Musty Smelling Bed

By Krista (Guest Post)

Our elderly neighbor passed on just under 1 year ago. His house went unused for about 6 mths. When his youngest son moved in, he was throwing out a single mattress and box spring still in excellent shape. We took it for our spare room. Now there is a faint musty/mildew smell on them that I can't get rid of. I have used Lysol spray and Frebreez. Any other suggestions?

By Zellers bs! (Guest Post)

Well i bought mine at Zellers this is the 2nd one!

450 dollars for a GD mattress the first one the springs were shot! I notified them the same day it was delivered,

It took one week to send a new one which conveniently they said 1 time trade one or have a tech come out and look at it!

By

gurth

I strip my bed in front of an open window for at least 30 minutes every day and change bed linens weekly. Once a week, I also put my pillows outside to air and get some sun. Pillows need to be washed regularly; say every six weeks.
Good luck!

By

JMRoss

Take everything you can out to the yard on a sunny day and leave it in the sun for as long as you can. The ultraviolet light in the sunlight will kill the bacteria that is causing the smell.

By DIANE (Guest Post)

YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR BEDDING WEEKLY NOT ONCE A MONTH. THEN MAYBE THE SMELL WILL GO AWAY.

By Mary Ann (Guest Post)

try baking soda and letting it sit on Mattress then vaccum it out my Grand Mother did this regularly because someone wet the bed years ago on the bed she told me. And it did not smell any more.

By

sheilamay

It sounds as if you have mildew in your mattress, which is a serious health hazard. You probably should replace the mattress with a new one; then purchase a damp-proof mattress cover which completely covers the new mattress. Change your bedding weekly and make sure your bedroom is amply ventilated. If the area you live in is damp consider a dehumidifier. If you see black mould on your walls, however, you need to get a profesional in to take care of it promptly. My granddaughter was infected with mould that was growing within her bedroom wall and not visible and has permanent lung damage as a result.

By

Cantate

Get rid of the matress and get futon (foam matress pads, Japanese style). You can hang these out to air several times a year and have no problem at all. (I live in Japan and this is how everyone keeps their matresses smelling fresh in this humid country.)

Cantate

By mary (Guest Post)

try changing bed sheets spray with lysol

By Sue (Guest Post)

I change our bed at least once a week. Maybe this would help.

By AuntyC (Guest Post)

Have you seen those shows on TV where they show some of the mattress factories reusing old filthy mattresses as a base and putting new material on top, then selling them as NEW? There is absolutely no way of cleaning that up unless you tear the whole thing down and start over. The TV shows were telling how some of the customers were getting lung diseases, etc. from these mattresses. Thing is, you don't KNOW unless you poke around your mattress. Yuck.

By

Andi6

Strip down the bed completely and wash everything. Vacuum the matteress and under the bed. Then either spray with Febreze and let air for awhile, or sprinkle with baking soda, let sit for at least an hour, and then vacuum again. Our bodies shed about a gram of skin a day. Dustmites feed on that and they poo about 20 times a day. It is also very important to replace your pillows every few years.

By

Persnickety Paula

Hi Donna, I have a set of mattress and box spring that is musty smelling too. I take it outside on a hot, sunny day, lay it on a clean sheet in the grass, and spray it with a vinegar, amonia, and water mixture. I turn it over repeatedly. It does help, but the musty smell will eventually return. I am afraid that I need to buy a new set! It helps if you turn your mattress over each season. I would also definately buy new pillows; I personally don't change my pillows enough and I imagine they are full of germs!!!