Those who want to learn how to get musty smell out of mattress should check out this three-step guide. You don’t need any special equipment or chemicals to restore your bed’s freshness. We’ll also talk about what causes this nasty odor, so you can keep your mattress from developing it.
Do note that it’s still important to check your mattress tag before doing any maintenance practice. Your bed might be using particular materials that won’t work well with some common cleaning practices. So without further ado, let’s get that funky smell out of your bed!
How To Get Musty Smell Out Of Mattress At Home
Step #1. Dry
The first step to deodorize your musty mattress, and perhaps why it smells that way in the first place, is it needs more drying. A moist or even damp bed will not smell good, and it might even encourage mold growth. You want to dry it correctly by ventilating it outdoors and let the air and sun do the work.
To ensure that the moisture evaporates, remove all the accessories and covers on your mattress and place it outdoors. You can even just open the window to let air in and turn on the fan to allow circulation indoors. Make sure that you’ll also flip your bed to dry the other side.
Aerating your bed regularly is also a helpful way to maintain its freshness and sanitize it. But what if the weather is humid or moist? You can heat your room or use a hairdryer to dry the mattress for you at a reasonable distance.
Step #2. Vacuum
Once your mattress is dry thoroughly, the next step to do is vacuum the surface. Mildew often causes a musty smell, and you can remove it on the surface with a vacuum cleaner. It will also prevent the fungi from coming back, but make sure that you empty the vacuum outside to keep the spores from the bed.
Besides mildew, vacuuming the mattress will also remove all the buildup on the surface that may be causing the smell. Try using the upholstery attachment to reach all the mattress areas, including the crevices, to clean the bed thoroughly. Another helpful technique is to vacuum in sections in a circular motion.
Step #3. Treat
The final step is treating your mattress to deodorize it thoroughly. For this method, you can use everyday household items like vinegar and baking soda. They are also safe enough for beds, so you don’t have to worry about damaging the materials.
Please start with the vinegar and use it to spray the entire mattress. You don’t have to get the bed completely soaked, but just enough to cover all the surface. Let the mattress air dry, and then sprinkle baking soda on one side.
Let the bed be for a whole night before vacuuming the powder and doing the same process to the next side. Both these ingredients will freshen your mattress and eliminate the musty smell. Finally, leave the bed outside and let the sun finish the work.
Why vinegar works
Vinegar is a valuable alternative for chemical cleaners to remove odors and a musty smell from your mattress. Since it’s an acid, vinegar neutralizes alkaline odors, and it will work well as long as you use it as a fine mist. You can lightly spray to dampen the bed, but some even mix distilled white vinegar with water.
Why baking soda works
After the vinegar has dried down, the alkaline baking soda will eliminate the acidic odor, including the vinegar smell. It should also absorb the remaining moisture and oils in your mattress to keep it dry. More so, the other particles in the bed will get vacuumed off with the baking soda.
Why Does My Bed Smell Musty?
As you have read in the three-step guide above, drying the mattress and removing mildew will get rid of the musty smell. They are also the exact reasons why your bed stinks. If the environment is very humid and you rarely ventilate your bed, you need to be on the lookout for mold or mildew.
As these fungi grow, they tend to emit microbial volatile organic compounds, which lead to a musty smell. It would be best if you never let your mattress get damp and also aerate your room regularly to prevent mold and mildew growth. Their spores can also cause allergies and respiratory reactions, so be on the lookout for the musty smell in your bed and eliminate them quickly.
Mold vs mildew
The fastest way to distinguish mold versus mildew is that mold tends to grow deeper while mildew grows flatter. Therefore, it’s easier to remove mildew because you’re only dealing with what is on the surface. Both lead to a musty odor, and you can remove their growths with vinegar or rubbing alcohol.
Conclusion
A fresh bed means quality sleep. But what if you don’t know how to get musty smell out of mattress? Before you sacrifice a good night, you should aerate your bed and let it dry completely.
Then, spray some vinegar throughout the surface and let it dry. The finishing touch is letting some baking soda sit on the bed surface and then vacuuming it off. These handy household items should eliminate the musty odor, so you’re left with a fresh and hygienic bed.