Incontinence Bed Protection
If you experience incontinence during the night it can be both embarrasing and uncomfortable, you will want to invest in incontinence bed protection to protect your mattress from getting wet otherwise it will discolour and possibly become mouldy, this then encourages bacteria and odours none of which is pleasant but there are a range of products available to help.
You will need some form of waterproof cover on the mattress, these don't have to be expensive but like anything else you will need to balance price with quality and durability. You can buy a waterproof cover for as little as a few pounds but what are you getting for this price? At the lower price range you can find simple wipe down covers made from plastic or pvc which are fine but can be uncomfortable to sleep on. Incontinence itself is uncomfortable enough without making matters worse with a cover that makes you hot and sweaty or one that is noisy to lie on. You will also need to take in to account that they will need washing on a regular basis, often budget protectors can only be washed so many times before they need replacing. Another important point with washing a waterproof bed protector is that to destroy bacteria you need to wash them at at least 60c, if the protector cannot be washed at this temperature then bacteria will not be removed. The protector should also, ideally have an absorbent upper surface otherwise fluids can just run off down the sides of the mattress causing further problems. Having an absorbent upper surface soaks up the fluids before they can escape.
For medium to heavy incontinence you could also consider an absorbent bed pad to use with the waterproof protector. These are usually around 3 feet square and sit on top of the protector. They are available in several absorbency levels. They work by trapping fluids inside a central soaker layer and stopping them from leaking elsewhere.
Snugnights offer 4 different levels of waterproof mattress protector from simple terry towelling mattress protectors in fitted sheet styles complete with absorbent upper surface a 60c wash temperatures through to breathable undetectable protectors that can be washed at temperatures up to 90c and even tumble dried. Virtually all mattress protectors actually only protect the upper surface of the mattress but often the elderly or infirm sit on the edge of the mattress before standing, if the top of the mattress protector is wet then this can then make the sides wet where there is no protection. For this reason we have protectors with waterproof sides and even protectors that completely totally enclose the mattress and are zip fastened. Our full range can be seen here Incontinence Bed Protection
