Not everyone loves the smell of new items. Think leather chairs and a big, bulky mattress. If you’re wondering how you can get rid of the chemical smell of your new mattress, this guide is for you.
Why Does My New Mattress Smell?
Buying a new mattress is like finally breathing fresh air after being in an uncomfortable sleep setup. Upgrading your mattress also means upgrading your sleep quality.
Thanks to the new mattress technology, buying a new mattress is now more convenient, especially with the presence of bed-in-a-box mattresses.
When you buy a bed-in-a-box mattress, all you need to do is receive it, unbox it, and watch it rise. While this convenient process seems rather entertaining, you might notice a strong smell coming from your mattress as it takes its shape. This new mattress smell is the result of off-gassing.
"Off-gassing" is generally a result of VOC breakdowns mixing with the air when you unwrap a vacuum-sealed mattress. A new mattress is stored in an airtight container to keep it safe from manufacturing to delivery. This locks in not only the mattress itself but also the VOCs that produce strong odours when released.
These VOCs are more common on memory foam mattresses. Flame-retardant chemicals are also needed for mattresses to pass safety requirements.
If you are wondering whether these chemicals are harmful for your health or not, low exposure to VOCs is okay. However, long exposure to the off-gassing smell may cause headaches, eye, nose, and throat irritation, and sometimes nausea. If you don’t like the smell of a freshly painted wall or new plastic items, the smell of a new mattress might also be strong for you. Many mattress manufacturers take these into account and work towards reducing these VOC emissions and choosing safer options.
To minimise these off-gassing smells, look for mattresses with natural flame-retardant materials like latex.
How Long Does an Off-Gassing Smell Last?
The new mattress smell will typically subside after two days upon opening, depending on the type of your mattress. If the air circulation in your room is good, the new mattress smell will be gone after a week.
How to Get Rid of the New Mattress Smell?
If the off-gassing smell is strong for the first few days, here are the things that you can do to get rid of the smell as soon as possible.
Air Your Mattress Out
Open the door and windows of your room when unboxing your new mattress. This is to make sure that fresh air will circulate around the room. Once you remove the seal of your mattress, do not put some bed sheets yet but give it some proper ventilation by opening your fan. Doing this will help the smell dissipate in your room as the mattress expands. Airing out your mattress can also decrease the concentration of the smell, making it less uncomfortable.
If you still have your old mattress at home, give your new mattress at least two days to release the smell before using it.
Use Baking Soda
Leaving some bowls of 5:1 water and baking soda solution around the room where your new mattress is placed can help you neutralise the smell. You may also sprinkle some baking soda directly on your mattress and leave it overnight. Vacuum the powder afterwards, then repeat the process for the other side. This method is also applicable for old mattress odours and pee stains.
Try Activated Charcoal
Another way to tackle the new mattress smell is to place some bowls of activated charcoal in your room. Just be careful not to spill anything from the bowl or you'll end up with a messy bedroom.
Choose an OEKO-TEX Certified Mattress
To ensure your safety and comfort when using your new sleeping solution, opt for an OEKO-TEX certified variety like this Somnuz Roman Supreme mattress. OEKO-TEX Certified mattresses have been tested to ensure that they are free of harmful materials.These meet the criteria for safety in terms of materials and manufacturing procedures.
Pocketed spring mattresses will also not smell as much as pure-foam mattresses since the odours will generally come from the foam materials. Pocketed spring mattresses with some memory foam or latex layers may still release some off-gassing smell for a while, but not as much as a memory foam mattress.
Takeaway
Off-gassing happens to all new mattresses, but some can be stronger than others. When buying a mattress in Singapore, carefully choose the materials used in creating the sleep solution to avoid dealing with strong VOCs and other chemicals that cause off-gassing. This is especially important if you or your family members suffer from allergies or asthma.
When buying a new mattress, be sure to prepare your room for unboxing and off-gassing your mattress.