Top 10 Leakproof Bed Protectors to Use During Your Period

Whether your periods are heavy or light, leaks happen— especially overnight. Even the thickest, longest overnight pads can bunch up while you sleep. Over the course of six to eight hours, tampons can reach max capacity and menstrual cups can, too. That’s where period blankets, also known as mattress and sheet protectors, come in very handy.

Other reasons to love leakproof bed protectors

Even if your period is regular, sometimes it can show up a day early, and you’ll wake up to the unpleasant surprise of bloodstained sheets and mattress. If you have a period blanket, just toss it in the wash, and your bed is still good as new.

• Fun times = ruined mattress – Never mind if you want to fool around in bed regardless of where you are in your menstrual cycle; menstrual blood is destined to get onto the sheets and mattress then. Have you ever tried using a doubled-up towel to protect the mattress? That always gets bunched up and shifts out of the way. Plus, towels don’t have any built-in leak-proof qualities like period blankets do.

• Notoriously stubborn stains – Stains from period blood are very hard to get out of a mattress since, of course, you can’t toss your entire bed into the washing machine— you can only spot-treat the stains. Many times, you wake up late for work and are surprised to find a spot on your mattress or sheets that you don’t have a chance to treat and clean. That not only gets your day off to a bad start, but it gives that stain the opportunity to set in and become permanent. Let your mattress protector/period blanket catch the stains instead.

• Stained Mattresses Suck – Have you ever moved to a new house and had the horrifying experience of seeing your bare mattress on full display— old bloodstains and all— in front of not only a team of moving men, but the residents of your neighborhood, both old and new? Yes, periods are a fact of life, but we’d all like to avoid ugly, hard-if-not-impossible to remove stains on the mattress.

• Guest-bed Guilt – If you are going to be an overnight guest in someone’s home and you know you’ll have your period, bring your bed protection with you. That way, you’ll never have to worry about leaving embarrassing menstrual blood stains in a guest bed! Trust us; it’s happened.

Period blankets- aka Mattress and Sheet Protectors – to the Rescue

We’ve created this review so you can find the best product to keep your mattress and sheets in great shape. Most of the products we’ve listed aren’t specifically made for women to use during their periods; instead, they’re marketed for protecting the mattress against bed wetting — for both children and adults. However, women who think outside the box use these waterproof, absorbent products to keep their sheets and bedding safe from period stains. Even women with heavy menstrual bleeding can sleep with the confidence that they won’t wake up and have to deal with a stained mattress and sheets thanks to these bedding protectors.

Top 10 Leakproof Bed Protectors to Use During Your Period

We’ve put together a list of the 10 Best Mattress and Bedding Protectors to Use During Your Period. In general, you only place them on your bed on the days when you expect to have your period and when you actually do have it. They’re not something that needs to stay on the bed constantly, all month long. These items are made to be comfortable and to keep your sheets and mattress pristine no matter what happens.

1. Cycleliners

Cycleliners are one of the few bedding protection products created specifically for women to use during their menstrual periods. Cycleliner comes in a choice of two colors: black or burgundy. I received a black Cycleliner to try for free in exchange for my honest review. The Cycleliner is a strip of velour-type material with a waterproof backing of PUL (polyurethane laminate). The velour/velvet-like part is meant to be laid over the bed, above the sheets, to cover the area where your hips would rest. There are white panels stitched on at the sides that you tuck under each side of the bed to hold the Cycleliner in place. The velvety fabric was soft to the touch and very comfortable to sleep on, which was a nice experience during an uncomfortable time of the month. It got slightly bunched up after two nights of sleeping, but not too badly, and it was easy enough to straighten out. I didn’t have any “feminine hygiene malfunctions” during the time I slept on the Cycleliner. So, to test it out, I poured about 1/4 cup of water onto it and let it sit there for a while. No water seeped through to the mattress, so I can confidently say it’s waterproof and period proof. Cycleliner says to wash this product in warm water, which to me seems counterintuitive since bloodstains set in warm water. However, the black and burgundy colors of the product should hide any stains that might stick around. I machine washed and dried this product, and it was as good as new after washing. I think a Cycleliner is a good choice for a period blanket if you think you’ll be getting romantic during your period. While it’s not at all discreet, since it’s a boldly colored stripe of velvety fabric, it doesn’t look like it belongs in a very unsexy hospital setting, unlike some other products.

• Price on Company’s Website: $39.99
• Colors: Black, Burgundy
• Size: Full/Queen
• Materials: Polyester, Polyurethane Laminate
• Editors Rating: 4.8 out of 5

2. The GORILLA GRIP – Nonsllip Waterproof Pad

GORILLA GRIP specializes in nonslip, high-grip products like bathmats and oven mitts. They also make this nonslip, absorbent pad that’s designed to be placed on top of your fitted sheet. It’s made for protection against bed-wetting, but it can be used to keep your sheet and mattress safe from period stains. This pad has a generous size that you can lay vertically or horizontally across the bed. With four layers and a soft quilted top layer, it’s guaranteed to absorb leaks for up to 300 washes. You can machine wash and dry this item again and again. It can hold as many as 8 cups of liquid, so you can rest assured period leaks will not get through this pad. Gorilla Grips says that their product is BPA and lead-free. They also offer a “no questions asked” 10-year guarantee on their products. This pad really stays in place. One reviewer was surprised when she tried to pull the pad off the bed that it wouldn’t just slide off. She had to use both hands to pick it up. That makes this pad a great option if you toss and turn in bed. It probably would also be good to use for fooling around in bed during your period because you can move around and not have to worry about the pad bunching up and leaving the mattress exposed.

• Price on Company’s Website: Currently unavailable
• Colors: White
• Size: 52” x 34”
• Materials: Cotton/Polyester Surface, Polyester nonslip grips on the bottom layer
• Editors Rating: 4.7 out of 5

3. Priva Ultra-Absorbent Waterproof Sheet Protector with Tuck-in Flaps

Priva products are designed to provide lots of absorbency— they can hold anywhere from 6 to 9 cups of liquid. Our choice for period-protection purposes is the Priva Ultra Absorbent Waterproof Sheet with Tuck-in Flaps. This provides 6 cups of protection, which is more than enough for protection during your period. This Priva product is multilayered so that even when the pad is wet, skin will stay dry and protected. The surface of the Priva is soft and quilted, and it has a high-density inner layer for absorbency. The vinyl waterproof barrier is there to help keep the Priva in place and to provide a secure barrier against leaks. The tuck-in flaps also prevent the pad from moving during the night even when you’re tossing and turning. All Priva mattress protectors have been tested to be free of lead, cadmium, mercury and phthalates. Priva sheet and mattress protectors are washable and should hold up to 300 wash cycles. They can be machine washed and dried, and you can also use bleach on them.

• Price on Company’s Website: $18.00
• Colors: White
• Size: 34″ x 36″ with tuck-in flaps added onto that
• Materials: Cotton/polyester surface. 100% polyester inside. Vinyl non-slip backing.
• Editors Rating: 4.6 out of 5

4. GoodNites Disposable Bed Mats

If you’d rather just toss the bed pad after you use it, GoodNites are a good pick for you. Yes, these are marketed to the parents of young children, but there is no reason you can’t put them on your bed for some waterproof protection during your time of the month. They literally stick to your bed like a giant maxi pad thanks to the adhesive strips on the underside. GoodNites bed mats are disposable, but there’s no reason you can’t reuse them a few times if you don’t have any feminine hygiene fails. They have a “super-absorbent” core and a leak-proof barrier. GoodNites are designed to be “rustle free” and stay quiet when you move in your sleep. These have good reviews except you need to be careful to use them on 100 percent cotton sheets only. Some users with flannel sheets said it was nearly impossible to remove the adhesive from the sheets.

• Price on Company’s Website: $37.68
• Colors: White
• Size: 2.5 feet by 3 feet
• Materials: Not given. Probably some kind of cotton on top and plastic for the waterproof layer.
• Editors Rating: 4.5 out of 5

5. LinenSpa Waterproof Sheet Protector

This product provides four layers of protection:

1. An absorbent layer in the middle
2. A soft, quilted layer on top
3. A thin, waterproof layer on the underneath
4. A layer of slip-proof material on the bottom.

The slip-proof material feels kind of like microfiber. LinenSpa lets you choose between three different sizes of their product, and they offer a limited 10-year warranty. This product is machine washable and can also be machine dried. However, LinenSpa doesn’t recommend the use of bleach for their sheet protector, which can be a drawback since the item is white. Some reviewers said this worked well underneath their fitted sheet as well as on top of it. Most say this worked well, but it tended to slip around a little bit at night. The regular price for this item is high, but it’s usually on sale at a steep discount.

• Price on Company’s Website: $39.99 to 54.99
• Colors: White
• Sizes:
  • Small: 34″ x 36″
  • Medium: 34″ x 52″
  • Large:44″ x 52″
• Materials: Top layer: 80% polyester, 20% cotton. Waterproof backing: 100% polyurethane. Fill: 100% polyester fiber.
• Editors Rating: 4.3 out of 5

6. Dry Defender Tuck-in Waterproof Underpad

The Dry Defender is described as an underpad; however, it is soft enough that you can sleep on it directly. The waterproof bottom layer is made of vinyl. You can select a size to fit beds that range from twin to queen size. These waterproof pads stay in place with their attached side panels. Simply tuck them under the sides of the mattress. Dry Defender also offers a version without tuck-in side panels, but I don’t recommend that for over-the-sheet use since it will tend to slide out of place very easily.

The Dry Defender is made in the USA and has a five-year warranty. Care is easy: just machine wash and dry. You can use bleach on the Dry Defender mattress pad, and it should hold up for 200 washes. Most customers say this pad works well to absorb nighttime accidents, and indeed, it can hold up to 8 cups of liquid. However, if you live in a hot climate, this may not be the best choice. It seems the vinyl layer tends to trap heat underneath you, making for a too-hot sleeping experience for some people. That said, this is a good, affordable pad to use as a period blanket.

• Price on Company’s Website: $12.99 to 21.99
• Colors: White top, blue bottom layer
• Size: Twin: 24″ x 36,” Full: 34″ x 36″, Queen: 36″ x 54″
• Materials: Polyester, Vinyl
• Editors Rating: 4 out of 5

7. Utopia Bedding Waterproof Underpad

This item is labeled as an ‘underpad’ meaning it would go underneath a fitted sheet. However, this can also be placed above the sheets to keep them clean during your menstrual period. This pad is very thin but extremely absorbent. It doesn’t appear to have any “slip proof” materials to hold it in place, so if you toss and turn a lot at night, this may not be the best pad for you. However, it should stay in place if you put it underneath a fitted sheet. Of course, then you’ll have to deal with getting stains out of your fitted sheet if you have a period-related accident. This item can absorb up to 6 cups of fluid. The product description says it has a “Heavy weight barrier,” but it’s not clear what that means. Customers say that this product is very sturdy and it holds up well wash after wash. You can machine wash and dry this product.

• Price on Company’s Website: $39.99
• Colors: Blue
• Size: 30″ x 70″
• Materials: Polyester/Rayon, Unknown Waterproof barrier
• Editors Rating: 3 out of 5

8. Chummie Waterproof Mattress Protector

The Chummie Waterproof Mattress Protector has a waterproof vinyl layer to stop leaks from getting onto your fitted sheet or mattress. It has tuck-in sides to keep it snug and in place on your bed. The four layers of this product can absorb up to six cups of fluid while keeping skin dry. This will certainly keep the sheets and mattress safe from period blood. Chummie offers a six-year warranty for this bed protector. You can machine wash it as many as 300 times, and it should still stay in great shape. Customer say this item is very absorbent and holds up to washings as described. The only thing to consider is that the vinyl layer might hold on to heat. If you tend to run hot naturally, this may not allow for enough nighttime airflow.

• Price on Company’s Website: $20.88
• Colors: White
• Size: 54″x 36″
• Materials: Polyester/cotton upper, polyester filler, vinyl bottom layer
• Editors Rating: 3.1 out of 5

9. Nobles Washable Waterproof Mattress and Sheet Protector

This is a basic choice for protecting your mattress from accidents due to an unexpected or heavy period. It goes over your fitted sheet. Tuck the side-flaps under your mattress to keep this protector in place. After use, just throw it into your washing machine and machine or hang dry. It can absorb up to 6 cups of liquid, which is more than enough to serve its purpose as a period blanket. This bed protector can seem kind of stiff when you first get it, but it will soften up after repeated washings. Like other pads with vinyl as the waterproof layers, some customer complained that the pad held the heat and made for an uncomfortable sleep experience. They also said the vinyl made a crinkling sound when they moved around at night.

• Price on Company’s Website: $12.99
• Colors: White with mint green
• Size: 34″ x 36″
• Materials: Cotton/polyester blend top, vinyl bottom layer
• Editors Rating: 2.5 out of 5

10. Epica Ultra Plus Sheet Protector

This sheet protector has three layers: a quilted top layer that you sleep on, a middle polyester/rayon layer for absorbency, and a bottom vinyl layer to make sure the pad stays waterproof. This product will do a good job at stopping leaks from excessive menstrual bleeding from getting onto your sheets or mattress. However, the bottom isn’t non-slip, and there are no tuck-in flaps to help secure this item. Also, some users complained that the stitching in the quilting started to come apart after only one washing. This product from Epica seems a bit overpriced for its unimpressive quality-level.

• Price on Company’s Website: $24.95
• Colors: White
• Size: 52″ x 34″
• Materials: Cotton/polyester top, polyester/rayon absorbent fill, polyester-backed vinyl underlayer
• Editors Rating: 2.3 out of 5

11. DMI Waterproof Flannel Rubber Sheet Protector

This sheet protector is different from the others reviewed here because it has a non-allergenic synthetic rubber waterproof backing. The top layer is soft, cotton flannel material. It’s machine washable, but it looks like you’d need to hang it to dry per the seller’s instructions. However, some reviewers say they put theirs in the dryer on medium, and it comes out just fine. This product is very thin, which is good if you don’t want to add extra bulk to your bed. It doesn’t offer nearly as much absorbency as other products, however, for period-protection purposes, we don’t need much absorbency. The DMI pad has very mixed reviews. Many customers say it worked great. However, more than one customer said it didn’t provide any waterproofing— not even against heavy night sweats. Based on that, we really can’t recommend this product, especially not for the price they are asking.

• Price on Company’s Website: $25.95
• Colors: White
• Size: 36 x 72
• Materials: Upper: cotton flannel. Lower: synthetic rubber
• Editors Rating: 2 out of 5

Final Say

If you use one of these recommended mattress and sheet protectors during your menstrual period, you won’t have to worry about ruining your mattress if:

• Your pad, tampon or other feminine hygiene product leaks overnight
• You get your period unexpectedly while you sleep
• You have sex before your period is over

We hope this review has opened your eyes to the stress-free nights you can experience with a sheet and mattress protector. Have fun choosing the one you like best.