Should my new Koala mattress smell? Like many new products (new car smell anyone?), mattresses that come in a box have a scent which generally dissipates quickly after unboxing and removing packaging, though it can sometimes take up to a week or more to fully disappear.
Koala Mattress in a Box Unboxing
It can be a bit tricky but once you get the hang of it, you'll have a comfortable mattress. There is a smell when you unbox it. That's a given with any mattress in a box, so give it a few days to air out.
Sweat, pet hair, smoke, dust, the baby's pee—these smells accumulate within the mattress cushions over time. To rid unwanted smells from your mattresses, you should deodorize them every six months. That means giving your beds a deep clean twice a year.
The strongest off-gassing smell will fade within a few days to a couple of weeks, according to most major mattress manufacturers, though you may notice a faint smell for longer.
Baking Soda
If your mattress still has a bit of a smell after airing out, sprinkle baking soda on it straight from the box and allow it to sit overnight. Once you wake up in the morning, use your regular vacuum to vacuum up the powder, then flip the mattress and do the same to the other side.
Chemical off-gas at different rates, but manufactured goods usually undergo their most noxious (and smelly) off-gassing for about a month after they're produced. Still, some chemicals can emit VOCs for years. Carpeting, in particular, can off-gas for up to five years.
Check to see the mattress has Oeko-Tex certification, and GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification. Oeko-Tex Standard 100 ensures that there are no harmful chemicals in your mattress, and GOTS is a certification for the outside covering, letting you know that the cotton cover is certified organic.
While they may smell bad, they're generally considered harmless. Off-gassing is especially common in mattress-in-a-box mattresses that are vacuum-sealed and packaged soon after production. Additionally, certain mattress materials are more prone to off-gassing odors than others.
Baking soda is a good option to deodorize your mattress quickly. Sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, let it sit for 30 minutes to two hours, and then vacuum it up. How do you get a smell out of a mattress? Sprinkling baking soda on top of the mattress will neutralize odors.
Mix equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spritz the solution onto your mattress. You don't want to make the mattress wet – just spray enough to cover the surface or the smelly spot. Let the vinegar air dry. You can also use a fan or a blow dryer to speed up the process.
Use a 50/50 mixture of cold water and distilled white vinegar. You can also consider adding a few drops of an essential oil, such as lavender or eucalyptus, to help cover up any unpleasant smells. Apply it to the surface of your mattress using a spray bottle, and allow it to air-dry fully.
Off-gassing is the smell that comes out of the new mattress when opening it for the first time. The off-gassing usually dissipates after a few months or so.
Baking soda is a natural deodorizer that also helps remove all types of odors from memory foam, including that nasty off-gassing smell.
“Our mattresses are tested to last the lifetime of the warranty. We recommend they're replaced every 10 years.” However if it gets damaged before the 10 year mark, it's encouraged you replace it sooner.
Are Koala mattresses good in the heat? In short: hell yes. Rory mentions Kloudcell, the unique open-cell foam we use in each of our mattresses, which provides more airflow than alternatives.
We recommend trialing the MEDIUM-FIRM side of the comfort layer for the first three nights to see how it interacts with your body. The comfort layer will be labeled on the same side that the zipper is located. It will take around 72 hours for the mattress to fully settle, and the foam will firm up over this period.
Generally, it's recommended to leave the baking soda on a mattress for 30 minutes to an hour. But for a deeper clean, let the baking soda sit for 24 hours. To avoid caked-on baking soda, check it every several hours and remove it once it has absorbed all moisture, stains, and odors.
Therefore, the best alternative to baking soda is white vinegar. The combination of vinegar and other ingredients is used to disinfect and remove odor from your mattress.
Dust mites are a reality in every mattress, but older mattresses have a particularly high chance of being a haven for these irritating creatures. Dust mites can lead to a number of skin and reparatory conditions such as eczema, asthma and sore throat.
It is important to identify the signs of mold growth on a mattress, which include visible black, green, or white spots, a musty odor, or spreading stains on the mattress surface. It's also crucial to understand the factors that promote mold growth, such as a humid environment.
As the VOCs in a mattress off-gas and you breathe them, they can affect your airways. You might deal with respiratory problems, including asthma, allergies and nasal irritation. Don't ignore these symptoms.
Off Gassing Smell
You know how a new car has that “new car smell?” Yep, that's off gassing chemicals. Just like you can smell a new car, you might be able to smell an odor when a new item is brought into your home. Especially if it's plastic. Or flooring or carpeting.
As levels increase, some people have breathing problems or irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, or skin from formaldehyde exposure in their homes. These health effects can happen in anyone, but children, older adults, and people with asthma and other breathing problems are more likely to have these symptoms.
An air purifier and specific filters effectively eliminate harmful gases and unwanted odors from your indoor environment. A standard particle filter is not designed to remove gases and odors.