smoke smell in a mattress :(

[made4more]

Helllp! my grandpa who is dieing from lung cancer is a verrry heavy smoker. he gave us some of his belongings because he's not got much longer on Earth, and I was very excited to pass on his bed to my son because it's his only great grandson, and I was there when he got the bed, I used to stay the night in it, etc.... anyway- it reeks of cigarette smoke. I didn't notice too much at first, but this am when I went into kyles room it just about knocked me over. I did febreeze it, do I just need to do that every day, is there anything else I can do? the bed isn't new, but he rarely ever used it, as he likes the couch for sleeping.

tia

[MarynMunchkins]

I'd sprinkle a box of baking soda on it, and let it sit for a couple hours, than vacuum it off. :)

[tempus vernum]

:yes What Mary said and then I'd use bac-out afterwards but not like the directions on the bottle - just spray on and let dry

However, when dh's grandparents sold their house we got a mattress from them. My FIL lived there and smoked heavily the entire time. We did baking soda over and over and bac out over and over and just couldn't get the smoke out of the mattress so we ended up getting rid of the mattress. It never improved because of YEARS of smoke exposure :hugheart

[TuneMyHeart]

I was going to suggest bac out, but Jodi beat me to it. :)

[PaleBlue]

Honestly...I am severely sensitive to and allergic to cigarette smoke. I get severe nasal stuffiness and migraine headaches, flu-like symptoms..it's bad. And I find that if anything has been smoked around, and can't be machine washed, that smell will never come out- carpet, vents, mattresses, used cars...etc.

I get so :mad when people smoke cigarettes around me, especially when I used to wear dry-clean only stuff for work because it never comes out of anything I can't soak.

The only things you can try are already suggested, it seems like baking soda and sprays would be the best bet, and maybe zipping the deodorized mattress up into a really solid mattress cover, but I find that you can get the smell alleviated off the surface but give it time and more smell will come up from the insides. :( Smoke is nasty.

[JessicaTX]

*ponder*
this is a totally untested theory, what if you got one of those zippered mattress covers like the pp said. Then sprinkled the box of baking soda inside the cover, then zipped it almost all the way shut, and stuck a vacuum hose in the opening and sucked as much of the air out of it as possible, and maybe forcing more of the baking soda into whatever crevices and whatonot are available.

[crunchymum]

i dunno... i had to throw out a mattress that was from an in house smoker - i tried everything to get rid of the smell, to no avail, and my house ended up stinking for weeks even after we tossed it. :shrug i don't know if it would ever be a healthy mattress for you son...

[made4more]

so just sleeping on a smoky mattress can make affect him like secondhand smoke can? *asking cuz you said it won't be "healthy"* :think

[Lady TS]

If you can't get the smoke smell out, would putting a mattress cover on it keep the smoky smell in?

[Katigre]

i would get rid of the mattress. I would not risk the health effects for a child. My DH gets migraines from being around items that smell like smoke.

[made4more]

aw darnit, but then he wont have a bed :(

i think i will try the heavy zipper cover.

[Lady TS]

I remember reading that a good way to get smoke smell out of books is to put newspaper between the pages....so maybe if you put newspaper in with the mattress in the cover it will soak up a lot of the smell? Worth a try!

[tempus vernum]

so just sleeping on a smoky mattress can make affect him like secondhand smoke can? *asking cuz you said it won't be "healthy"* :think


:yes2 :yes2 Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but yes, sleeping on a smoky mattress can cause all the same things secondhand smoke can :hugheart

I also got terrible headaches while sleeping on the smoky mattress we were trying to keep :/

[made4more]

bummer- I guess I'll be trying to get Kyle a bed soon!

[GotMyHeartFull]

I would do a zippered mattress cover. The ones that the entire mattress goes in and it zips up.

[crunchymum]

i think even zippered, waterproof mattress covers are still designed to let the mattress "breath", so i don't know how well that would work...

[GotMyHeartFull]

if it didn't work or the smell won't come out, I'd get rid of it
what was he sleeping in before?

[made4more]

well, either the smell is subsiding or I'm becoming immune to it, either way- I'm not falling over anymore. :giggle

Kelly- he was in his crib which is now in our room for hte baby (not that she sleeps in it.)

[Soliloquy]

I know you're in a small town, but I would call all the dry cleaners and ask about ozone treatment. Hotels do this if someone smokes in a non-smoking room (Alice Cage told me about it--her cat kept peeing on her futon). They put the mattress in a room that is constantly flushed w/ ozone and it gets rid of smells. It takes a few weeks. Alice told me it cost about $80 but that included pick-up and delivery.

[RachamMama]

the ozone idea is intruiging.. :yes

I was going to suggest setting it outside in the sunlight/air for a few days..we did this with a mattress from my grandmother and the smell did go away..