New mattress scent- will it go away?

[Cheburashka]

I just bought a new mattress & box spring, and both have a mild but noticeable, hay-like scent that I know is chemical off-gassing. This mattress was promised to have no fire retardant chemicals (it uses a special fire-resistant thread, instead), so it must be from other components of the mattress & box spring. Both items have the smell, which makes me wonder. Why would the box spring smell, since it has no foam?

I'll add that this is my second mattress in my attempt to find a mattress I like. The first one (different brand bought from a different company) had the same scent, but a lot stronger, so I'm glad this one isn't quite as bad. I returned the first one. This one is non-returnable, which means I either have to donate it to charity and try to get a few dollars back as a tax deduction, or keep it. I've had the windows open for 4 (freezing) hours but the smell is still there. It's hard to imagine it just going away. I guess I have to bite the bullet and pay up for a completely organic mattress to avoid these odors?

What are people's recent experience with new mattress purchases? How long does the off-gassing last?

 

[kdonnel]

A work friend had to leave a new mattress outside for 5 weeks before it stopped outgassing.

 

[TheDad00]

Not really. MorE like you get used to the smell. Sorry to say

 

[Cheburashka]

Not really. MorE like you get used to the smell. Sorry to say

I hate my life.

 

[Cheburashka]

I work friend had to leave a new mattress outside for 5 weeks before it stopped outgassing.

How do people do that? We're talking about a queen sized mattress & box spring, so these are not easy to move (not to mention that the bedroom is on the second floor). What about rain?

 

[kdonnel]

How do people do that? We're talking about a queen sized mattress & box spring, so these are not easy to move (not to mention that the bedroom is on the second floor). What about rain?

He had a covered back porch.

In his case it was not a traditional mattress but one of the mostly foam mattresses. That foam outgassed for a long time.

 

[Cheburashka]

He had a covered back porch.

In his case it was not a traditional mattress but one of the mostly foam mattresses. That foam outgassed for a long time.

Almost all mattresses have foam these days. "Traditional" innerspring mattresses made without foam or latex are now specialty items that can only be bought by hard-to-find specialty manufacturers for very high prices.

PSA: Be careful before getting rid of an old mattress that you like. It might be impossible to replace it with something that is comfortable, affordable, and not a chemical cocktail.

In my case, I didn't have a choice about getting a new mattress. But for anyone who's on the fence, I'd personally advise against it unless you have a lot of money and can go organic.

 

[Cheburashka]

I've made the Salvation Army appointment for them to take away my new mattress. The thing I still don't get is, why does the box spring smell?

 

[neverlandsky]

I used Lysol on ours & it's covered with 2 mattress pads. One that came with the mattress that goes over the mattress, then we have a waterproof mattress pad over that. Mattress is a Sealy Hybrid.

 

[debknight]

I used Lysol on ours & it's covered with 2 mattress pads. One that came with the mattress that goes over the mattress, then we have a waterproof mattress pad over that. Mattress is a Sealy Hybrid.

Do you mean you used Lysol spray?

 

[DLgal]

Do you mean you used Lysol spray?

Probably. It works.

I had to spray Lysol all over my house after the wildfires in 2020 sent smoke through our vents. It is a legitimate use of Lysol spray...to rid of odors. And it works.

 

[DLgal]

I've made the Salvation Army appointment for them to take away my new mattress. The thing I still don't get is, why does the box spring smell?

Really? You didn't even give it a few days?

I would have just Lysol/Febreezed it and put some bedding on and waited it out.

ALL mattresses have a smell. Box springs are literally made of wood. That's why they smell like hay. I don't know why you would expect a new mattress to NOT have a smell. They all do. Even the fancy organic ones.

I've never bought a piece of furniture that doesn't smell initially. It goes away.

 

[princesscinderella]

I have a sleep number bed and it’s awesome it’s not the top of the line memory foam one either. They have awesome customer service and I even ordered new foam cushioning to go around the air bladders at a discount due to the age of the bed 7yrs for $150 and basically had a new bed again. What’s nice is everything can be taken apart inside the mattress and the whole cover can be washed even. I don’t remember it ever having a smell as I’m very sensitive to it. I won’t buy a memory foam pillow either because they smell so bad in the beginning.

 

[peabody58]

We just got a new Sterns & Foster Cassett EPT Ultra Plush. No off-gassing or smell at all! No box spring as we got an adjustable base. The cushion headboard from Wayfare has a 'new' smell but is all gone now. Love our new sleep set-up so much!!

 

[Cheburashka]

Really? You didn't even give it a few days?

I would have just Lysol/Febreezed it and put some bedding on and waited it out.

ALL mattresses have a smell. Box springs are literally made of wood. That's why they smell like hay. I don't know why you would expect a new mattress to NOT have a smell. They all do. Even the fancy organic ones.

I've never bought a piece of furniture that doesn't smell initially. It goes away.

No, I wouldn't expect a new mattress to have a noticeable scent. 12 years ago I bought a new mattress, and never smelled a thing. Of course, that mattress was locally custom-made, so not stuffed with polyurethane foam, and it was before stricter fire codes led mattress suppliers to douse materials with even more toxic fire repellant. Almost all of my furniture is second hand, either handed down or purchased at consignment shops. So I haven't had to deal with obvious off-gassing in my home. I know chemicals are everywhere, and I'm not paranoid about it unless it's actively bothersome, as this mattress scent is. I feel like the fact that it has a strong scent, indicates it is likely a stronger chemical. My small bedroom is filled with the scent, similar to how a kitchen holds the scent of whatever was recently cooked in it.

This is the second new mattress I've recently bought, and it smells exactly like the first, even though it's a different brand and supplier. The first one I had for about 6 weeks before sending it back, and the smell never dissipated. That's why I'm done with this one. It's the same scent, & I realize now, it's even the same strength of scent. When it arrived this morning, I thought it didn't smell as much as the other, but that's because the house was cold this time, and scents aren't as strong in the cold. When I closed the windows & put the heater on, the scent increased to what the other one had smelled like during our very warm December. It's a small house, and the scent goes into the hallway & down the stairs. It's noticeable.

It isn't the scent of wood at all. Sweet, wet hay is the best comparison I can make, but that isn't what wood smells like, and the scent comes from the mattress even more than the box spring, though they both smell, which I noticed when the delivery men unwrapped the box spring first. That smell hit right away. It's off-gassing from either polyurethane foam or fire retardant. I can't take it outside to air out because it's its a queen on the second floor, I'm not strong, and I don't have a covered back porch, so it could only go out there for a short time, anyway. I have a very small house, so there just isn't a spare place for something noxious to air out, out of the way.

I have an old twin mattress & box spring that I can use until I find another mattress. Given these first two debacles, I might just stay on these for a while. Even though they don't fit my bed frame, I don't really care. They're very comfortable, they don't smell, they aren't forcing me to breathe in unhealthy fumes, and they're free. I've got a chronically sick son (one reason I don't want chemical stew in my home, only yards from his bedroom door), recently purchased and moved into a new home, am coping with a serious break-up, and have just started graduate school. I have a full plate and want this mattress trouble off of it.

 

[Lilsia]

Yeah, they all smell of something. If it is not an emergency, put it down in your basement until it gasses out.

 

[Cheburashka]

Yeah, they all smell of something. If it is not an emergency, put it down in your basement until it gasses out.

I don't have a basement. I live in central Texas and there are virtually no basements here. Digging a basement would require a great deal of drilling and rock hauling, considering our soil properties. I have an attic, but it isn't nearly big enough for a queen mattress. This is a very small house. I'm also not able to move the queen mattress and box spring downstairs myself, and don't have 2-3 muscular people in my life to do it for me. Even if I could do it, there would be nowhere to put it. Small living room, no covered porch, garage detached from the house several yards away. No unoccupied rooms in the house.

I guess I could pay movers to take it to the garage, and then several weeks later, pay them to haul it back upstairs, but that would cost almost as much as I spent on the mattress. Movers here are typically quoting 4 hour minimums and $100 per hour (I know because I just moved), so two quick moves could easily cost around $800. This is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country, so movers are in high demand and can charge accordingly.

That's why I chose the Salvation Army. They will take the mattress & box spring down from the second floor out to their truck. No worries about how to move them out.

 

[Lilsia]

I don't have a basement. I live in central Texas and there are virtually no basements here. Digging a basement would require a great deal of drilling and rock hauling, considering our soil properties. I have an attic, but it isn't nearly big enough for a queen mattress. This is a very small house. I'm also not able to move the queen mattress and box spring downstairs myself, and don't have 2-3 muscular people in my life to do it for me. Even if I could do it, there would be nowhere to put it. Small living room, no covered porch, garage detached from the house several yards away. No unoccupied rooms in the house.

I guess I could pay movers to take it to the garage, and then several weeks later, pay them to haul it back upstairs, but that would cost almost as much as I spent on the mattress. Movers here are typically quoting 4 hour minimums and $100 per hour (I know because I just moved), so two quick moves could easily cost around $800. This is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country, so movers are in high demand and can charge accordingly.

That's why I chose the Salvation Army. They will take the mattress & box spring down from the second floor out to their truck. No worries about how to move them out.

Well then I guess that option is not really for you then, is it. Most manufacturers even tell you to put them somewhere for a couple of days to gas out. Our most recent one said to leave it out in the sun for a few hours. For me, that is better then getting sick breathing in the off gasses. YMMV