I Need Assistance, There's Mold on My Mattress

April 11, 2019

Help Mildew has started to grow on my mattress.

In addition to being unsettling, discovering mold on a mattress can pose serious health risks.

A mattress with mold on it is a breeding ground for the sneaky, fast-spreading pest known as mold.

Mold doesn't require much to grow, so even the cleanest of homes can get infested with it.

Do you want to know the distinction between mold and mildew?

Exactly what is the Source of My Mattress's Mold Problem?

Mold only requires dimness, warmth, and moisture, as we discussed in our previous post. This unfortunately characterizes the typical domestic sleeping environment.

Some people perspire more heavily than others while sleeping, and this moisture can collect in your mattress or under it, creating an ideal environment for mold growth.

There are millions of tiny spaces in a mattress's open cells and air pockets, which is why mold thrives on most mattresses made from foam like latex or memory foam.

Neither the top nor the bottom of your mattress ever come into direct view, further complicating matters.

People typically only see the top of their mattresses when they change their sheets, so a mold problem could go undetected for weeks. Many people also use mattress protectors, reducing the likelihood that they will ever see their mattress's surface.

Because of these conditions, the mattress is ripe for mold growth.

To illustrate: [caption id="attachment_3087" align="aligncenter" width="600"]

Moldy stains on a mattress's fabric

Can You Spot Mattress Mold?

Unless you inspect your mattress frequently, you might not notice mold growth if it has occurred there.

Some of these warning signs may help you identify the issue sooner:

• A persistent, musty odor can be detected from mold and mold spores. The odor of mold has been likened by some to that of wet socks or rotting wood.
• Overexposure to mold on a mattress (if there is mold) is a potential health concern because the average person spends 8 hours a night in bed. ) Since mold exposure can negatively impact health, it's possible that you'll become aware of an issue. Common reactions to mold exposure include stuffy nose, fatigue, and itchiness in the eyes and skin. But if they get out of the infected area, whether it's to go to work or another room in the house, they'll feel better.
• Visual Detection: When Mold Appearance Is Obvious Mattress mold stands out clearly in contrast to any other blemish or mark. Spots that look like pink or black fluff will appear on the surface of growths.

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Mold on a mattress, a cause for concern (photo courtesy of our Australian distributor, Protective Technology).

To illustrate: [caption id="attachment_3105" align="aligncenter" width="600"]

Mildew on the backside of the crib mattress cover

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When subjected to the ASTM G21 antifungal test, mattress foam was found to be effective.

How to Get Rid of Mold in a Mattress

If you find mold in your mattress, you need to take immediate action. The longer mold is allowed to grow, the more of a chance it will have to spread and infest your mattress.

If mold growth is ignored for too long, it may become irreversible, and you'll be forced to replace the affected item.

To get rid of mold in a mattress, you just need to follow these five simple steps:

1. Prepare your mattress by thoroughly vacuuming both sides. As soon as you're done, empty the dust catcher on your vacuum so that the mold spores don't spread throughout your home.
2. Put some rubbing alcohol and hot water in a disposable container and shake it up. The moldy spot on the mattress can be removed by dipping a clean cloth into the solution, wringing it out thoroughly, and then using the cloth to scrub the area. Scrub using a circular motion and lots of force. Going far beyond the area of obviously moldy walls is a good idea.
3. Use a fresh, wrung-out cloth dipped in warm water to rinse the wet area. In order to prevent further mold growth on the mattress, you should thoroughly wring out these cloths.
4. Apply a mattress-safe disinfectant spray evenly across the entire surface.
5. To air out your mattress, move it to a bright, breezy spot (the backyard, if you have one, is ideal). Leaving the mattress here will allow it to dry out completely while preventing further mold growth (since sunlight is toxic to mold). )

Suggestions for the Future

The following are some additional suggestions for avoiding the return of mold:

• Run a dehumidifier through your bedroom. Since mold grows best in damp conditions, using a dehumidifier in the bedroom can help prevent future mold problems.
• Purify the air in your bedroom with a machine. If you want to improve the quality of air in your bedroom, consider investing in an air purifier. An air purifier, of the right kind, can eliminate mold spores from the air and stop their spread.
• When you leave, don't shut off the fans! When leaving their homes, many people turn off their HVAC systems, fans, dehumidifiers, and air purifiers. The use of timers on air-circulating devices is a great way to help prevent mold growth in the future.
• Make sure the mattress's base can breathe. A slatted bed base, as opposed to a solid one, will allow air to circulate freely around the mattress on both sides. Slatted bed bases, in contrast to traditional box springs and flat top bases, will help to prevent the growth of mold on the underside of your mattress.

Preventing Mattress Mold with Ultra-Fresh

The Ultra-Fresh line of antimicrobial treatments is a safe and effective way to stop the odors, stains, and degradation that bacteria, mold, and mildew can cause.

Ultra-Fresh is added to products while they are being made. Materials such as mattress foam, fabric, adhesives, feathers, and down used to make bedding products such as duvets, mattresses, protectors, sheets, pillows, etc mold and mildew find it a much less desirable food source.

This prevents the development of odorous and unsightly stains by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.

Protection Against Microbes: a Real-World Illustration

You can see why antimicrobial agents are a good idea in mattress foam in the images below. Foam is susceptible to mold and mildew growth when exposed to the right conditions, such as when a mattress retains moisture.

The AATCC Method 30, Section III, was utilized to analyze both samples of foam. Aspergillus niger was used in the experiments.

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Ultra-Fresh treated mattress foam

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Natural, unprocessed padding for a mattress

After 7 days in an incubator, a great deal of fungi can be found in the untreated mattress foam.

Comparatively, after the same amount of time, the Ultra-Fresh treated foam sample shows no signs of mold growth.

The unseen parts are kept clean and odor-free with the help of antimicrobial treatments.