Ask LH: How Can I Fix A Musty Mattress?


Dear LH, Recently I moved house, and in the process the bed mattress got wet. I immediately put a fan onto it to dry it out (as it was still wet outside), but the mattress now has a musty smell. Is there anything I can do to remove the smell? (Buying a new mattress is out of the question.) Thanks, Sleeping With The Stench

Picture by robotpolisher

Dear SWTS,

Nasty problem. There’s a few things you can try:

  • Leaving the mattress outside on a sunny day is an effective method, though you’ll need several hours (and possibly multiple days) to get full results. Do this while you’re at home and keep a close eye on the weather.
  • Give it plenty of chances to air. If it’s your main bed, strip it every day so it gets maximum exposure.
  • A bowl of vinegar in the room is also often useful at absorbing smells.

If readers have other suggestions on how to deal with this problem, let us know in the comments.

Cheers
Lifehacker

Got your own question you want to put to Lifehacker? Send it using our contact tab on the right.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


5 responses to “Ask LH: How Can I Fix A Musty Mattress?”

Leave a Reply