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rory's avatar

How do I get mold out of my memory foam mattress topper?

Asked by rory (1407points) August 29th, 2016 from iPhone

I have a three inch thick memory foam mattress topper that I use on top of my my dorm mattress at college every year. I’ve had it for 3 years and have kept it in storage for the summer in past summers. After storage it’s always smelled a bit odd, but usually returned to normal after a couple days. This summer I decided to lend it to my friend, who was living in a basement. The basement was very damp and had no windows. My friend ran a dehumidifier in the room every night, but now that I’ve gotten my mattress topper back, it smells like mildew. the smell isn’t overpowering, but I can smell it in bed through my sheets and mattress pad. I’m wondering how I can get the mold/smell out. It was expensive and I only need it for another year so I’d like to keep it if possible.

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6 Answers

si3tech's avatar

@rory This “mildew” smell may well be a very toxic mold whose fumes are dangerous. With horrid infestations of mold many houses have been abandoned in an attempt to save their lives from toxic mold. A professional should be able to tell you how serious/if at all this problem is with your mattress topper. I wish you well! I do not think the mildew/mold can be removed.

YARNLADY's avatar

I treated a foam mattress by spraying it very heavily with Lysol and leaving it out in the sun on a sheet. I did each side separately. It seemed to work.

My son said they laid their foam mattress on a sheet and hosed it down, then left it in the very hot sun for one day on each side.

JLeslie's avatar

I would throw it in the trash.

If you want to give it a try I would soak it in water with some bleach, rinse well, and dry thoroughly. Does it fit in a washer and dryer? Be careful not to shrink it though.

Lightlyseared's avatar

You don’t.

JLeslie's avatar

I just thought of something else. If it fits in the washer you can try adding vinegar to a wash. If your washing machine has a sanitizing setting you can try that, but it might shrink.

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

If a couple days in the sun don’t take care of it get a new one. It’s just a topper anyway.

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