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 | This reviews the Leesa mattress after sleeping on it for 3 weeks. The Leesa company sells directly to consumer (online only), cutting out a lot of costs found with a typical mattress sale – thus I think the Leesa compares to mattresses 2-3 times its price. Overall I really liked the mattress, with only a few cons that mostly apply to very particular mattress shoppers. Use coupon code “SLUMBERSAGE75.” for $75 off the Leesa mattress Watch my Leesa review video for the full review Click here to visit Leesa mattress The mattress has three layers of foam, 2 inches of Avena foam, 2 inches of contouring memory foam, and 6 inches of base foam (10 inches high in total).
The Avena foam is most similar to a latex foam. The video shows this best, but it offers the contouring/support of memory foam while making the mattress not sleep hot (an important factor for me). The foam also adds a lot of “spring” to the mattress – meaning it pops back quickly after you’re sitting on it. This addresses a common complaint of memory foam, which maintains the sinking position much longer, making it somewhat difficult to move around in bed. I’d put the Leesa at a 6.5/10 on the firmness scale. This definitely targets the average mattress consumer, not too soft, and just firm enough to be comfortable while offering great support. I have a bad back, so the support is especially important to me – and the Leesa did a great job supporting my lower back, particularly when sleeping on my back. At this range, I’d say the Leesa could be a good option for most sleepers, whether you sleep on your back, side, or stomach. Though this mattress will suit the average sleeper, if you prefer a very soft or very firm mattress, Leesa currently doesn’t offer these in their product lines.
You could always put a topper on to adjust the firmness level, but I generally don’t recommend purchasing a mattress with this intent. Direct to consumer sales model Leesa has decided to sell their mattress exclusively online (the favored model here at Slumber Sage). This cuts out a lot of costs in the sales process – the showroom, salesmen, additional shipping, etc. A lot of this savings can be passed onto the consumer, thus allowing the Leesa to be very reasonably priced. In fact, I would expect this mattress to fetch ~$2k if sold in the store. Currently the mattress prices as follows: One thing I really like about this mattress is the thoughtful design. The cover looks and feels great, a knit fabric that is created in such a way that it has no seams. This is one of the best looking mattresses I’ve reviewed. Naturally you’ll throw a sheet on it immediately after opening it, so the look doesn’t truly matter, but in my mind good design shows that the designer was thoughtful about the product from start to finish.
Since the company is new, we don’t have reports on how durable the mattress will be over time. However the foams are high quality, suggesting that the mattress should hold up reasonably well over time. In the event that the mattress doesn’t hold up well, Leesa offers a 10 year warranty to cover any major issues in performance. The return policy for Leesa is great – since they sell exclusively online, they really put some trust in their product by offering a 100 night no-risk trial. This means that after purchasing the mattress, you can return it within 100 days for a full refund. They will even have the mattress picked up at your house and donated, so you won’t pay shipping costs either way. Thus if you like the Leesa story and think it might be the mattress for you, I wouldn’t let fear of not trying it out before purchase stop you from ordering it. Leesa has all the standard memory foam certifications, specifically the CertiPUR-US, which means the foam is made without ozone depleters, without PDBE flame retardants, without mercury/lead/other heavy metals, without formaldehyde, and less than 0.5 VOC (volatile organic compound) particles per million (considered low for indoor air quality).
That being said, memory foam is not generally considered an eco-friendly material. Leesa has met the industry standard for a memory foam mattress, but if having a natural/organic mattress is a priority, then you may need to look at latex or spring mattresses. The Leesa comes compressed in a box, and is fairly light compared to other mattresses I’ve received – though you will still most likely need a friend to help you move the box, especially when going up stairs. For me the off-gassing (smell) that always accompanies a new memory foam mattress was gone within a couple hours, but I don’t have the most sensitive nose, so let me know if you have a different experience. Check out our Leesa unboxing page if you purchase for some set-up tips and another view of the mattress. Leesa has a program that we’ve seen in other industries, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in the mattress industry. Leesa has committed to donating 1 mattress for every 10 sold to homeless shelters to give back to local communities.