I have a problem. My son's crib size vinyl mattress was on the living room floor while my sister was staying with us. We went on vacation, was gone for 4 days, and came back to a soaked living room and bedroom carpet due to a floor drain backing up. I know his mattress got wet because the sheet on it stained on the top. Well, it's been a couple of weeks and the mattress looks fine on the outside, but if you smell the sides where the stain was, you can smell a faint bit of mildew. I'm not sure if it's even cleanable, but does anyone have any experience in this? I'm not sure if taking it to a professional is even worth it, since the mattress only cost $60. I may just go ahead and convert his toddler bed into a full size bed and get a full size mattress, but if I can save the small mattress, I'd like to. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Try putting white vinegar in a spray bottle and spraying the areas that smell midewy with it, then putting it out in the sun for a day. If that doesn't get rid of the mildew, I'd throw it out.
Wow !! I'm so sorry for your loss. This is a question I answer on a daily basis. First, if you haven't filed an insurance claim you should. From what you have explained this is a category 3 water according to IICRC guidelines - basicly, your dealing with sewage water. It's not healthy or recommended to keep any soft goods that have been affected by this type of water loss. If you have filed an insurance claim, you should definitely have this mattress, bedding, or anything affected by this water replaced by the insurance company .... including carpet, pad, or any other upholstered furniture affected. DO NOT SAVE THIS MATTRESS. It's not worth the risk. Please send me a message if you have anymore questions.
Vinegar, Bleach or any other cleaning agent is not going to do the trick. Please, please replace it.
I would just toss it, the time you would invest in trying to clean it, and then you can't guarentee that it is 100% clean is far more precious than the money spent to replace it.
Just put the mattress out side in the hot sun for as long as you can then spray with fabrise or somthing along this line good luck
Always weigh decisions like this with, "Is it worth my child's health to risk this $$$ investment?" Plus, if you're uncomfortable enough with the situation to even ask the question, you really already know what's the right thing to do. Do it.
---You're a good mom to be concerned.
F.---An old mom
After buying a used rocking chair with cushions I tried unsuccessfully to find a professional cleaner that would clean the cushions for me. Dry cleaners won't do it because the chemicals get down in the cushions and they can't get them all out--thus leaving poisonous fumes behind. I also called professional upholstery cleaners, but they usually have a minimum charge of somewhere around $100. You can buy a new mattress for that or cheaper. In the meantime you can never really know if you got all of the mildew or mold out. I would throw that mattress out for sure.
I'd say if it was soaked once then soak it again, in a bathtub of either light bleach water or vinegar water, drain out the water and flip it up to drain then take it outside to dry. But my time is worth something so if that didn't work I would toss it and go to Wal-Mart and buy another for $30.00.
