8 Symptoms Of Mold In Mattress [With Cause & Solution]

No matter what type of mattress you have, there is always a risk of mold growing in it.

And mold in mattresses is a major issue that many people even don’t know about, they also don’t know the mold in mattress symptoms or the symptoms of mold in mattress.

Everyone enjoys a good night’s sleep on a clean and cozy mattress but what if when your mattress is covered in dangerous fungus?

Would you be able to sleep normally then?

Mold in the mattresses is disgusting and deadly for you and your entire family’s health.

And the main cause of mold in your mattress is excessive moisture and humidity and mold can also ruin your mattress if you don’t take action.

Mold can be found anywhere indoors or outdoors but when it’s found on bedding like mattresses, pillows, sheets then it can lead to respiratory problems and other health issues.

So if you want to know mold in mattress symptoms so you can detect whether your mattress has mold or not then stay tuned.

8 Symptoms of Mold in Mattress

Mold in mattresses is a major issue that people face but they don’t know anything about it.

We will go over what are the symptoms of mold in mattress and how to remove molds from your mattress and how you can prevent it.

Mold is a fungus that consists of a small organism that can exist anywhere, mattress molds can vary in appearance, but they usually appear as black, pink, or off-white spots dotting your mattress.

And those spots you are seeing are the fungi’s fruiting bodies, which contain the spores that the fungi need to multiply.

Sometimes you won’t even realize you have a mold infestation because there are no fruiting bodies yet 

That’s why it’s extremely important to understand the early signs of mold in your mattress.

So let’s start with the most common symptoms of mold in a mattress.

Read More: 5 ways to clean urine from memory foam mattress

1. Your Mattress Has Foul Smell

The most prominent symptom of mold in a mattress is its foul odor, you can probably smell mold before you even see it.

Molds thrive on a damp surface and release the odor that starts out as sweet but eventually that smell turns into a foul smell.

And molds have a pungent and musty odor that can get stronger over time.

In the initial time, it smells sweet but it will become disgusting over time because the mattress has little or no odor at all. So, if your mattress starts smelling foul then you may have a mold infestation.

And if you have a memory foam mattress then the mild chemical odor can stay for weeks.

If your bed smells like urine or sweat then you can treat those stains but when the mattress starts smelling like rotten food then you can certainly have a mold infestation.

Read More: How to Get Bed Bugs Out Of Mattress

2. Your Respiratory Symptoms

Respiratory symptoms such as coughing, trouble in breathing, sneezing are sometimes caused by moldy mattresses.

Also, you may develop serious symptoms like asthma, wheezing, and other types of allergies when you try to sleep on your mattresses.

You may not see or smell mold because it may be growing in the air pockets or channels of your memory foam bed.

3. Your Skin Conditions Gone Worsen

If you have skin conditions like dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis and sleeping on a moldy mattress, then because of mold in your mattress your skin condition can go worsen.

If your doctor’s treatment isn’t controlling the conditions anymore then determine if there is any mold infestation in your mattress.

4. Rashes on your Body

One most common thing you may notice when you have mold in your mattress is whenever you make contact with your mattress then you can develop rashes.

In the worst-case scenario, you can become allergic to your mattress.

If you sleep on a latex mattress then it could be latex allergy so it’s really important to get tested first.

If the test comes back negative then there are high chances you are having rashes because of mold in your mattress.

5. You see brown or black spots on the mattress

Another sign of mold in your mattress is spotting.

These are likely dark spots that you can see on the surface of the mattress but they will sometimes be larger patches too.

If the spots get worsen after an accident or hot sweaty night, then it is certain mold.

6. Colour of Mattress Changing and You Often Getting Sick 

You may notice your mattress is changing its color such as green or black.

If you have removed all stains like vomit, urine, poop, blood but still any brown dark spot remains or your mattress is changing its color without cause then it’s probably molded in your mattress.

If any cleaner or vinegar does not remove the stains or discolored area quickly then it’s a good chance your mattress has mold.

And if you often get sick after spending time in your bedroom then it may be the mold is triggering all types of allergies, colds,s and ear infections.

If you are consistently getting sick then it’s happening because of the mold so consider checking your mattress again if you often get sick.

7. You are Experiencing Flue-Like Symptom & you are having sleep issues.

Flue-like symptoms may include sore throat, headache, congestion, if there is mold in your mattress then you may have some respiratory and health problems before you even lay down in your bed.

You may also notice shortness of breath and you can feel tightness in your chest and experience flue-like symptoms when you enter your room.

Also, you may feel you are not getting quality sleep, when you wake up tired, with your joints and muscles feeling stiff.

And this is happening because you have mold in your mattress.

8. Your Mattress always seems damp and you find bedbugs 

A moldy mattress is a breeding ground for bacteria and micro-organisms which will make a mattress more wet and damp.

If you tried to dry out the mattress but still it’s wet and damp then there are high chances you have mold in your mattress.

And mold will grow faster if your mattress is wet and damp because of high humidity.

If you often sweat on the mattress then it can cause more moisture in your mattress for a long period of time.

This can also lead to the growth of mold in your mattress 

And a moldy mattress may attract bed bugs like ants, critters. These pests can be found near or inside the mattress.

The reason for this is that insects are attracted to moist environments as they feed on rotting materials, you may also find spiders, termites near your bed.

What Causes a Moldy Mattress?

Mold is the type of fungus like fungii and it grows fast in warm, darm, and damp environment, it also caused by high humidity and excess moisture.

and underside of your mattress can be the best environment for mold to live and grow because that part of the mattress isn’t exposed to much for the light.

there also a number of factors can cause moisture build-up on a mattress for example if you spilled water on your mattress and you forget to clean moisture away from your mattress then mold can grow quickly within a three days.

Spills like vomit, urine, coffee, blood, milk and sweat should be monitored as well because if you did not clean and dried it properly then you are making it easy for mold to grow.

The location also is the most important factor to consider, if you live in high humidity regions then exess moisture can soak inside the layer of your mattress.

And this type of humidity location makes mold stay longer than average.

Also placing your mattress on the ground or close to the ground makes it more vulnerable to mold.

Lastly, the main cause of mold in mattresses is the type of mattress, there are high chances you have a memory foam mattress because the chances of mold in foam mattresses are high compared to other types of mattresses.

How to Remove Mold From Mattress (4 Ways)

As I mentioned before mold in mattress can caused by excessive humidity and this can be due to water seeping or humid air and remains there for period of time then it causes mold.

In this session I will tell you how to remove mold from mattress naturally.

Way 1: Use Hydrogen Peroxide

Take a cup of hydrogen peroxide and mix with half cup of water and then apply this solution on the affected areas of mattress using a spray bottle also you need to sponge or cloth and leave it for 15 minutes.

Repeat this step until the visible areas are cleaned.

Way 2: Using Alcohol

first upon vacuum up your mattress and then prepare for cleaning mixture, mix equal parts of rubbing alcohol and warm water.

dip a clean towel into this solution and apply on the affected areas of the mattress like mold stained area.

then scrub the mattress in circular motion with some force to penetrate deeper into mattress.

and after this wipe out the area using a clean towel then spray Disinfectant to all over the mattress to kill bacterias and germs.

Now its time to ventilate your mattress, Place your mattress in high ventilated area like exposing to sunlight to dry off fast and quickly and the sunlight kills the growth of mold.

Way 3: Using a Lemon

Lemon is very acidic and contains highly concentration of citric acid that can kill most of the types of mold.

using lemon to kill mold in your mattress is the best way to get rid of mold quickly.

Now you have to put lemon peels on affected areas of mattress and spray diluted lemon juice from the bottle.

If you have lemon in your house then just cut them into the half and squeeze out as much as juice as possible then you can apply directly on the mold area in your mattress.

this trick will not soak some water but this will also helps you in get rid of mold smell.

Way 4: Using Baking Soda

Baking soda is also another effective way to clean mold from mattress because baking soda is natural deodorizer and mold remover.

leave baking soda on your mattress for about an hour before vacuuming up.

Also remember when you are using this method If you vacuum soon after applying backing soda then all great benefits you can lost them to.

So leave the baking soda for a while and then vacuum up your mattress.

How to Prevent Mold from Growing on Mattress? (3 Ways)

Until now we know about symptoms of mold in mattress, how to get rid of them, what are the causes of mold and now its time to know how to prevent mattress from mold.

there is saying “prevention is better than cure”.

Since mold attracts towards the moisture its important to keep your mattress dry as soon as possible.

there are some ways to prevent mold from growing inside of the mattress lets check it now.

Way 1: Use Dehumidifier

A damp or humid environment can promote the growth of mold therefore you should control the humidity level of your bedroom to prevent it from causing mold in your mattress.

if you use a dehumidifier then it will keep your humidity between 40% to 50% for maximum germ control.

Way 2: Use Waterproof Mattress Protector

using a waterproof mattress protector or cover not only prevent your mattress from moisture but also keep your mattress clean, dirt free and safe.

the waterproof mattress cover will protect mattress from sweat, milk, coffee, milk, water, and other type of spills and moisture.

Way 3: Use an Air Purifier

If you use an air purifier then it will remarkably improve the quality of your indoor environment.

Air purifier promotes excellent airflow and air circulation it also filter out dirt, dander and spores from the surroundings.

if you don’t want to get air purifier then you have to open your windows when possible.

Tips to Prevent mold from Mattress

1. Expose mattress to sunlight

To protect your mattress form mold or moisture you need to keep your mattress dry as possible, lots of people sweat a lot in night and that can dampen your mattress.

so you need to regularly remove your bedsheep and open the window for the sunlight because this will remove excessive moisture and kill all mold.

doing this once in week can really helpful for prevention of mattress from mold.

2. Change Bedsheets regularly

According to a US research changing your bedsheets every other week can help to stay clean and safe for you.

Experts recommends washing your bedsheet once in a weak can remove dirt, mold, sweat and other types of fungal growth.

3. Immediately Clean water spills and use HEPA Vacuum

immediately cleaning all water spills or any other types of spills like milk, coffee, vomit, and urine can stop the growth of mold before it starts to developed.

use dry napkin or towel to accumulate excessive liquid and spills.

And Cleaning your mattress with HEPA vacuum can helps you to get rid of allergens and irritants including, microbes, dust particles and mold spores.

Conclusion

A moldy mattress can be dangerous for your health so that’s why get rid of it as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if you ignore it, it can cause you lots of health problems and have long-term effects on your physical and mental health.

If you have any of the symptoms which I mentioned in this article then consider you have mold in your mattress.

If you have any questions regarding symptoms of mold in mattress then you can ask them in the comment section of this article.

FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What are the common symptoms of mold in a mattress?

The common symptoms of mold in a mattress are respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, flu-like symptoms, skin rashes, and changes in the color of the mattress.

2. How can I tell if I have a moldy mattress?

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of mold in a mattress, then you likely have a moldy mattress. You can also check for moisture or dampness on the mattress, spots or discoloration on the surface of the mattress, and bed bugs.

3. What should I do if I have a moldy mattress?

If you have a moldy mattress, you should remove it from your home as soon as possible. If the mattress is too large to remove, then you can try to clean and dry it out. However, if the mattress is still wet or damp, it will likely grow mold again.

4. Is there a health risk associated with moldy mattresses?

Yes, there is a health risk associated with moldy mattresses. Mold can cause respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, flu-like symptoms, skin rashes, and changes in the color of the mattress. It can also lead to long-term health problems.

5. What should I do if I think my child has mold poisoning from a mattress?

If you think your child has mold poisoning from a mattress, you should take him or her to the doctor immediately. Mold poisoning can cause respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, and other health problems.