Water
Bed Odors
We have
had a waterbed for many years. Recently we have had a problem
with a strong mold smell coming from the mattress. I wash and
dry the bedding on hot and wash the mattress with Clorox wipes and
anti-bacterial spray. Within a couple of days the smell is
back. It really irritates my allergies. What can this be
from and what can I do? –
Deb, NY
We
purchased a new waterbed mattress a few months ago. It started
emitting a horrible musty/basement-like odor that has permeated the
entire house. It is in our clothes and does not easily come
out with washing. Those living in the house get used to it but
anyone new coming in is stopped cold by the odor. I can’t
imagine this is healthy for my two young children. I read your
response to another question like this. Could it be the same
thing?-
Linda, KY
As a long-time owner of a water bed, I am quite aware of odor and
other related problems associated with them.
One of the most common is a sour microbial odor that seems to appear
overnight. That is the odor of excessive bacterial growth
inside the water mattress itself. In fact, manufacturers
advise consumers that they should periodically (every year or so)
add a biocide (available from bed and mattress retailers) to the
water mattress to control microbial growth. These biocides
usually work well in keeping bacteria under control. As these
biocides become less effective with age, bacterial populations may
increase enormously producing a very unpleasant odor. This
odor may be controlled by adding another dose of biocide to the
water to kill off the bacteria. However, in some cases, such
repeated biocidal treatment may not be effective in eliminating the
odor problem and the mattress will have to be replaced.
Water beds tend to have a problem with mold growth on mattress pads
and other bedding. This is not uncommon since mattress heat
and the imperviousness of the vinyl plastic mattress wall prevents
the passage of water vapor emitted from human bodies. This increases
sweating and moisture levels in pads and bedding. This
moisture as well as human skin scales and non-synthetic bedding
fabrics provides an excellent growth environment for a number of
mold species. An examination of such bedding may reveal the
presence of tiny round blackish spots which are in many cases mold
colonies. Such bedding needs to be washed in warm water (≥ 120oF)
on a periodic basis. Such machine washing will typically
prevent mold growth for a time and also wash away mold spores and
fungal parts. It generally will not remove the stains produced
by the mold types which have grown on it. Dry cleaning can be
even more effective in killing mold on mattress pads and bedding,
and may in some cases remove the tiny dark spots.
New waterbed mattresses also have a very distinctive non-microbial
odor associated with them. It is the odor of chemicals that
are being released from the vinyl material that forms the mattresses
exterior. The odoriferous chemicals are released from
unreacted compounds used to produce the vinyl polymeric plastic.
They can also be produced by the plastisizers that are incorporated
into the vinyl plastic to keep it soft and pliable. These
plastisizers are semi-volatile compounds and as a consequence they
are released very slowly.
The most common plastisizers used in soft plastics belong to a group
of compounds called phthalic acid esters. A number of
research studies n Europe have showed significant associations
between respiratory health problems (asthma, wheeze, bronchial
obstruction, cough, phlegm production, rhinitis) and the quantity of
plastic materials present in a building environment; others with the
concentration of plastisizers (such as n-butyl benzyl phthalate and
di(2-ethylhexyl phthalate) found in house dust. As such sleeping
directly on a plastic-based material such as water bed mattress(
even when covered with bedding) may pose a respiratory health risk
to individuals sensitive to such compounds.
September 27, 2007
