Protecting Your Mattress and Yourself So you are buying or have just bought a new mattress. The sales person at the store, customer service rep on the phone, or the website selling the mattress recommends buying a mattress protector, too. "Why," you ask, "do I need a mattress protector?" Good question. Why or why not? We don't like the idea. For one thing, it's one more thing to buy. For another thing, we may remember the uncomfortable plastic sheets our parents put on mattresses when we...