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I've been reading post after post re: memory foam toppers, pads, mattresses, pillows, dog beds and related. The consensus is that of all of the many varieties of foam products, they all have one universal flaw: They are all susceptible to moisture retention..and the mold & mildew that soon follows. Some have gone so far as to say that the foam extracts water from the air; unless one resides in an arid climate, they will sooner or later have mildew/mold issues. In some cases this is a result of a bed-wetting child, or someone spilled a pitcher of water..some live in the ultra-humid Louisiana bayou, or have a sleeping bag memory foam pad that was rained on (all would be understandable to an extent).
But some (many) of these folks had just purchased a brand spanking new expensive memory foam mattress and it had mold/mildew underneath in 2 weeks of use. (?!) Well, I live in southern California (and for a while in Palm Desert)..you can't get any more arid than that. I can't see the mildew on the memory foam at all but yeesh, is it ever there.
The thing is, I'm still not convinced that there isn't some remedy (thinking a combination of professional dry-chem cleaning and maybe sunshine)..that would effectively saturate the invisible mildew and obliterate it. Kind of how nothing really removes urine from any surface except for the very specific, uric acid enzyme remover products. Isn't there a similar mold & mildew super cleaning product that would kill mold/mildew on contact-kind of thing? Not a topical spray, but something one could just pour on and the foam would absorb it?
I'm trying to leave no stone unturned..you guys are my last hope and then the foam is disposed of. Not just that..I may be re-thinking purchasing memory foam ever again if this is a recurrent (and inevitable) issue. |
| There's more than high humidity and spills that get moisture into memory foam. Sweat will do it. In fact that's probably the cause of the mold in most cases and everyone sweats in bed sooner or later even in arid climates. |
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You can deploy an ozone generator and close off the room. Rent one with a timer that will turn off the unit 120 minutes prior to any occupants arriving, as there are several inherent dangers associated with high ozone concentrations. This message was modified Oct 10, 2012 by fdesalvo
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The truth is, there is no way to completely kill mold on or IN memory foam. The spores are microscopic and penetrate much further than is visible or accessible to any form of chemical treatment. If you talk to a professional mold remediator, you will soon discover that the only way to eradicate mold is to remove the medium that his hosting the mold growth. Remediators will typically remove an area about 3x larger than the area where mold is visible, to remove areas where the mold spores have spread their invisible little roots. If you have mold or mildew in a discrete area, you could probably remove that section and 3x larger around it and eradicate the mold. Depending on how large that area, is, you might be able to make do with what remains. Otherwise, you should bag it in airtight plastic, and dispose of it carefully, wearing masks and gloves when you bag it. At least, that's what the professionals do. Wish there was some better news to offer. Mildew may be a little different - my knowledge and training was in mold, not mildew, but I understand they are similar. |