How to clean mold off of a mattress?

Question

Last night when changing my bed sheets and linen over, I turnt the mattress over to find surface mold growing on top of the underside of the mattress. I used some standard kitchen roll and managed to wipe it all off (it was more like a black coloured film) however in the middle of the night I woke up with a really wheezy chest and this morning I am coughing up phlegm.

The mattress has not been over-run with mold and its only a small ish area of the mattres (2 feet quared maybe) however I need a solution to fix this as I dont want to get further respiratory problems. Unfortunately I cant afford to buy a new one.

Can anyone reccommend a cleaning product that would get rid of it? I know a good solution is to hoover it all down and leave it out in the sun for a few hours.

Any help would be most appreciated!

Answer 1

buy some bathroom foam cleaner for baths that has anti-mould in it as it will kill the spores

use warm water and bleach as this will also kill the bacteria and spores but make sure you wash the mattress well afterwards

do the cleaning outside if possible as washing it will cause the spores to come out into the air, if you cant do it outside do it with window open in your room

after washing it leave to dry and vacuum it thoroughly

leaving it in the sun will help as the uv rays will also kill the spores

if your breathing problems still persist get rid of the mattress regardless of the fact you cant afford a new one as it can lead to a deadly allergic reaction to the mould and you can go blind or die from it

Answer 2

Really you ought not to using this mattress as this is probably the cause of your chesty infection and wheezy cough. Spores live in mould caused by damp conditions and it can damage your lungs if you are exposed to mold for any length of time.

However, if you are strapped for cash to buy a new one I suggest that you drag it out into the fresh air then wipe it with a very very very weak solution of sterilisng fluid and wipe off with clean water (do not soak it). Rub as dry as possible with towel and leave to dry naturally leaving it exposed to the fresh air for as long as possible. This may not be possible given the type of weather condition at the time.

If you are unable to do this clean as best you can then buy a really good quilted mattress protector and cover. First cover the mattress with an a old fitted sheet then the protective cover and then another fitted sheet. Change sheets regularly and keep turning this mattress and whenever possible leave your bedroom window open as much as it feasible to do so as keep the room aired.

Do you live in a flat by any chance as often mold forms where someone is living in a small confined space, and steam causes mould to form through lack of ventilation. Could be also that someone has spilt or wet the bed with telling you.

Ideally you ought to be buying a new mattress but a good quality one.

And please go and get something for your chest from your GP to stave off the possibility of a chest infection from the mold.

Answer 3

Buy a new one!

Answer 4

Please throw it out. I know you might not be able to afford another one straight away, but you must have a couch you can sleep on till you save up enough cash?

Answer 5

Use a carpet cleaner.Just soak the mouldy area with water then use an attachment from a powefull carpet cleaner to suck all the dirt and water back out of it.You can do the whole matress if you want then leave it out in the sun to dry.

I did this with my matress when i was sick on it when i had food poisoning and it looked good as new afterwards and it smelled really nice