DP destroying mattresses one at a time....

[TheDetective]

God help me.

Before I start - no one suggest a mattress protecter - been there done that.

DP sweats like crazy at night, and the bed stinks. I can't stand it. It doesnt matter how often I change the sheets, because its in the mattress. The window are open, the fan is on. Nothing works to stop the sweat, his mother tells me he has always been this way. So I guess I need a way to manage the smell. I've tried fabreezing the mattress. Now it just stinks of fabreeze and sweat. Its like a gone wrong vinegar smell, and its digsusting. We've only had this new mattress 2 months.

Mattress protecters do nothing. It soaks through.

And to make matters worse, his sweating is so bad that it has caused mold to grow! Seriously! His side of the room has gotten so damp that mold has grown on the wall by his bed, and the window by his bed, as well as underneath the old mattress!!!!! I lived here for 3 years without him, and the mold appeared within 3 months of him moving in. It's no coincidence. Had the windows and roof checked for leaks - nada! The house has a damp proof course, and no mold anywhere else in house!

HELP ME!

That's great thanks This. May have to keep replacing them, like I did the previous (smell didn't wash out) but cheaper than Ikea anyway!

He should go to GP ...but
What you need is one of the towelling type mattress protectors - these are basically a rubber sheet with a towelling layer on the top...not particularly cheap but they really work ....and don't feel at all clammy ....my children have wet their (and my!) bed and not a drop has gone through ...I bought mine for our bed when I was pregnant, got a new mattress and was convined my waters were going to break all over it but now keep one on all the time -not only bed wetters but also drink spills etc...I sometimes in winter for extra warmth put a cloth one n top...
How much bigger are ikea mattresses? ...I use ikea sheets on a 'normal' bed and they don't seem way too big...guess you could get some grippits (betterware) -sheet suspenders to make it stay in place
For your current mattress - think rug doctor etc may make it too damp - better would to try steaming it - won't get rid of the sweat but should kill any germs and that should stop it getting smelly - and a fresh air airing if and when you can...

Could you buy a thinner matress topper so that if he destroys that, at least the matress would be saved. It wouldn't be quite as drastic or as expensive as having to get rid of the mmatress underneath.

have a look here

FGS! He's only 21.
Get him to the doc's. It's not normal to sweat that much at nite. Get a second opinion on the sweating.
We use a plastic sheet cover, and a mattress protector ontop that isn't water proof as such. I change the bedding weekly, if not more.
My dh is a big rugby monster, and sweats at nite too, so quite common, but he's 40, twice your dp age. Get him checked x

Agree that he needs to be seen by a doc.

Putting plastic sheets on the bed won't help, it will just make him sweat more. Compare how hot and sticky you feel when wearing an acrylic jumper to a natural fibre such as wool or cotton.

As to the ridiculous statement that you should have thought about this before having a baby with him - what a crock of shit.

Maybe a sweaty man would be a deal breaker for some, but OP has given no indication that she is in any way unhappy with her relationship.

How about a rubber sheet, the sort used for home births, with cotton sheets on top. I can't imagine soaking through those.
And would second paying a visit to the doctor.

Hypoglycemia, hormone disorders, idiopathic hyperhidrosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes, hyperthyroidism, neurological problems, malfunctioning hypothalmus - all can contribute to excessive night sweating in men.

What your DP is going through is not normal and he must see a doctor.

Whether he can smell it or not he can certainly see it's destroying the mattress. I can't see why it's your problem to find a way of rescuing it. Temporarily at least it does sound like you could get a fancy single for your side of the bed and an almost disposable for his, but you'd still have to live with the stink until he takes responsibility for both the health and the housekeeping problems

Sorry to be the one who mentions this, but are you sure he is not actually wetting the bed?

My 12 year old DS1 practically never wets the bed, has done it about once a year over the past 3 years, but whenever it does happen he has always been in complete denial and claims "I was really hot and sweaty."

The last time he did it he was dosed up on piriton - and that's why it happened I think, too drowsy - and the urine didn't even smell of urine, it smelled of piriton. But I knew it wasn't sweat as there was too much of it.

If DS1 wet the bed every night and I just believed what he said, I can quite imagine a scenario where his girlfriend at 21 said "he sweats so badly every night" and me saying "ooh yes he has always been like that!"

I think you also need to air your bed every day - strip the sheets back, and the mattress protector, open the windows and let the bed air for a couple of hours. Then replace the sheets. If he is sweating that much, you should also probably change the bedding daily. Complete balls ache, but on this basis alone, I would insist on accompanying him to the GP to get him checked out.

Also turn your mattress regularly, so both sides get to air.

Also invest in a dehumidifier as a matter of urgency. You do not want a damp house with mould when you have a baby on the way.

I actually have this problem myself. It is worth going to the doctor as it can be the first symptom of some really nasty illnesses. My doctor was extremely sympathetic. In my case, though, it doesn't seem to be caused by anything, and he's not found anything that he could do about it.

The best thing I've found is actually having the room warmer, rather than cooler. Seems to be some kind of problem with temperature regulation of the body at night.

He needs to go to the doctor and have each possible cause ruled out by testing, one by one.

What about putting a dehumidifier under the bed during the day to help remove as much moisture as possible (I have this one for general use around the house and it's really good), opening the windows in the morning, stripping the bed to let it air as much as possible, and using one of these mattress protectors too - and they're 20% off at the moment I noticed - and sending him to the GP for a check up.

I haven't time to read the whole thread but have you tried covering the mattress in bicarbonate of soda and leaving it as long as you can and then hoovering it?

You could also leave a few of those condensation crystal traps (I saw some in the hardware section in Tesco this week) at his side of the bed to absorb the excess moisture in the air (but watch once baby is here that baby can't get to them).

I agree with thisisyesterday's link here you need to be looking at incontinence protectors as they assume a lot of fluid will be produced.

They are the same kind as those used in hospitals, my SIL did work for a company that provides things like this for care homes/hospitals etc and we had a completely waterproof sheet for DS1 who wet the bed. It is totally unlike my tencel waterproof sheet.

You can also get pillow protectors like those used in hospitals or actual covered pillows. The key is anything that says wipe clean rather than washable.

Sounds like he's incontinent - especially with that amount of liquid, and the smell / mould.

If he refuses to go to the doctor, tell him to man up - he's going to be a dad soon, so time to get himself sorted out.

And that includes the extra housekeeping work associated with his problem.

You can actually buy waterproof matresses (I buy them for work)