We know that long term exposure to mold can cause harmful effects to your health. So considering we spend 30% of our lives lying on top of mattresses, we should probably be watchful for mold growth there. We’ve already discussed how mold in an infant’s mattress has been attributed to crib death or sudden infant death syndrome. But anyone can get sick from sleeping in a bed of mold.
Mattresses don’t exactly make the best food for mold, but they do trap moisture very well. So, if you can just keep liquids away from your bed then you should be able to hang on to your mattress for years. Don’t eat or drink in bed. Don’t let pets urinate on your bed. Don’t jump out of the shower and hop into bed before drying off.
But what should you do if your mattress is moldy? If you were to follow the example of others, then sue!
Reggie Townsend, an inmate in a Wisconsin prison, successfully sued for $295,000 for being forced to sleep on a moldy mattress. Following a jail riot, he was put in a segregation unit with a “wet, moldy and foul-smelling” bedding. Although Townsend did not suffer any physical harm from the mattress, he was denied ‘minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities.’
Sleep Number bed owners in California are preparing a class action lawsuit against Select Comfort. They claim the Sleep Number mattresses use a flawed design that traps moisture inside the inflatable air chambers. This dark, damp place is ideal for mold growth.
For us regular folk, the best thing to do with a moldy mattress is to throw it out if it has more than just a little mold on it. It can be hard for people to ditch an expensive mattresses, but there really is no way to save a mattress if you can see mold on over half of it. Sorry!
If there is just a little mold, you can try taking the mattress outside and letting it sit in the sun. Use a garage vacuum or Shop Vac on the mattress to suck up the mold. Just don’t get it wet. If you’re smart enough to read this Blog, then you already know to avoid using bleach to clean a moldy mattress (too much water, makes it worse).
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