So far, I love this mattress protector. It doesnt sound, or feel, plasticky, although I thought it was going to when I initially took it out of the package. I washed it, and it washed up beautifully, and put it on the bed. No plastic smell, sound, or feel. We havent spilled anything on the bed yet, but I do believe it would protect the bed  sides if something were to spill on the bed. I really like that the sides are waterproof as well as the top. This is well worth the money!