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One of the most important aspect to any Airbnb is the bed! Of course, you want to provide your Airbnb guests with a comfortable mattress, solid bed frame, clean bedding, and plush pillows. That said, many new Airbnb hosts overlook the importance of protecting their mattresses and pillows. So today, I am going to share my exact process and links to the best mattress protectors, mattress pads, and pillow protectors, including exactly which ones I use in our top-rated vacation rentals!
Spills happen, sweat happens, makeup transfers, kids have accidents, and sometimes guests are just… messy! So, let’s dig in!
Why Mattress Protectors & Pillow Protectors Matter for Airbnb Hosts
Mattresses and pillows are some of the most expensive and hardest-to-replace items in an Airbnb, and once they’re damaged, there’s no easy fix. Even small stains, odors, or moisture can quickly shorten their lifespan because you never want them to be in poor condition when your Airbnb guests arrive.
Using the best mattress protectors, mattress pads, and pillow protectors helps prevent long-term damage. It also keeps your beds looking and feeling fresh for guests without extra work between stays.
And beyond basic cleanliness, you want to make sure you protect your Airbnb mattresses and pillows from allergens, mites, and, of course, bed bugs!
Short on time? I have all of the best mattress protectors, pillow protectors, and more in one easy-to-shop Amazon list. Just click the button below!
The Bedding Protection System I Use in Every Airbnb Bed
Over the years, I’ve landed on a simple system that works across all of our Airbnbs. It makes bed resets easy for my cleaners and keeps every bed always looking and feeling fresh.
And, I do it a little differantly than I do at home. In our Airbnb rental properties, every bed has multiple layers of protection, so one issue doesn’t ruin the entire setup.
This layered approach protects our Airbnb mattress in the long term, adds a (non-noisy) waterproof barrier, and keeps the bed comfortable for guests. It also makes it easy to swap and wash individual layers without disrupting the full bed setup or ever really needing to remove the actual mattress.
Here is exactly how I do it! And, if you are looking for bed frames, mattresses, etc, for your Airbnb bedrooms, use the following links to read those posts. That way, you can follow my exact Airbnb bed recipe!
Layer 1: Zippered Mattress Protector Encasement
Every mattress in our Airbnbs has a full-zippered mattress encasement to protect the mattress from allergens, dust mites, and worst-case scenarios like bedbugs. This is the layer that stays on long-term and isn’t removed between guests.
I prefer zippered encasements because they fully seal the mattress instead of just covering the top. If something ever happens, replacing an encasement is far easier and cheaper than replacing a mattress. This also provides peace of mind for your Airbnb guests. No one ever wants to see a soiled mattress at an Airbnb rental!
What I Use: AllerEase Mattress Protector
Other popular options include: Guardmax Mattress Encasement and the Utopia Mattress Encasement.
Note that if you have a platform bed without a box spring, that is all you need. However, if your Airbnb’s bed has a box spring, you want that protected in the same way. The Hospitality Products Box Spring Encasement is a solid option!
When choosing a size, order based on the mattress depth. That said, if you plan to use one of the extra 2″-4″ memory foam mattress toppers, like these, you will want that inside of this encasement as well. This means you may need to order a slightly larger size. Just be aware!
Layer 2: Waterproof Mattress Protectors
On top of the encasement, I use a thinner waterproof mattress protector that fits like a fitted sheet. This is the extra protection layer that catches spills, sweat, sunscreen, and small accidents before anything reaches the mattress encasement.
Why do I add this extra layer?
This layer is easy to remove and wash as needed, which makes turnovers faster and less stressful than removing the entire mattress encasement. Plus, they are light and inexpensive!
Just make sure to buy one that is both waterproof and not stiff or noisy! I have a backup of these in my cleaner’s linen closets for when they need to swap them out. For these, I am not particularly loyal to one product, like the top and bottom layers. I use a couple of brands throughout the beds in our rentals, essentially buying them when on sale.
What I Use: Bedlore Waterproof Mattress Protectors and Baleine Waterproof Mattress Protectors
Other popular options include: this cooling waterproof mattress protector, the Muxhome mattress protector, and the Hannah Linen bamboo blend waterproof mattress protector.
Layer 3: Soft Mattress Pad
The mattress pad is the layer that adds comfort for guests and is the layer I swap out and launder most often. This is the piece that takes the brunt of regular use and helps the bed feel more comfortable and inviting.
It’s not necessarily waterproof (though some are water-resistant), which is why I have a layer underneath. But most of the time, unless you are outfitting children’s beds where accidents may happen, things get absorbed in this and don’t soak through to the middle layer.
You will also want to have a backup of these available for your cleaners. Keeping an extra mattress pad per bed on hand makes same-day turnovers easier when something needs to be laundered or replaced quickly. It also helps protect the waterproof layer underneath from wear and tear.
I also have a third unopened mattress pad at the bottom of their cleaning closet for situations where they can’t get stains out of the mattress pad. That way, they can put a new one into rotation and know I never want stained bedding put back on our Airbnb beds!
What I Use: Utopia Quilted Mattress Pad
Other popular options include: the Eastland mattress pad, the CGK Unlimited Mattress Pad, the Matbeby Mattress Pad,
For these, the level of padding can be based on your personal preferences. That said, you need your Airbnb bed to be something that most guests will love. Bed preferences are highly personal. So, just because you enjoy an ultra plush mattress topper doesn’t mean your guests will.
Then you just layer your standard Airbnb bedding on top of these three layers!
Protecting Your Sofa Bed Mattresses
If you are offering either a sofa bed or a rollaway bed at your short-term rental, you will need to protect those, too! For the rollaway beds, you can often just use standard twin-size products.
For your sofa beds, use something like the Sleep Philosophy Waterproof Sofa Bed Mattress Pad Protector or the Kingnext Waterproof Mattress Protector for Sleeper Sofas.
And if you are creating baby-friendly rental property and offering cribs and pack-and-plays, you will want to make sure those mattresses are protected, too!
Pillow Protection – Zippered Pillow Protectors on Every Pillow
Every pillow in our Airbnbs has a zippered pillow protector, and I use AllerEase protectors on all of them. Pillows absorb sweat, makeup, hair products, and drool more than people realize.
Zippered pillow protectors create a barrier that keeps pillows cleaner and extends their lifespan. They’re easy to wash or swap out, which keeps pillows looking fresh for guests without constant replacement. I buy nice pillows for our Airbnbs, so I want to make sure they stay protected!
I always have plenty of extra pillow protectors on hand so that they can pull them off and launder them with the pillowcases as needed. If you have a sofa bed with pillows in a cabinet, or extra pillows in an Airbnb closet, it’s important that those are protected as well!
What I Use: AllerEase Premium Zippered Pillow Protectors
Other popular options include: the AllerEase Superior Allergy Pillow Protectors or the Four Seasons Zippered Pillow Protectors.
How Many Sets Should I Keep Per Bed?
I keep at least one extra waterproof mattress protector, one extra mattress pad, and extra pillow protectors per bed, all clean and ready to go, so my cleaners can easily pull the existing ones to wash. This avoids bottlenecks during same-day turnovers.
I also have unopened backups in the closet for them to rotate as needed.
Having backups on hand also means you’re never tempted to leave something questionable on a bed just because you’re short on time or don’t have backups. It turns potential problems into quick, easy swaps and keeps your Airbnb bedrooms fresh!
I have another Airbnb-hosting blog post that shares the 16 items I always buy in multiples for my Airbnbs!
How Often Do You Wash or Replace Each Layer?
Waterproof mattress protectors and mattress pads get washed whenever they’re soiled and rotated regularly as part of normal turnovers. Pillow protectors are washed as needed, especially when makeup or sweat buildup is noticeable. Basically, if they aren’t in perfect condition, they are getting washed!
Zippered mattress encasements stay on long-term and are only washed occasionally or when there’s a specific reason to remove them. This keeps the system practical for cleaners while still protecting the most expensive layer of the bed.
This is something that my Airbnb cleaning company manages and is part of my Airbnb cleaning fee. That said, when I am there doing my regular Airbnb deep cleaning, I always inspect all layers!
Common Mistakes Hosts Make With Mattress Protectors & Pillow Protectors
One common mistake is using only one thin protector and skipping a zippered encasement entirely. This leaves the mattress vulnerable in the long term and makes stains much harder to manage.
Another mistake is buying noisy, plasticky protectors that make beds feel cheap to guests. You aren’t going for kindergarten naptime vibes!
Other Airbnb hosts fail because they don’t keep backup layers on hand. This can lead to frustration during turnovers when your cleaners either don’t have backups or need to launder these layers at the last minute, on or off-site.
And I think skipping a top layer is a missed opportunity to add a little extra comfort for your Airbnb guests!
Protecting Your Airbnb Beds the Smart Way
This layered system might feel like extra effort at first, but it saves money, time, and stress over the long run. Mattresses and pillows last longer, and cleaners have a simpler, more predictable reset process.
Once you set this up across your Airbnb beds, it becomes part of your standard hosting routine and one less thing to worry about between guests. And the Airbnb mattress protectors, mattress pads, and pillow protectors that I link to in this post are exactly what I use in our top-rated Airbnb rentals on 30A!
More First-Hand Airbnb Hosting Tips
If you are new here, welcome! I’m Sarah – a top-rated Airbnb superhost sharing what works for me! My goal is always to work smarter, not harder, to provide the best Airbnb experience possible, while still enjoying my own life! Nobody wants to be tethered to their Airbnb rentals or constantly deal with issues that could have been avoided.
Our Little Lifestyle is a great place to get first-hand Airbnb hosting tips, links to durable Airbnb essentials, things you should never have in your Airbnb, and answers to your most frequently asked Airbnb hosting questions!
Click here to browse all of my Airbnb hosting resources!
You will also notice that the other half of my blog is all about travel! It tends to go hand in hand because, as Airbnb hosts, we work in the tourism industry and also tend to have a love of travel ourselves.
Take time to browse all of my travel blog posts and also to read how I manage my Airbnb while traveling around the world! It’s doable if you streamline your workflow proactively!
Click here to browse my travel blog posts!
PIN: Best Mattress Protectors, Airbnb Mattress Pads & Pillow Protectors
