| I am at a loss. Our brand new mattress that we have had since April 22 is exhibiting a damp, moisture problem on the underside of the memory foam mattress and the top of support. Not only that but there are two small rust-like or maybe mildew like stains on both the underside of the mattress and the top of the support. I called Sealy and they could not help me saying they had never heard of this problem. I called the place of purchase and he said he had never heard of this problem either and that we should try airing the mattress out near a window (we are in an apartment). I have no idea why there is moisture condensation under the mattress if the first place. What good will it do to air it out, if it happens again? Has anyone had this problem, or know of what to do? Thank you for your time. |
| Normally this occurs from sleeping hot and sweating. When you sweat on a memory foam mattress, it gets absorbed and sinks to the bottom. Oftentimes there isnt enough of circulation allow it to dry and it gets moldy, this is well known about memory foam mattresses. What should of happened when you purchased the mattress was that a salesman should of tried to persuade you to purchase a mattress protector, such as Protect A Bed which is a waterproof yet breathable mattress guard. Now that this has occurred to you, 99.9% of mattress companies will deny ALL of your warranty claims due to soiling and not properly protecting your investment. When you buy a new mattress, the 80 bucks for the protector is a must if you ever plan on wanting to have a warranty. Sorry I couldnt give you better news. |
| Thank you Petes67bird. No... we were not told about a mattress protector or anything really. We just bought the standard mattress pad and sheet set. However, I did call Sealy a third time and explained the situation again to a new customer rep. I also told them no one from the store could help and would not come out. Actually, we have only had this bed for 10 days and we ordered it the 22nd of April. We were both wondering about that too, but if it is such a problem with memory foam mattresses why do the manufacturer and mattress stores deny that this problem even can happen. It has been relatively cool here still actually. Sealy is sending me a claims form and they were shocked the sales rep was not coming out. They want me to take pictures of the small area on the bottom of the mattress. I don't know if it will do any good considering the situation as you have outlined. Oh well. We are going to air it out tomorrow and get a few pics. Not much else we can do right now about it. |
| That is as far as I know. Have you guys been waking up sweaty? |
| I don't know what kind of climate you all live in, but I've studied mold a bit. I find it kind of hard to believe that mold or mildew caused by perspiration soaking through could have caused mold or mildew within just a couple of weeks (of course, I live in a dry climate, so maybe I don't know). I wonder if maybe the latex could have been exposed to moisture prior to or during shipment. Did it seem moist at all when you took delivery? I imagine it probably absorbs moisture - so maybe if it somehow got caught uncovered in the rain, then wrapped and delivered to you, something like that would be more likely to happen in such a short period of time. Just speculating here.... |
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First of all, do you know that ANY stain will void your mattress warranty? That is why you should always use a breatheable mattress protector at least until you decide to keep it. I laugh at this because people spend thousands on a mattress in part because they love the beautiful ticking and quality mattress materials... and then they have to put an ugly synthetic mattress protector on it to protect their warranty! Even a small - tiny - stain will void the warranty. Of course they may still decide to honor it especially on a new mattress and especially if you threaten to make some noise at the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and post all over the internet about their company if they don't help you take care of this problem. So make noise and do not accept "no" for an answer. Meanwhile document your problems in writing and with photos. Send Sealy a certified letter they have to sign for. Find out who the Sealy rep is for your area and send him or her a certified letter with photos and make it clear you will not take no for an answer, that you want satisfaction for your problem. If your mattress vendor has an exchange policy you may have to use it. Many of them are now charging 20% or more in restocking fees plus delivery fees so it may legally cost you some money to exchange or return it. However, push them for free exchange if it is defective. The key: Make noise. No one wants bad BBB rating and bad publicity. |
| We are having this identical problem. I don't believe it is a "sweating problem." Nothing else is the least bit damp. I believe the foam is heating up and causing condensation between the mattress and foundation support. I also feel the foundation support does not allow enough ventilation and perhaps is not suitable to the mattress for which it is intended, but good luck getting Sealy to admit or recognize this. The reps I spoke to and retail store where we purchased the mattress all think we're crazy, "never heard of this," they say. We're now battling mildew and will probably just purchase another mattress when we can't stand it anymore. Lesson learned. |
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Metoo is correct about the source of the problem. Condensation can form on the bottom of the mattress when your hot body is on a foam mattress in a cold room. This typically happens on a plywood surface where the heat can't dissipate. Innerspring mattresses don't have this problem because heat can dissipate. I have never heard of condensation happening on a box spring because box springs have good breathability. I would suggest making your room warmer and/or checking the breathability of your box springs.
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| MattressDan: The "box spring" is the foundation Sealy sells with this memory foam mattress. It, therefore, I would assume be compatible with the mattress; obviously, however, it is not. In fact, the label attached to the mattress indicates to either use no foundation or only the foundation sold with the mattress, else warranty is void. As far as warming up the room, it sounds like a good idea, but this memory foam mattress already makes us feel like we're in an incubator. I couldn't imagine the room being any warmer. I really think the answer is with the foundation. Sealy needs to make a product that will allow this mattress to breath. If only, they would acknowledge the problem. |
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just moved my sealy memory foam ... exactly same issue as what was described by OP. Mattress is 11 months old, but only been slept on first 6 months. Mold is spotty, only between bottom of mattress and top of box spring. There has to be a cause for this, nothing else in the room, apartment, etc. is exhibiting this problem.
any help in cleaning/removing the mold would be appreciated.
thanks. |
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johnohio wrote: just moved my sealy memory foam ... exactly same issue as what was described by OP. Mattress is 11 months old, but only been slept on first 6 months. Mold is spotty, only between bottom of mattress and top of box spring. There has to be a cause for this, nothing else in the room, apartment, etc. is exhibiting this problem.
any help in cleaning/removing the mold would be appreciated.
thanks. The best you can do, honestly speaking - and yes, I have studied mold professionally a bit - is to cut out the affected area, and considerably more extensively around that area, because there is more in the areas where you don't see it appearing on the surface. The experts I was trained by said, for example, if you have mold on a patch of wood about 1 foot square, you need to remove a one-yard section around it to eradicate most all of the tentacles. Then patch in a replacement of clean material. Also be aware that mold is a toxin - some more virulent forms than others. It needs to be treated carefully, possibly wearing breathing masks and definitely gloves, and discarded in a sealed bag, if you want to be sure of avoiding any effects. Some people (and other animals) are more sensitive than others, of course. The trouble is, when you work around mold, the spores disperse into the air surround. So it would be best to do the surgery outdoors - out of your bedroom, definitely.
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