Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I received an UltraBlock mattress protector from HomeStyles in exchange for an honest review. I needed a waterproof mattress protector so I was happy to assist in testing it and giving my candid opinion on Amazon. After testing and using the product for a few days I am extremely happy with it; however, recommending it to you outright is not easy: there are a few issues you need to consider before you decide whether or not this product is right for you. Let me explain. If you search for “HomeStyles waterproof mattress pad” on Amazon, you will find that this vendor/manufacturer is selling three varieties: UltraPlush, UltraGuard, and UltraBlock. However, if you look at their website, you will see that they currently only support UltraPlush and UltraGuard. If you look at images for UltraGuard and UltraBlock, they look identical. One Amazon reviewer (whose review for the UltraPlush product comes up first) did a video-review comparing it to an unnamed older version of the product by the same company. He conveniently had that older product on hand. That former product looked identical to the UltraBlock pad I was given for review…which also looks identical to the UltraGuard product on the Amazon website. I could clearly see in his video that the UltraPlush product was far superior. I recommend that you seek out and view his review on the Amazon UltraPlush page. The three products are priced differently: UltraGuard is the least expensive; UltraBlock is in the mid-range; and UltraPlush is the most expensive. It’s important to emphasize that the UltraBlock mattress protector is only a mattress protector; it does not advertise itself as a mattress pad nor should it be considered one. The top of the mattress protector consists of very thin two-ply fabric: on the underside is an amazingly flexible waterproof fabric and bonded to that on the upper layer is an equally amazingly flexible 100% cotton terrycloth layer. The sides are made of a third material that is like a silky, stretchy, polyester. The terrycloth layer is ultra-ultrathin; in fact, I’ve never seen terry in any product that was as thin as this. The terry is soft and comfortable to the touch, but it is so thin that (in practice) there is very little of it to provide water absorbency in case of a large spill. Water will naturally pool in the protector if there is a depression in the mattress, but if there is not, water will run off seeking a lower level. Along the way some will be absorbed by the terry but more might be absorbed by other fabrics along its path (think PJs, sheets, blankets, carpets, the sides of the mattress). Obviously, the microfiber of the UltraPlush would be far more absorbent. This company appears (by name, style, and product marketing design) to be competing directly with another very successful company called SureGuard Mattress Protectors. This other company’s products have thousands of reviewers. They also sell six-sided mattress encasement systems in addition to their mattress protectors. Their mattress protectors look very similar to those sold by HomeStyles. I could not determine where SureGuard is manufactured, but the UltraBlock product says clearly that it is made in China. HomeStyles’ UltraBlock product claims these protectors are made of “100% water-proof breathable micropores.” They claim their product has no “vinyl, PVC” or “phthalate.” Their competitor, SureGuard, makes the exact same claim. They both claim that “air passes through” yet “water stays out.” I laundered the product before using it, as the manufacturer suggests. The laundering instructions on the product call for you to reposition it after the first wash and put it through a second spin dry cycle in order to get out the excess water before drying on low in the dryer. They were absolutely right! It definitely needs repositioning and a second spin dry cycle! It is difficult to launder precisely because it is waterproof. I’ve washed water-resistant jackets before and they go through the washing machine with little problem: they soak through and spin dry. It is obvious that this UltraBlock product is truly waterproof. Because of the difficulty in laundering it, I can understand why the cotton-terry layer needs to be ultra thin! I am often bothered by getting too hot while sleeping. Much of this has to do with my age, sex (female), and chemistry at this time in my life, but it also has to do with our Tempurpedic mattress: that type of mattress “sleeps hot” because the latex holds heat and reflects it back to your body. Because of this, I’ve been using a thick breathable cotton pad over my mattress. Advertising at the time for that thick cotton/poly pad had indicated it might help me sleep cooler if used on top of a latex mattress. It didn’t! But without wanting to buy a new mattress, I’ve continued to use it thinking that it could have been helping somewhat. A few days ago, after I put that thick pad away and slipped on this ultrathin and flexible UltraBlock product, I was absolutely amazed to experience how it felt and acted. I actually slept FAR BETTER with the thin UltraBlock product! It flexibly hugged the Tempurpedic mattress like a second skin no matter how I positioned myself. As a result, the pad was always smooth and without wrinkles beneath me. It felt marvelous not have a thick cotton pad between my Tempurpedic and me! Once again, I could luxuriate in how the Tempurpedic foam contoured to my body perfectly and made me feel like I was almost weightless. Best of all, I actually felt cooler with the UltraBlock than I’d been feeling for the past few years using that thick quilted cotton/poly mattress pad. I think that other pad was actually retaining my heat more (in all those layers). And perhaps the UltraBlock waterproof layer actually reflects my heat back down into the mattress rather than up to me in the bed. Live and learn, right? These past few nights with the UltraBlock, I’ve had my best sleep in many years. For me, it’s been miraculous! My better sleep may also have been due to the fact that I was no longer breathing dust mite allergens. I do not know if I am susceptible, but it is a possibility. I wanted this UltraBlock pad for it’s waterproof properties, not its anti-allergy properties. But who knows: I could have benefited from those, too. Oh, yes: it is absolutely quiet. When I first put it on the bed and rolled around on it without the rest of the bed being made around it, I did—ever so softly—hear an extremely faint crinkling sound. But once I made the bed around the mattress pad and got into it with my head firmly planted on a pillow, there was absolutely no sound whatsoever. I’m delighted with this product. But I’d caution others to read the reviews carefully and determine whether or not this is the right product for you. There are many choices out there and all at different prices. You might want to consider the UltraPlush product or another similar product made by another manufacturer. I’m affixing three photos. One tries to show the three types of material used in this product: the top and bottom layers, as well as the stretchy and silky fabric that covers the four sides. Another tries to show the quality of the stitching, which I found to be fully adequate. The last shows the product holding one pint of water in a depression over the mouth of the washing machine. I left it like that for over a half hour and the product behaved perfectly, retaining all the water as if it were in a bowl. Interestingly, the water never “traveled” up the sides of the terry layer beyond the pool of water. I think the UltraPlush product would have worked far better with this challenge because microfibers actually wick water and they are eight times more absorbent than cotton. Were I to buy a product like this today, I’d purchase HomeStyles’ UltraPlush. If price where a major consideration, this UltraBlock product performs very well and would be a fine choice. I’m giving it four stars, but I have the feeling that if I were to try the UltraPlush product, it would get a five-star rating.