You should always use a mattress protector to keep your mattress free of sweat, spills, and accidents. Keep in mind that stains and odors may end the trial period and void the warranty.

We recommend a mattress protector that has some elasticity or stretch. Non-stretchy protectors will restrict your ability to settle into the bed or for the bed to properly relieve hip and shoulder pressure and give you maximum comfort. Also, fiber-filled or padded mattress protectors will dampen the effectiveness of your Ziwi bed, so we recommend against using these as well.

Some thin mattress protectors are already stretchy enough. Here's a simple test to perform to see if yours is stretchy enough for a Ziwi mattress:

1. Remove all other bedding down to the protector.

2. Find where your hips would be if you were sleeping. With one hand, pull the protector fabric up away from the mattress.

3. Place your other other about six inches closer to the head of the bed and pull the protector fabric up from the mattress. Be sure the fabric between your hands is not loose.

4. Pull in opposite directions. If the fabric between your hands stretches at least another two inches, your protector should be stretchy enough.

5. Repeat this stretch test again with your hands about six inches apart side to side. This allows you to test the stretchability in two directions—head-to-foot AND side-to-side. 

6. You want to get at least two inches of stretch to ensure that your sheets can accommodate the contouring of a ZiPP bed.

7. If you aren't getting the minimum two inches of stretch, we recommend getting a stretchy protector to get the full benefit of our ZiPP technology.