A futon mattress is basically a big bunch of cotton (and possibly some other hybrid elements like foam). While cotton is a nice material to lay on and has nice, airy properties, one downside is that it will easily suck up moisture from your body laying on top of it.
Obviously moisture will have an adverse impact on the mattress. It will cause it to become harder and obviously there are potential hygienic considerations as well. Also, if you have a futon mattress directly on a hardwood floor with nothing under it, the moisture will over time damage the wood if you don’t allow it to get air.
One nice way to protect a futon mattress and extend its lifetime is with a waterproof mattress cover. There are a range of mattress covers available these days. Many are designed to add plushness to a mattress. However if you already have a plush mattress this is not really necessary. Others are waterproof and made out of thick vinyl, like something one might expect for a baby’s crib.
However today I found a really nice waterproof knit mattress cover which is a step up from the baby-crib type vinyl but not too expensive. It is fitted and fit perfectly over my 6″ mattress:
click on image to follow link to retail site
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