Polyurethane foam is becoming increasingly popular in many mattresses in the market today. While it boasts an array of advantages, among the cons, is its notorious, stubborn, and unpleasant smell. Fortunately, with a few tricks and here coupled with some patience, you can manage to completely do away with the smell.
Before looking at how to go about it, let us first delve into important related information:
I’m I At Risk Of Memory Foam Smell?
The Minnesota Health Department opines that when we inhale low VOCs levels over many years or in a lifetime, we can be at risk of damages to the kidney, liver, central nervous system as well as cancer.
Of great importance to note is that the amount of risk depends on the level of exposure and type of chemicals. The most important thing is to reduce your exposure to VOC as much as possible. Doing so will go miles in reducing your risk of contracting the aforementioned chronic conditions.
Get Rid Of Memory Foam Smell: 10 Useful Tips
1. Use Houseplants
There is no affordable and easy way to get rid of memory foam smell than with the use of houseplants. In addition to being effective at eliminating odor, houseplants make your home welcoming and look fashionable. Houseplants work by absorbing VOCs and other harmful toxins released by the mattress and other products such as carpets and cleaning agents in your house.
The best way to go about it is by planting different plant types in various rooms to enjoy healthier air. Placing all plants inside one room not only increases humidity but also encourages the growth of mold. Mold is nasty for damaging homes and worsening allergy and asthma symptoms.
So which plants are the best for this task? Try the following:
- Peace lilies, Spider plants, and Chinese evergreens – All these fight common VOCs. Taking care of them is a walk in the park even for unskilled gardeners.
- Chrysanthemums – Chrysanthemums features dazzling blooms that come in an array of colors. They are effective at filtering out benzene.
- Aloe – Aloe vera eliminates benzene and formaldehyde. On top of that, the gel contained in the plant is also ideal for burns, cuts and dry skin.
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2. Buy Independently Tested Memory Foam Mattress/Pillow
US authorities require mattress companies to meet some standards for the safety of users. One of the standards that must be met is CertiPUR-US certification. CertiPUR-US certified memory foams do not contain the following:
- Formaldehyde
- Heavy metals such as lead and mercury
- Ozone depleters
- TCEP, TDCPP or PBDEs
- Phthalates
What We Recommend:
- 7 Best Memory Foam Pillows in 2021
- 10 Best Memory Foam Mattresses in 2021
3. Use Food-Grade Polyethylene (Ideal for Crib Memory Foam Mattresses)
Not all plastic can help you reduce or remove memory foam smell. Some add more off-gassing or chemical exposure, making an already bad situation worse. The right kind of plastic is the thick one. Buying a plastic cover such as the one made of vinyl is the last thing you want as it’ll add more exposure to chemicals.
Food-grade and low-density polyethylene plastic is the best choice because of its non-toxic nature. It features a non-complex molecular structure which lacks harmful chemical additives such as dangerous plasticizers and phthalates.
The only downside to these plastics is that they are only available for baby mattresses. Those that cover larger sizes are unavailable. Therefore, you should consider this option only if you are considering to buy memory foam mattresses for your crib or baby bed.
What We Recommend: Harlow’s Earth Crib Mattress Cover
4. Ensure Proper Ventilation
This is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to remove foam smell. You need to ensure that the room where you’ve placed your mattress is properly ventilated. Adequate air circulation goes miles to minimize initial caustic odor. Make sure that you open all the windows around the room and close to your bed. Ensure that the bedroom door remains open.
In addition to keeping doors and windows open, aim your bedroom fan towards the exit points to ensure a cross-breeze circulates inside the room. According to the Energy Department follow this guide to properly circulate air within your room.
Simply put, to get incredible results, try various methods such as outward-facing window fans, big outlets, and smaller inlets. You should run the cross-breeze across your room until you realize that the foam smell has reduced. After a few days, you should achieve your goal.
5. Use Bamboo Charcoal (Activated Charcoal)
Charcoal has been handy in many applications around the world for many years now. Activated charcoal is not only tasteless but also odorless. It is quite magical in improving the general air quality inside your room in three major ways:
- Helps to regulate humidity
- Get rid of odors
- Remove VOCs
Millions of the tiny pores present in activated charcoal efficiently trap all the harmful chemicals released by your memory foam mattress. A good way to think about how it works is by taking bamboo charcoal as an air filter. The process that makes this possible is known as adsorption. Through the process, the tiny harmful particles stick to the outside structure of the charcoal.
The best attribute of bamboo charcoal is the fact that it boasts a high surface area which gives it the ability to trap VOCs. Additionally, this charcoal is pocket-friendly. All you need to do is buy it and place it inside your bedroom for roughly a month. Once a month lapses, remove and put them outside. Doing this clears their pores courtesy of the natural UV light.
What We Recommend: Charcoal Bags Odor Absorber
6. Use Baking Soda
Baking soda is a great remover of memory foam smell. For impressive results, allow it to set through the night. Once it has done that, utilize a hand vacuum cleaner to remove it from the surface of your mattress. A soft brush attachment of the traditional vac cleaner should also be handy. As you remove the baking soda, make sure you do it keenly and carefully in such a way that you do not leave any traces of it on your mattress.
Replicate the procedure on the undone part of your mattress. Doing so will go miles in ensuring you get rid of the odor on both sides of your mattress.
7. Consider Installing Special Air Filters
Different types of air filters are in the market today. Activated carbon air filters are the most ideal for this job. Place the air purifier inside your room and leave it to run for 2 – 3 days nonstop. As the toxic air passes, the purifier filters it thus getting rid of the offensive and unpleasant smell.
What We Recommend: PARTU HEPA Air Purifier
Other Ways To Get Rid of Odors
In addition to the above strategies that we have laid out above, employ these to combat memory foam smell:
- Spray your mattress with enzyme spray – Although these sprays are tailored for nastier smells such as that of vomit and urine, they can be handy with memory foam smell too. All you need to do is spray your mattress with the enzyme spray, give it some time and repeat the process until you achieve the desired result.
- Spray your mattress with vodka-water combination or vodka alone – Nothing beats vodka or its mixture in terms of odor removal. When choosing the vodka to use, opt for an unflavored version. Once you have it, put inside a spray bottle and do the necessary. Some people might not be comfortable with the use of 100% vodka. If you’re one of them, dilute vodka with some water and as the alcohol in the mixture evaporates, it’ll carry the awful odor with it.
- Spray with vinegar or citrus – This is a good solution if you have used baking soda but continue smelling the odor. As the last option or resort, put some vinegar inside a spray bottle and then spray on the foam’s surface. Once you have sprayed it, give it ample time to completely dry. Just like you did with baking soda, use a vacuum to thoroughly remove all residue or traces that form on the foam. The smell should have disappeared.
