More about mold and mattresses – My
apartment definitely has a mold problem. My mattress has been
encased in an allergy-protective cover the whole time I’ve lived in
it, but the cover is not plastic. Do you think that semi-permeable
mattress encasings prevent mold growth in mattresses? (Or, if I
have a “slight” mold problem in the mattress, would a non-plastic
encasing enable me to still use the mattress?) Lastly, I have heard
about some sort of professional service that removes mold from
mattresses (the person told me that “ionizing” was involved in the
name.) Is this just a myth?- Rebecca , Georgia
The reason that mattresses are often encased in an
allergy-protective cover is because such covers reportedly reduce
one’s exposure to dust mite allergens which are a major cause of
allergy and probably asthma worldwide.
The cover keeps human skin scales
and dust mite fecal pellets from becoming imbedded in mattress
fabric making it easier to keep the bed clean and less prone to
allergen accumulation.
Allergy covers, if they are plastic
or rubberized, can prevent moisture from entering the mattress.
They may also prevent body heat from dissipating as easily as it
would normally and thus increase moisture levels above the mattress,
particularly in the mattress pad and other bedding. As a result,
one needs to allow bedding to air out for an hour or so in the
morning to reduce the likelihood of mold growth in it.
Mold will grow in bedding if one
sleeps on an impermeable barrier such as a plastic mattress pad.
Plastic water bed mattresses can also serve as an impermeable
barrier for water movement and retard heat flow. The latter can
cause increased sweating which may lead to mold growth in the
mattress pad.
To remove mold from mattress pads
and bedding, wash in warm/hot (~ 130o F) water. Since
the environmental conditions remain, the same mold will likely come
back. As a consequence bedding is at risk and will have to be
periodically washed.
If a standard mattress has become
infested with mold, encasing it with an allergy cover will reduce
one’s exposure to mold spores and other mold particles. It will
not, however, prevent or reduce mold growth in the mattress. It may
or may not reduce the mold odor associated with the mattress.
In your case I would give your
mattress a very good “sniff test” to determine whether mold may be
present in your mattress( the mold odor that you perceive may not be
coming from your mattress). I would also look for the presence of
tiny dark spots. Do this also with your bedding after you have
stripped it from the mattress.
Ionization will not “rid” a
mattress of mold. That is a myth. Neither will ozone generators
which often are combined with ionizers. At best ozone will mask
mold odors for a short time. Ozone can kill mold on surfaces.
Because of its very high reactivity, it will not penetrate
sufficiently into a mattress to kill mold growing below the
surface.
If one has a mold infested mattress
and/or box springs, replace it. Don’t put a new mattress over box
springs that may be mold infested. Also, it would be best to get
rid of the mattress as “trash” than to donate it to a charity where
someone else may then have to sleep on a mold-infested bed.
August 12, 2005
