Knowledge Guide · Care
Is the smell from a new mattress harmful?
Reviewed & curated by Maria BanouHome Life AdvisorMattress guidance
What off-gassing is, how long it lasts, and how to shorten it.
Key points
- • Strongest in the first 24 hours; usually gone in 3 to 7 days
- • Ventilation is the whole solution
- • CertiPUR-US and OEKO-TEX test for restricted substances and emissions
- • Latex and innerspring builds off-gas least
- Off-gassing
- The release of trapped volatile organic compounds from newly manufactured foam as it expands and airs out.
Why it happens
Compressed foam holds manufacturing byproducts that release as it expands. The smell is real, it is temporary, and its intensity is mostly a function of how recently the mattress was made and how tightly it was packed.
How to shorten it
Give the mattress air and time before you sleep on it.
- • Unbox in a ventilated room, ideally not the bedroom
- • Let it expand 24 to 72 hours before making the bed
- • Run a fan or open windows during the first day
- • Do not cover it with bedding while the smell is strong
When to be concerned
A smell that persists beyond two weeks, or that triggers headaches or breathing symptoms, is worth raising with the retailer during the trial window rather than waiting it out.
Common questions
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