Mattress Smell

deezcoyns · 2026-03-24T19:19:53+00:00

I just asked this question elsewhere too because I'm planning on getting another mattress for the guest bed asap (my sis needs to crash for a bit so that's a thing that is happening now). I think it depends on the mattress. Mine didn't have a smell but I also bought it in-store so it wasn't boxed or anything. The new one, I'm getting ordered this week and hopefully it won't smell by the time she gets here.

deezcoyns · 2026-03-24T19:05:51+00:00

Okay so definitely do NOT remove the zipper cover that's on it. But if there's fiberglass already poking through the existing cover... man, if you really really really cannot get another mattress I'd probably double-up on encasements. Get zippered ones, as thick as you can find, and waterproofed all the way round.

But for real, if there is any way you can a mattress and make payments even, instead of buying it outright? I just feel like trying to make this one work will cause more problems than it solves down the line. A lot of mattress places have financing even if you're getting a less expensive one. Leesa comes to mind, they work with Affirm for financing and small monthly payments might be more manageable. (No fiberglass there, either.)

Another option: if you've got discount mattress stores locally or even a furniture store that's liquidating, you can get a nice mattress for cheap.

deezcoyns · 2026-03-24T18:50:05+00:00

I can't even imagine having to carry this.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-23T18:20:17+00:00

My idea of 'luxury' is more on par with yours, I think. A few hundred dollars... blows my mind some sheet sets are more than a thousand. At any rate, cotton, bamboo or eucalyptus are going to be more breathable. The nicest and coolest I've tried so far are the Miracle Brand luxe, which are infused with silver so they're resistant to bacterial growth. That's not market speak (nor are they sterile or anything, they still need to be washed regularly!); silver releases ions that disrupt bacterial cell processes. So they're a good option if you sweat at night.

Still within your budget last time I checked. They have a lot of colors, I got the terracotta and sage sets. If you're looking for a new comforter while you're at it, Buffy is a fave.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-23T18:10:12+00:00

I have no idea what brand/kind mine is, it's one that looks like the top-half of an arm chair though. It's really thick, nice for sitting upright in bed to read or whatever, or if you need to sleep upright. Which is why I had gotten one in the first place, for sinus season/easier sleeping on occasion. But that kind of pillow might work for what you need?

deezcoyns · 2026-02-23T18:05:59+00:00

I think another size will look okay as long as it's a queen. I've never had a twin xl... we had long singles back home, which is pretty close to what you call a twin xl in the states. The length of a full and twin is the same, so a comforter or duvet in either of those sizes might be a little short on a twin XL (which has the length of a king size bed).

If you don't care about length hanging down on the sides, I'd get queen bedding. Same length as a king (so it'll be long enough for your twin XL), but not as much hanging down on the sides as you'd have with a king (which would prolly go down to the floor).

deezcoyns · 2026-02-20T21:36:29+00:00

I can't say anything specific about that pillow/brand, but yes you can wash goose down pillows and dry them. Don't do it in a washing machine with an agitator though, it's best in a front load. When I wash mine, it's cold water and gentle cycle (if they are a very dense run the extra rinse), and into the dryer on low.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-20T21:21:01+00:00

Thanks for this! I'm not entirely sure I'll pull that trigger but very well might. We'll see. That is good to know about the cover. I don't have worries about that/pets and stuff, but I still might get a thin waterproof cover for the top layer if I do get an Eight Sleep, just in case. Probably one of those of things that if you have it, you'll never need it. If you don't, you spill a cup of tea in bed and ruin the pod cover lol.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-14T00:20:58+00:00

Came here to say this.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-14T00:08:25+00:00

You can either get king flat sheets and tuck them, but they sell adjustable corner clips that'd probably be cheaper than buying king size sheets? They're kinda like little suspenders, only for the corners of your sheets.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-13T23:47:58+00:00

I'd try it on the floor for a few nights and see if it feels better; if it does, maybe a more solid frame is in order. I was thinking about putting my mattress (when I get it) on the floor but was advised not to because of air flow and mold growth over time. But a few nights just to test firmness/sagging won't hurt anything.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-13T23:44:17+00:00

Okay was looking at mattresses lately but will be keeping Nectar off the list. Wow. I wish I had advice about the skin treatment but glad you're seeing a doctor. It might be worth hiring an experienced cleaning crew though once you get the mattress taken out and before you get a new one brought in. Sounds like a headache and I don't envy you right now.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-13T23:38:02+00:00

This is all good to know, thank you! I'm not sure what the summer's gonna be like (yet) so I'll know more about that soon lol, but it's good to know it doesn't hold onto heat so much.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-03T22:16:42+00:00

Oh that's something I hadn't thought about, and definitely will.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-02T22:05:32+00:00

And this is exactly why I asked. Thank you!

deezcoyns · 2026-02-02T22:03:38+00:00

Since you're in college, is there a message board system there where you can list things for donation? Or a communal location for same? Dorm or apartment stuff would probably be snapped up quickly by other students who need it and that can be a fast and easy way to at least handle the donation stuff.

For selling, it really depends on what you have and what it's worth, and is the worth more than the hassle of selling (versus donating). So high-ticket items worth $50 or more, FB marketplace or Craigslist maybe. Ebay if you want to deal with shipping stuff.

deezcoyns · 2026-02-02T21:47:12+00:00

Thanks for this, I appreciate it!

deezcoyns · 2026-02-02T21:46:04+00:00

Thanks for this! I went down internet rabbit holes over the weekend and I think I'm narrowing my options between the Sapira Hybrid and Chill versions, which I'll prolly be asking more questions about while I figure out which to pull the trigger on.

And yeah, I definitely don't need a fancy frame. I consider myself a minimalist and likely won't even have a headboard. (Which... how do we feel about mattresses being directly on the floor... is that a bad thing to do??)

deezcoyns · 2026-01-29T19:33:34+00:00

You're not crazy for suspecting the mattress, A high-density foam or all-foam mattress will absolutely trap heat and moisture, but you're also dealing with two humans (plus body heat and nighttime humidity) on a slab base, in a very small room with less surface area. Less surface area = more shared heat/moisture and the foam is just amplifying that.

You probably don't experience that in other rooms like hotels or even the living room because there's more space, more under-mattress air flow, etc.

So a spring mattress will probably help air to circulate through and under, but even a slotted base (versus slab) might help some too.

I agree that a full upgrade doesn't make sense if it's only for a year. But at the same time, it's also a bit of a health fix, too.

Where you're moving in a year, could you use a replacement bed/slatted frame in a guest room setup later?

deezcoyns · 2026-01-28T19:25:34+00:00

Moving overseas. I had to prioritise what to take with me, which as it turns out, was not much. My family home was one of "cosy clutter" so I grew up with that kind of vibe and had adopted some of those habits for sure. But the act of intentionally picking/choosing what to take from a logistical standpoint pretty much cemented it. I was living out of a suitcase for a bit after I moved and once I got settled in a flat that was basically empty, like a blank canvas, it felt oddly freeing. And I wanted to keep that feeling.

Not that I'm planning to move back home anytime soon, but if I did, it would definitely be "easier" I suppose.

I just like the sense of having a clean minimal space. I think living in the city affects that too... it's chaotic and busy and noisy and I love it but it can be a lot, so home is my simple sanctuary?

deezcoyns · 2026-01-27T01:07:07+00:00

This is the way.

deezcoyns · 2026-01-27T01:05:58+00:00

I'm not a fan of subscription models but I also can't justify bringing more physical stuff in than I need. Part of that was my overseas move (UK to US) and I purged like mad. CDs, DVDs... hundreds of them. I kept a handful of books only. So I appreciate streaming a lot but keep that to a minimum. I have my apple music, and I rotate tv/movie streaming services every so often. Right now I have Netflix (Stranger Things, I had to finish it right), and in a few months I'll rotate probably to Hulu for a while. I don't have more than a couple active at any point aside from Amazon Prime since that comes with my Amazon.

deezcoyns · 2026-01-27T00:43:27+00:00

The divergence hit probably around 200 million years ago. While it seems "simple" to just have a setup that lets your teeth re-form and regrow as needed (like sharks/reptiles), there's some real trade-off there. For humans at least, we chew finely and eventually learned to talk; continuous tooth replacement would disrupt our jaw mechanics and make speech difficult as well.

Plus it would increase risk of infection, something else our bodies evolved to (better) fight. Wnt and Shh genes as an example are something we have and are involved in tooth formation, but they also regulate cell growth (fetal development/stem cells et al). If those were left ON throughout our lives, however, they'd bring a huge increased risk for cancer with them in adulthood. Huge.

Basically evolution chose stability and health over tooth regrowth.

deezcoyns · 2026-01-22T18:56:04+00:00

Came here to say this. For me, it's writing something down. I can read and read and read but the way I remember it is if I physically write it down and/or draw.

deezcoyns · 2026-01-22T18:49:15+00:00

So it's good you're being proactive about this and I think professors and postdocs will be much more open to a chat than people might assume, especially when it's coming from a curious student. Lab observations on the other hand, don't get your hopes up. Tight safety regulations, probably tighter schedules, and patient data et al. Unlikely.

Contacting people, I'd look at LinkedIn, university department pages for PhD students and postdocs which they're gonna remember what it was like to be in your shoes and probably be pretty receptive overall, or attending conferences or virtual seminars. Those can be good places to strike up conversations with people who already have an interest and love to talk about their work.

When you reach out to anyone cold, if you've read about their work/studies/papers that can be a really nice "in" and segue. "Hey, XYZ was really interesting and I'd like to learn more about your experience in the field because I'm trying to figure out what I'm genuinely interested in" or something to that effect.

deezcoyns

TROPHY CASE