Mattress protectors - elastic gone saggy!

Small Talk
1

This is such a stupid, small thing, in the great scheme of things, but I’m washing the mattress protectors from the gite and it annoys me that the elastic round the bottom has stretched and no longer holds the protector properly and tightly against the mattress. I don’t want to make a channel through which I thread elastic. It’s the type of really thin elastic that is just somehow stitched into the edge of the fabric.

Can anyone point me, please, in the direction of a video (or give me an explanation) as to how I can use my sewing machine to attach new thin elastic. Is it possible?

Thanks for any suggestions / advice.

NB: these are not waterproof protectors, just the lightweight slightly padded material ones with thin gauze “sides” that wrap round the mattress.

2

What about making elastic straps across the corners like for mattress toppers? (Inside the gauze sides).

Holds down each corner and the gauze can sort itself out…

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3

Thanks for the thought Jane. I’ll take a look tomorrow.

4

I think Janes idea would be the easiest and least likely to break again as you can use decent width elastic.

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5

Here’s an engineer’s fast and reliable solution: I’ve used bungee straps in the past. Ideally, fix a brass eyelet in each corner and then use bungee cords / sandows between them.

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6

Excellent :slightly_smiling_face:

7

Just realised this is relevant to me too - except mine is a very expensive pure Australian sheepskin mattress cover so I really must fix it (irreplaceable here I’d imagine!) as it keeps wrinkling up which is very uncomfortable!

8

Tie heavy corks to each corner with a piece of string (runs for cover…)

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9

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: streuth mate, how come I didn’ think of that :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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10

I like sandows but maybe not if the gite guests could be tempted to adjust them or might come across them? they can give a nasty ping in someone’s eye if they spring back

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11

But the tension is beneath the bed so no chance of being pinged in the eye. Unless, of course, the guests choose to sleep under the bed.

12

The mattress would have to be turned over for them to fiddle with the straps, we just sew 1" wide heavy duty elastic from the middle of one side to the other side to act as a tensioner, pulls it taught then.

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13

If you do it from side to side it’s a bugger getting it on and off, although holds it down better. You might be strong enough to do battle with a 160cm mattress, but I’m not. And with a gîte you are doing this every week…

That’s why the diagonal corners work just fine…you just need to make sure they are not too close to the corners or they pop off.

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14

We just slide the middle band along first and do the corners as normal after that, the elastics stretch makes it easy enough, but as you point out we are only doing three beds at a time

15

“We?” It that literal? I’m not able to lift a double mattress enough to slide stuff under it…so would have to run from side to side of the bed to otch it along. Equally awkward.

Probably a great solution for people who can tho’!

16

It has to be the royal “We” as I only have finger’s on my R hand and a thumb and stumps on my left, so struggle to make a bed myself :wink::yum::smiley:

17

Look at using shirring elasstic.
I am sure you will find something on YouTube.

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18

Different problem…but same result as with me as I have little strength in my hands. But my “we” does the hoovering while I do the beds…:slightly_frowning_face:

19

Thanks Jane, you are so right. I have found what I need. I’ll buy some white shirring elastic tomorrow. I think if I can do it properly it will make the mattress protectors look neater and since I offer a mid-fortnight change of bedding I’d rather when they took the dirty sheet off that they saw something neat/tidy underneath.

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20

I’m glad that helped.