How do I get a musty/dusty/moldy smell out of a mattress?

Question

Hi! My husband and I just moved back to the US after four years overseas. While we were gone, our stuff sat in storage, including this mattress. No matter how I try, I cannot get the musty smell out of it. I have put baking soda on it and vacuumed. I have put scented carpet powder for pet smells/mold on it and vacuumed. I have sprayed the mattress down with antibacterial disinfectant spray and vacummed. I have Frebreezed and everything. Still, the mattress smells musty and dusty. It is so bad, that the whole room smells musty (thankfully, it is only a spare bedroom). And even worse, if you lay anything on the bed, like clothes, the smell transfers to the clothes.

I told my husband that the mattress has to go. He still thinks it can be saved. So I have come to you all seeking the answer.

Is the mattress beyond hope? Should I throw it out? Or can the mattress be saved? Do you have a remedy for the smell?

Looking forward to your ideas and answers.
Thanks...
T.

Answer 1

Buy a new one...who knows what's lurking in it.

Answer 2

If you're not concerned about the fabric over-cover on the mattress, I would take it outside (but only if your area is forecast for dry, sunny days with little humidity and you are getting little or no dew on the lawn in the mornings) and spray it down well with a very weak bleach solution - maybe 2 tablespoons to a gallon of water. Use a mist or spritz bottle and give each side a good soak so that the solution penetrates. Let it air dry in the sun. The bleach should get rid of anything microbial that is lingering in the mattress, the sun will dry it out and will also assist with killing off mold and bacteria. Be warned that the bleach will probably fade or discolor the fabric overcover on the mattress, but if it is covered with a mattress pad, sheets, and blankets, who will know? Certainly less expensive than a new mattress.

Make sure that the drying mattress gets plenty of air circulation. I would create a "frame" for it using cinderblocks or boards to keep it off the ground. You may need a few rows of this to keep the mattress middle from sagging to the ground. I would try to do this early in the morning so that both sides could be sprayed and dried in time to bring the mattress in at night. Give it a smell before bringing it inside - if it still smells as funky it is probably a lost cause.

I would spray the dried mattress with Febreeze or something similar before putting bedding back on it.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Rent a good steam cleaner and clean the mattress well, set outside on saw horses for a couple of days and let the sun and fresh air circulate thru it. But a product called Out in the pet section of Walmart, spray mattress well with this until it is at least damp to the touch and let dry......this product works with a enzyme that will destroy the odor.

Answer 4

The smell is probably deep inside the mattress. You could try just airing it out, outside, for a long period of time. That sometimes works. But it has to be fairly dry weather and not sitting out in damp cold weather getting wet. Even better, is a spot where there's a good breeze blowing. Good luck.

Answer 5

How To Freshen A Mattress

Answer 6

You're right -- the mattress should go. But you might try laying it out in the sun for a few days. That will usually remove odors, assuming they are not caused by something that is still in the mattress.

Answer 7

You need a new mattress. If there's mold in there that's not only dangerous, but nasty. Do you really want to sleep on it knowing how it once smelled, even if you get the smell out? I value my sleeping areas. Just buy a new one for your own safety and health. And tell your husband if he wants to keep it then he can set up camp outside and sleep on it.

Answer 8

A powerball winner! Yeah, that's it! Ok, so I can dream, can't I? Won't know who won until later tonight. Actually I smell like hair products. Visited my glam squad today before heading up to Idaho to buy lottery tickets. Whatever that shampoo or conditioner was that they used, MMMmmmmm! I smell GOOD!

Answer 9

I agree that you should get rid of the mattress, but if you insist on trying to clean it then use bleach and water, half and half. the bleach will kill anything that might be making it smell, then you can freshen it up. i had to do that to my mattress that had mold in it and to my walls due to a flooding.

Answer 10

Sounds like you did your best to save it...anything else you can do will probably be costly, like having it professionally cleaned..I would buy a new mattress.