Many people are excited to receive their high quality memory foam mattress or toppers, but become concerned when they first get them because they often give off a distinct smell after manufacturing. This is perfectly natural and while some individuals have sensitive olfactory senses, the smell is not an indication that there are any kind of dangerous chemicals in your mattress. We’ll break it all down for you; why it smells, and how to properly clean your memory foam mattress or topper. Memory foam is made of polyurethane and this is why when it’s brand new it often has a distinct chemical-like odor. This smell has been described by some as being similar to fresh paint. Because it smells like this many individuals worry that they’re inhaling toxic fumes or chemicals, but this is not necessarily the case. Yes, the smell is produced by the type of material creating the highly dense and elastic material, but the gas emissions from the types of products creating the material are so small that they’re harmless.
Letting your new memory foam mattress or topper air out once you first get it will help considerably. While it airs out it will have a distinct odor that may fill a majority of the room at first, but be assured that this will start to go away, and eventually leave all together. There are far more positives to owning a memory foam mattress that outweigh the negatives to be concerned about the smell. So many health issues can be resolved including joint and muscles aches, problems with the spinal column, and because the foam doesn’t allow for dust mites or mildew it controls allergies and asthma incredibly well too. If you do find that you’re a little more sensitive to the smell than others there are ways to properly clean your mattress. It’s very important that you don’t clean your mattress like any other materials or fabrics you’re used to cleaning, which often include water-based cleaners. In fact, cleaning memory foam is done with a dry-cleaning technique that’s very simple and will remove any moisture to continue helping the memory foam from harboring bacteria and mildew.
Using baking soda and allowing for it to sit and absorb odors, moisture from sweat or body oils can refresh and keep your memory foam lasting much longer than any other type of mattress or pillow. For a great visual guide on how to clean your memory foam check out this video below! How to Clean Memory Foam Posted in General Mattress Info | Creepy crawlies, pathogenic germs and dodgy chemicals. They're the stuff of stomach-churning horror movies, but if your mattress has seen better days and nights, there's a chance you could be sharing your bed with these nasties and putting your health in danger. A tired, sagging mattress won't do your back any favours either, and may have a negative impact on your general wellbeing, not to mention the quality of your sleep.March is National Bed Month and this year The Sleep Council is encouraging people to ditch their minging old mattresses for a better, healthier night's slumber. If your mattress is more than seven years old, its days are probably numbered.
But while there's no need to stay awake at night worrying it could be a potential death trap, that old mattress could be affecting your health for the worse.Health hazards: allergies, itchy bites in susceptible peopleOlder mattresses are ideal habitats for dust mites, microscopic spiders that feed on dead skin cells. The average person sheds a whopping 450 grams of dead skin cells a year, many of which end up in their mattress, and as dead skin cells and dust mite colonies accumulate, the typical used mattress can contain up to 10 million of the little blighters. An infestation of dust mites can cause allergic reactions in some people and up to 80% of people with asthma are sensitive to the tiny creatures. If you're keen to minimise your risk and can't stretch to a brand new hypoallergenic bed, vacuuming your mattress once a week or more often should help keep the dust mite population under control. Stripping the bed in the morning rather than making it is another good idea. Dust mites thrive in warm, humid environments, so exposing your mattress to dry air should help kill off a fair few.
To be extra safe, you may want to invest in a dehumidifier, too.Bed bugs are another risk to watch out for, especially in old second-hand mattresses. Though the apple pip-sized insects cause nothing more than itchy mosquito-like bites in susceptible people, they can be a pain to get rid of, bar chucking out the mattress and bagging a new one. The classic signs are small red bites on the skin that tend to appear in straight lines, reddish or rust-coloured stains on the sheets and the bugs themselves, which look like apple pips and tend to congregate along the bed frame and mattress seams.Over time, your mattress can provide the perfect breeding ground for a whole host of unpleasant bacteria and fungi. Studies suggest older, poorly looked-after mattresses can contain dubious levels of staphylococcus, enterococcus, norovirus and even MRSA, which can cause serious, antibiotic-resistant infections. Mould is also a danger, especially if your bedroom is on the damp side. Most common mould spores such as cladosporium herbarum and penicillium notatum do not affect the majority of people, but they can trigger allergic symptoms in an unlucky few.
Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, itchy eyes and eczema. As with dust mites, the best way of avoiding a mould infestation or build-up of harmful bacteria is by drying out and airing the mattress: strip the sheets, vacuum the mattress regularly and get yourself a dehumidifier. Spritzing with an antibacterial spray and drying out the mattress before you make the bed may be helpful if you want to be 100% safe.Health hazards: potential organ toxicity, allergies, increased cancer riskClapped-out mattresses may harbour more than just bugs, bacteria and mould spores. If yours is more than 10 years old, it may contain risky levels of PBDEs, nasty chemicals that have to the potential to cause liver, thyroid and nervous system damage. While the risk is fairly low, the EU banned PBDEs in 2005, so any mattress manufactured before the mid-2000s could be hazardous.The jury's out on whether certain chemicals that are currently used in mattress manufacture could be harmful to health. The main culprits include formaldehyde, boric acid and modacrylic, which have been linked to allergies, organ toxicity and even cancer.
The chemicals are thought to 'off-gass', meaning they leach out over time, slowly releasing toxins. Studies however suggest the negligible amounts used in individual mattresses may not be a cause for concern. If you'd rather err on the side of caution, it might be worth investing in an organic wool or cotton mattress. Manufacturers claim that these unsprayed natural fibres meet EU fire regulations, but it's a good idea to double-check before you splash the cash. Saggy springs and floppy foamHealth hazards: chronic neck, back and joint pain, interrupted sleepIt's not just pocket sprung mattresses that lose their oomph and end up sagging in places from years of wear and tear. Foam mattresses can also go out of shape and dip. An uneven mattress won't support your body correctly and has the potential to cause persistent neck, back and joint pain, as well as uncomfortable, interrupted sleep, another good reason to think about ditching your old one.You can prolong the life of your mattress by rotating it regularly.
This balances out the tension and stops undue pressure from damaging one side of the mattress. If your mattress has some sag going on and you can't afford to replace it, extra wooden support boards or a memory foam topper should help minimise the dip.How do I know if my mattress needs replacing?The Sleep Council recommends you change your mattress every seven years. If you're not sure whether your mattress is still fit for purpose, its MOT (Mattress Obsolescence Test) can help you decide if the thing's worth keeping or if it belongs in the nearest skip.If you answer ‘Yes’ to three questions, you're not getting the best possible sleep. Five or more ‘Yes’ answers and it’s time to snap up a new bed.• Is the mattress seven years old or more?• Would it be embarrassing if neighbours saw it without its covers?• Does it make suspicious noises in the night?• Did you have your best recent night’s sleep in a bed other than yours?• Are you waking up more frequently unrefreshed and aching?• Do you and your partner roll towards each unintentionally in the middle of the night?• Do