What You Should Know About Mattress Mold
Mattress mold is a serious problem that some people ignore in Southeast Florida. However, doing so can put your health at risk. There are many dangers to mold exposure, and you should do your best to avoid them. Before you decide to sleep on a moldy mattress, there are a few things that you should know.
1. Any Mattress can Develop Mold
Most people think that mattress mold can only develop on a certain type of mattress. However, this is not true. Any type of mattress can grow mold. Whether you have an organic mattress or a memory foam one, there is a risk for mold growth.
Mold grows well in mattresses because mattresses contain foam. No matter what type of mattress you own, it is likely to contain foam. Any type of foam is the prime environment for mold. Inside the air pockets of the mattress, mold can hide and colonize. Getting rid of it is almost impossible.
2. There are Health Risks to Sleeping on Mattress Mold
If you have mold on your mattress, then you are at risk for some health issues. Exposure to mold can result in a host of respiratory issues. For example, you could develop asthma, allergy symptoms, or have difficulty breathing. Wheezing is a common side effect of mold exposure. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that it’s an effect of mold exposure.
Sometimes, mattress mold causes a rash to develop in the area of exposure. You might notice an aggravated rash or have irritation at the site of contact.
Other hazards to mold exposure are more serious. For example, people with chronic lung illnesses could develop lung infections after mold exposure. You can never be sure how someone will react to mold. For this reason, it’s important to do what you can to prevent it.
3. Mold Thrives in Dark and Moist Environments
To grow, mold needs a dark and moist environment. Your mattress could provide the ideal location for mold. When most people sleep, they sweat. This sweat is all the moisture that mold needs. On the underside of your mattress, there is plenty of darkness. When you combine the darkness with the moisture, you get the perfect breeding spot for mold.
4. Mold Gets Airborne
Although you can see mold, you can’t always see its spores. When mold reproduces, it forms spores. Those spores travel through the air and go around your home. Because they are small airborne particles, mold spores are easy to breathe in. This is what causes some of the breathing difficulties and other health issues that come with mold exposure.
5. When Mold Appears, it Spreads Quickly
Once you see mold, it might be too late to stop it. Mattress mold tends to spread very quickly. As it spreads, it hides in the spaces of the foam. Even with treatment, it can be difficult to remove all the mold.
Although most people try to clean mold off of their mattresses, this is a mistake. When you attempt to clean it, you could make the problem worse. For one, it gets more mold spores in the air. This can worsen your symptoms of mold toxicity. Secondly, it can also cause the mold to spread at a quicker rate. The best thing that you can do is to buy a new mattress – one without mattress mold. If you continue to sleep on the old one, then you could still have a problem with mold. Replacing the mattress is your only solution to the problem.
6. You Need to Determine the Cause of the Mold
When you replace a mattress with mold, you could still have a problem. There’s a reason that your old mattress developed mold. If you don’t figure out the reason for it, then you could develop mattress mold in your new mattress. Before you get a new mattress, you need to do some sleuthing.
There are a few things that you can consider to determine the cause of mattress mold.
- You need to think about your body. Specifically, think about how much you sweat. If sweating during sleep is a problem for you, then you should get a waterproof mattress cover. You slip it over your new mattress. When you sweat, the water will go onto the cover and won’t get into the foam of your mattress. Without moisture, the mold will not grow in your mattress.
- You should also consider your mattress platform. If your mattress is on the floor, then you are particularly susceptible to mold. Placing a board or box spring under your mattress can keep water from finding its way into your mattress.
- Finally, you should think about the moisture in your home. If you have a leaky window, then you should caulk the window. If high humidity is a problem, then you can use a dehumidifier. By eliminating the moisture, you can keep your mattress free of mold.
You might want to consider hiring someone to find the source of your mold problem.
