Hi everyone,
I’ve had my mattress in a storage unit (climate controlled) for about a year now. While moving the layers around today I noticed the black markings pictured below. It seems to only be on the surface of the mattress, and it’s a few random spots, though curious if this is something to be concerned about. If so, what would be the best treatment?
Hi Donkers83.
Latex is naturally mold resistant but of course in humid conditions are favorable to the mold spores develop on a colony. I am not able to tell if it is just a dirt mark or a mold growth but usually mold gives off a musty or earthy odor … and even though I am noticing the fuzzy appearance, characteristic to mold or mildew it is still not possible to tell exactly from the photo if the marking is for sure mold as the fuzziness may be just due to the latex cell structure.
BioCide Laboratories have mold cleaning products and a detector that will tell if there are any mold issues. But you’d need to check if the products can be used for latex without compromising it. There are some ideas of how to ( test for mold that you may find useful)
As the black markings are only on the surface and do not seem to have gone “down the tubes” (pinholes) they may be just dirt markings, in which case I would vacuum the dirt area first (using a brush with bristles to keep from tearing the foam in the process of suction) then I would wash with cold or lukewarm water, and a sponge… soak and gently (the foam can tear) press out any excess water several times (or use a piece of dowel or something similar to roll over it carefully) and then soak up as much water as possible with clean absorbent cloths or a chamois so it is as dry as possible. Then let it dry indoors away from any direct light sources or any other sources of harmful exposure (such as electrical machinery that produces ozone) until it is dry. Avoid any exposure to direct sunlight which can destroy latex. You could use a fan to speed up the drying process, but I would be cautious using heat as this may cure the foam and change its characteristics.
Hydrogen peroxide would be another alternative to baking soda followed by gently blotting with a water-only damp cloth.
I hope this helps
Phoenix