Washing a whole latex topper

[letuslabour]

Calling all TMU experts !
I recently purchased a 3" bare natural talalay topper to use as part of a DIY foam mattress.
After unboxing I was immediately hit with quite a strong latex odor but hoped it would dissipate with time after it aired out.
I also noticed that there was some kind of residue on the foam that got on my hands .
I had just spent good money on this foam so I decided I had to give it a chance and at least try it out so I covered it up with some sheets and such and slept on it the first night.
The odor became pretty irritating to my lungs and nasal passages and the residue on the foam had seeped through the sheets and onto the skin of my body.
That was enough ! I rolled it back up in the plastic it came in and intended to send it back to the retailer who told me to just throw it out. (. They did replace it with a different foam type of my choice )
I haven’t thrown it out yet because I’m wondering if there’s a way to wash it in order to remove that residue and hopefully the strong odor with it.
I think this residue is something that remains from an ineffective washing after vulcanization during the production process.
My thought is maybe a hot water washing ( perhaps with a very careful hot water pressure washing ) and open air drying would do the trick.
Is there hope or would this be an exercise in futility ?

[Sensei]

Hey letuslabour,

Welcome to the Mattress Underground ! Thanks for your question.

I recently purchased a 3" bare natural talalay topper to use as part of a DIY foam mattress. After unboxing I was immediately hit with quite a strong latex odor but hoped it would dissipate with time after it aired out. I also noticed that there was some kind of residue on the foam that got on my hands …My thought is maybe a hot water washing ( perhaps with a very careful hot water pressure washing ) and open air drying would do the trick. Is there hope or would this be an exercise in futility ?

Sorry to hear of your “sticky” situation, letuslabour; that is quite an unusual condition for a new latex topper of any kind to arrive in. I shortened your post for brevity here, as you have already received excellent support from expert trusted member Ken Hightower/ Arizona Premium Mattress in post #4 “Washing a whole latex topper”: “I would suggest a wash with warm water and Dawn dish soap. Then a clean rinse and then air dry out of direct sunlight.” Good question, good answer. I applaud your choice to try refurbishing the topper rather than tossing it and look forward to your report on how the washing process goes .

Thanks,
Sensei

[letuslabour]

Thanks Sensei
If the washing of the trimmed part is successful then it’s just a matter of figuring out the method to wash and a place to dry it