Question about putting mattress on the floor

4159 Views 11 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Fiddlemom, Apr 14, 2006

tamagotchi

Discussion Starter · Apr 12, 2006

DS is crawling now, and we are terrified he is going to fall off our king size bed.

We were originally planning to put our mattress on the floor at this point. (This is easier said than done because we have SOOOOO much stuff stored under our bed... going to have to get rid of a lot of stuff now!)

But now I am remembering how once upon a time, long ago, I had a futon mattress on the floor. The bottom of the futon and the wood floor had a tendency to get all funky and moldy from the condensation on the bottom of the futon, unless I rolled up the futon every day to let the mattress air out.

We don't have a box spring... we have a mattress on a slat bed (we love it, it's this nice bed: http://earthsake.com/shopsite_sc/sto...product26.html ). We have a nice wood floor. We would just be putting our mattress directly on the floor, unless we figured out something else to put under it. It just wouldn't be practical to pick up the mattress to air it out, since it doesn't roll up like a futon.

So, what do you mattress-on-the-floor folks do about airing out the underside of the mattress?

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BusyMommy

· #2 · Apr 12, 2006

Gosh, do you live in a humid climate? Our mattresses and our sons' futon is on the floor and we've never had a problem in 5 years.

I actually do roll up the futon once/week to vacuum out the crumbs that collect around it.

Hmmmm now I'm curious...

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tinuviel_k

· #3 · Apr 13, 2006

I have had two mattresses get ruined on the floor. One was a futon a long time ago in college, and the bottom got all moldy and disgusting.
The second time was recently, with a mattress on the hardwood floor in a VERY dry climate. When we flipped the mattress over one day it had huge mold spots right in the places we lay: it was the moisture from our bodies that seeped through and molded. We had to get rid of the mattress. As soon as we did I stopped getting the choronic colds that had been plauging me for months.

I've noticed that synthetic surfaces and beds seem not to mold on the floor: there is nothing natural for the molds to thrive on. but if you have a an all natural mattress or a natural cotton cover, do not put it on the floor or you'll wind up with a really nasty situation.

One option for you would be to get an inexpensive platform bed frame and cut off all but a couple inches of the legs. Then you would have ample breathing room under the mattress and still be close to the floor.

Somethng like the Pecos Lite would do. http://www.platformbeds.com/index.ph...000054&l2=true Its about $230 for a queen, which is a LOT cheaper than my brand new mattress cost after I had to replace it form the mold.

:

PS: I just got the bed frame that you have. We bought it last week! I just love it, it is so pretty. I finally got one because of our mold issues and because Denali is finally old enough not to crawl off the bed.

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captain crunchy

· #4 · Apr 13, 2006

I don't have experience in this area but would a large area rug do?

I'm sorry if that seems like a lame idea, I was just thinking out loud lol

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wombat

· #5 · Apr 13, 2006

Must depend on the climate, because I've had no problems here in Maryland. Yet in other countries, I had mold problems. I do like to hang futons over a balcony/deck if I have a chance on nice sunny days. Even our mattress, I lift it up and lean it against the wall every week or so with windows open for the breeze and blinds up for the sun.

I think it depends on who is sleeping on it and how much they sweat also.

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LolaK

· #6 · Apr 13, 2006

I am so checking under our mattress tomorrow morning! I never thought about this so I am glad you brought it up.

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InDaPhunk

· #7 · Apr 13, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k
One was a futon a long time ago in college, and the bottom got all moldy and disgusting.

Lots of stuff gets um....funky and disgusting in college and the same thing might not happen now that you don't (hopefully) have the same lifestyle.

The beer spillage on the floor alone is enough to ruin any bed

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Peony

· #8 · Apr 13, 2006

We've had our mattress directly on the floor for the past 3 years and haven't had any issues. We are in the high desert so it is very dry here, our bedroom flooring is tile.

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artgoddess

· #9 · Apr 13, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMB8301
We've had our mattress directly on the floor for the past 3 years and haven't had any issues. We are in the high desert so it is very dry here, our bedroom flooring is tile.

This must be the case with us. We are in the high dessert, on wall to wall carpet and never had an issue. We do flip our mattress on a regular basis, like ever 4 to 6 months, maybe that helps? We also use a high quality mattress pad, which could help prevent the sweat from our bodies getting to the mattress.

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tamagotchi

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 13, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k
I've noticed that synthetic surfaces and beds seem not to mold on the floor: there is nothing natural for the molds to thrive on. but if you have a an all natural mattress or a natural cotton cover, do not put it on the floor or you'll wind up with a really nasty situation.

Hmm, that makes some sense. We love our mattress but it is a nice all natural one. I guess we will not be putting it on the floor then! Thanks for your suggestion of buying an inexpensive platform bed and cutting off the legs... we will look into that... I'm also thinking of buying a low slat frame made for tatami mats, some of those have very short legs also.

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leafwood

· #11 · Apr 14, 2006

I'm so glad I read this. We have carpet, but I need to check under our mattress ASAP!

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Fiddlemom

· #12 · Apr 14, 2006

we have wood floors and futons in the Big Bed room. DH made low (1-2" thick) rollable bed frames with slats and webbing. If you want specifics, PM me and I'll get him to type up a description of how to do it.

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