The term ‘memory foam mattress cover’ can be used in two ways, and so it often causes misunderstandings. It can apply either to the cover which protects a memory foam mattress, or to a memory foam topper which covers a mattress. Confused? That’s hardly surprising, but the following article should prove enlightening.
Memory foam shapes itself to the form of the person who is sitting or laying upon it, cradling or offering support to aching and weary bodies. It was originally invented by NASA for use in it’s space missions in the 1970s, and began to appear in hospitals in the 1980s. However, the price prevented it from making much of an impact on domestic homes until the 1990s, when the technology involved in production improved and costs began to come down.
Memory Foam Mattress Covers
Nevertheless, prices are still not cheap and a memory foam mattress cover (as in the expression used in the first way above), is aimed at protecting these expensive investments. The covers are often made from a material similar to the mattress itself, as in theory it’s only the size and density of the mattress that prevents it from being shoved in the machine.
It’s all very well knowing how to clean a memory foam mattress, but in practice it’s just not possible to do it properly and they should be protected from the outset. If you’ve neglected to use a memory foam mattress cover and it’s now too late, the best policy is to spray the surface rather than wet it with a cloth, as they absorb far too much water too quickly and are extremely difficult to dry. Use a well-diluted solution of mild detergent and then repeat the process with plain water to rinse.
Memory foam mattresses must always be allowed to dry thoroughly, as to do otherwise will promote mould and mildew growth, guaranteed to be far nastier than anything you were trying to clean off in the first place. A memory foam mattress cover can usually just be tossed into the machine, but must not be tumble dried.
The Memory Foam Mattress Topper
These are around two inches thick, cut to the exact dimensions of the surface of the bed (king size, queen size, double or single etc) and sit on top of any mattress to offer support. Being substantially thinner they are a little easier to clean than memory foam mattresses, but it’s still very difficult to do effectively and so they can also benefit from a memory foam mattress cover.
Removing That New Memory Foam Mattress Cover Smell
Brand new memory foam mattresses and mattress covers have a distinctive and unpleasant smell about them that can last from anything from a few days up to two weeks. It will go away, but in the meantime you can help to counter it by dusting the product with baking soda and leaving it for a few hours before vacuuming it off, lightly spraying with fabric freshener spray or putting a few fabric softener sheets between the lower sheet and the memory foam, close to where the smell is most likely to offend.
Armed with the above information, buying a memory foam mattress cover should now be easy, and many nights of blissfully untroubled sleep await you.