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Memory Foam Smell |
Memory Foam Smell
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a medical site and does not offer personal medical advice. You should always discuss medical matters with your doctor.
As you've probably noticed, I'm a great fan of memory foam. It's a wonderful way of getting both comfort and support in bed. However it does have one unfortunate drawback: when new it emits an unpleasant chemical smell (odor).
Technically this smell is known as "off-gassing". It gradually dies down over time, so the advice when you buy a new memory foam product is usually to let it air for a couple of days before sleeping on it. By that time the smell has normally died down to a level that is acceptable to most people.
Some people have suggested that an ionizer or ozone generator could help the smell to dissipate more quickly; I've not tried this myself.
Unfortunately some people seem more acutely aware of the smell than others. These people might have to leave new memory foam for longer before the smell drops to a level that is reasonable for them. Some people are so sensitive to the smell that it never seems to go away. If you're one of these then I'm afraid that buying memory foam products probably isn't for you.
Apparently this is the reason that NASA never actually sent memory foam into space - the off-gassing in the cramped conditions of a space craft would have been unbearable.
All original material copyright © Trevor Mendham 2004-2006.
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