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It’s the biggest sin and the most damaging.
People believe that plastic is protective. It doesn’t in Dubai. Any moisture in the mattress will be contained by a mattress that is tightly covered in plastic, whether that’s a painter’s tarp, garbage bags seamed together, or a cheap plastic zippered bag. However, moisture can be generated within, sweat, bedroom humidity, ambient humidity, etc.
During the day in a non-climate-controlled house, the sun increases the temperature to 48°C, while at night the temperature drops to 25°C, causing the moisture to condense, then evaporate and condense again. Over and over. You will have mould growing in the space between the foam within 30-60 days of the cooling period. The mattress will be completed by the time you can smell it.
The best alternative: breathable fabric mattress bag. They are priced at AED 30 to AED 60 and they allow air to flow through while keeping dust and insects out. Here at Best E-Self Storage, we offer breathable mattress covers as a part of our storage services — the plastic is that bad.
Mistake 2: Placing the Mattress on its Side.
Putting a mattress on its side is a smart space management. Consumes less space on the floor. When leaned against a wall it appears neat.
However, a mattress isn’t made for that. The stuff inside, springs, foam layers and padding, should take the stress from above, your body pressing vertically. Turn it on its side and gravity causes all those things to fall sideways. Springs shift. Foam compresses unevenly. The mattress will bend or form a ridge down the center after 2-3 months that will not level out.
The memory foam mattresses are particularly susceptible. They are denser and heavier, and more likely to set permanently when stored in the wrong orientation.
The proper way: place your mattress on a clean elevated shelf, preferably on a pallet, a slatted base, or at least a clean layer of cardboard. If space is truly an issue, a great quality innerspring mattress will be able to be stored on its side for a few weeks, but it isn’t a guarantee beyond that.
Mistake 3: Cleaning is not done before storing.
You don’t put dirty dishes in the cupboard and leave it there for 6 months. But people do just that with mattresses — wrap them up and throw them in a unit assuming that they’re fine.
Once a mattress is sealed off, any moisture, sweat residue, skin cells or stains on the mattress are fuel for mould and bacteria. This is exacerbated by Dubai’s humidity. A dirty mattress smelling like last day in bed comes out of the unit stinking even in a climate controlled unit.
Properly clean before storing. Clean all surfaces including seams, which are areas where debris tends to accumulate, by vacuuming. Use mild solution (one part dish soap, two parts hydrogen peroxide, four parts water works well) to spot treat any stains. Sprinkle Baking Soda generously on top, set aside for a minimum of 8 hours and then vacuum. Before putting the mattress in a cover or bag, it should be bone dry. Not damp. Not “mostly dry.” Completely dry.
Mistake 4: Choosing a unit that is not climate controlled is the fourth mistake you can make when buying a unit for Dubai.
This is the one which sets Dubai apart from other cities.
The temperatures in the summer months in Dubai are often 45°C – 48°C outside. Relative humidity is 15% on the average during the day and 80% to 90% at night in an uninsulated storage container or warehouse, particularly in July and August near the coast.
Together, they cause damage to mattresses from within. Foam breaks down more quickly when the temperature is too hot. The bonding layers between the various layers degrade during the heating process. A loss of tension occurs in springs. And the humidity will cause mould, even if the mattress is completely clean when it is put in.
The professional mould remediation price in Dubai ranges from AED 300 to AED 800 per piece of upholstered furniture. Alas, the fact is that mattresses, sofas and upholstered headboards that have a deep mould take-over cannot be recovered. They are thrown in the skip.
Climate controlled storage maintains a stable temperature between 18°C and 25°C all year round and a consistent humidity. We have experienced the effects of the heat in Dubai on unprotected storage, and so have our units been temperature regulated. It’s not an upgrade, it’s a standard that is expected in this climate.
Mistake 5: Stacking a Heavy Item on Top of Another.
That is done all of the time in shared or overcrowded units. The mattress is placed flat on the ground first, then boxes, suitcases, small appliances and sometimes even other furniture are added.
The weight leaves permanent imprinting. When the foam comes in contact with the 20 kg box, it compresses and leaves a compressed area in place that the foam will never regain. If you stack several of these boxes, you’ve destroyed the sleep surface. Here, innerspring mattresses can withstand a bit more wear and tear, but the top comfort layers will still lose their bounce.
Use your mattress as the final thing you put to bed with and first thing you get out of bed. There’s no sticker on top. If you have limited space, put boxes and other smaller objects around the mattress, not on the mattress.
Mistake 6: Overlooking of Dust and Sand
Residents of Dubai have an issue with dust – until it gets in the way.
Any exposed object is filled with fine desert sand and dust particles. They stay on the top of the mattress and burrow through the mattress padding. This forms a grittiness and abrasiveness which can be seen over months, causing damage to the fibres of the fabric, and even after the mattress is cleaned on the surface, it feels dirty.
Most of this is covered by a breathable mattress bag. However, dust will settle on the bag if the unit isn’t adequately sealed or filtered, and will eventually creep through seams or zippers.
Find a storage unit that is actively controlling air quality with filtered ventilation, sealed units and frequent cleaning of shared spaces. Best E Self Storage is a climate controlled facility that also filters out dust and particulate matter for all storage units.
Mistake #7 is to store and forget.
This is particularly seen in the summer tourists. A person who lives in Dubai flies home in June, July and August and forgets to remove the mattress in September, when they start to remember.
If you need to store it in the short term in a suitable climate-controlled store, that should be OK. For longer durations (six months or more) it is beneficial to let mattresses air out. Even breathable bags get a stale and musty odor after a while, opening the bag every 2-3 months and letting the mattress breathe helps prevent the buildup of this smell inside.
If it’s not possible for you to go and see the unit, see if your storage company has a routine inspection or ventilation schedule. Once you put the bed mattress out, it’s a small thing that means a lot.
How a Proper Mattress Storage Setup Should Appear
Here is the mattress storage checklist if you want your mattress to emerge from storage just as it went into it.
Thoroughly clean and air dry — if necessary, for a full day. Purchase a ventilated fabric mattress bag rather than plastic ones. Keep flat on a raised surface like a pallet, slatted frame or stack of cardboard. Keep a climate controlled storage unit with a temperature between 18-25°C. Do not put anything on top of the mattress. Store in a dust filtering container. Turn to fresh air every 2-3 months for long term storage.
That’s it. All these are not costly or difficult to do. You’re storing the mattress that you bought for AED 2,000 and AED 10,000. It costs only AED 30 to buy a mattress bag and to select the appropriate storage unit—it can be a cheap insurance policy.
Final Thoughts
Surface mould may be professionally cleaned at times. Mould in the mattress that is embedded in the foam layers is not going to be recovered – the spores are embedded in the foam structure and only cleaned on the surface. Climate Control and breathable Covers are much more effective and far less expensive than remediation.
