarina, the proprietor of Katarina Beddings adds that to ensure both freshness and ideal sleeping conditions, buying a best mattress protector is necessary.

“There seems to be a lot of misconception about the use of a mattress protector. Whenever I talk about a mattress protector when selling a mattress, clients quickly refuse for fear of escalating costs.

Sometimes, the customer quickly reminds me that they do not wet the bed forgetting that there are fluids that the body produces such as sweat that could stain the mattress. It baffles me that so many people sleep on mattresses without mattress protectors,” Katarina states.

She adds that besides protecting the mattress, these covers act as heat regulators affording you a good sleep time and it can extend the lifespan of your mattress by as long as five to ten years without it getting damaged.

“Without these covers, there is no telling how long you can go without replacing your mattress,” Katrina says.
Prices of the mattress protectors differ depending on the type purchased and can be got from any big shopping outlets dealing in beddings or supermarkets, “Leather goes for Shs90000 while fiber Shs80,000 in all sizes.

“Fibre covers of 4 by 6, 5 by 6 and 6 by 6 go for Shs100,000, leather covers of 4 by 6 is Shs90,000 while 5 by 6 and 6 by 6 are for Shs100,000. However, if one’s bed is bigger than 6 by 6, the cover may go for Shs130,000,” Katrina says.

A closer look
As the name implies, mattress protectors are designed to safeguard your mattress from a range of threats such as stains, bacteria, fungi, and other unwanted contaminants. So-called “full encasement” protectors (the zip-around kind) are particularly important if you have concerns about bed bugs.

According to saatvamattress.com, mattress protector fabric can be waterproof, quilted, natural, or synthetic. They are designed to be washable and (with the exception of waterproof vinyl) breathable.