Effective mattress cover

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

hello. I recently bought a new bed. If only I had known what I

know now I might have held on to my old lumpy mattress. To cut a long

story short I returned the new bed as it smelt like a chemical waste

dump. I couldn't get my money back so I chose a different bed from

the store. This one had a slight new bed smell, nothing like the

first one did. The store manager agreed there was a problem with the

first bed because it was packed too soon after manufacture as it was

just before Christmas and the beds were rushed to the stores too soon

and weren't given time to air out first before packing.

Anyway, on the label on the mattress of the bed I have now I

find out that the foam and the mattress fabric have been treated with

antimicrobials. What these really are are pesticides to kill dust

mites and prevent mould in the bed. It appears the whole world has

gone mad, it seems almost everything from beds, upholstered

furniture, clothes, pillows, mattress covers are

now " sanitized " , " freshened " . I won't use brand names, but many of

these things are now labelled as " super freshed " (fictitious name)

and so on. I was told by a bed manufacturer that nearly all the beds

(except for latex beds) are now treated with these pesticides whether

it states that on the mattress or not and it has been that way for

the past twenty years.

As I am on a low income, I can't afford a latex bed (and the

covers of those are treated with pesticides anyway), or a bed made of

organic cottons etc., and anyway they are so hard to find here in

Australia.

So I have been looking for effective non toxic bed protectors,

but most of those are " super freshed " too! I have some chemical

sensitivites, but seem to do okay with some artificial materials. On

the cheap end of the market are pvc covers which stink and make me

feel sick. Polythene is meant to be an inert substance, so I bought

soem cheap covers and they smell too. I wonder if anyone has the same

problem and what they have found to help with such a problem. What

would be an effective and non toxic material to act as a barrier to

off gassing of the materials in the bed. I am told by the

manufacturers that these pesticides are built into the foam and the

fabric and don't off gas at normal room temperature and don't rub

off. Even if that is the case, there are still other chemicals in the

bed which make up the foam etc. Any information would be appreciated.

Sorry for the length of this message.

Love, Voula

[Guest guest]

Dear Fred and D,

thank you for replying. D, I had the same problem with

the " antibacterial " company. They refused to tell me what the

chemicals were as it was privileged information. A quick internet

search and I found the ingredients on the Australian government

chemicals approval division. What is this privileged information

stuff? I don't want the exact formula, just the ingredients. One of

the ingredients is something I have a problem with. But I

am " assured " by the company it won't off gas or rub off the fabric of

the mattress.

Fred, I thought of futons, and maybe I should have thought of

them more, before buying a new bed. I just thought with my back

problems they wouldn't suit me as I looked at some some time ago. On

researching about them, most of them have the same chemical

treatments unless I could find an organic cotton one. The futons with

foam are not much different to regular mass produced beds. I don't

have severe intolerances (I feel spacey, flushed and really bothered

by pesticides and petrol and paint and some other things) like some

people do, but I do have an immune system disorder and my holistic

gastroenterologist told me to avoid as many chemicals as possible.

Anyway, I am ordering some mattress encasers for the time being and

see how they work.

Love, Voula

 

, Dave R Hermanson

<tumblweed4@j...> wrote:

>

> I bought a new mattress about a year ago. They asked me if I wanted

them

> to

> put a protective treatment on it for an extra twenty dollars. They

went on to say that this new

> coating was

> so safe that you could literally drink it. I stupidly agreed to get

the

> coating

> Later I called the company who makes the mattresses and asked them

what

> the stuff they sprayed my mattress with was made out of but they

refused

> to

> tell me for some reason.

>

> D.

>

> > Check out the world of futons. See if you have any better luck.

See

> > if you can get one which was manufactured in your country. Also,

> > ask your doctor to write a note that you need a mattress or futon

> > without chemical sprays. The manufacturer are required to comply.

> >

> > Fred

> >

> >

> >