Mattress in storage for years - how do I know it's ok to use?

[Mamma13456]

We've lived abroad for four years and during that time stored our mattress, sealed in a mattress bag, in a garage. The mattress was only about a year old at the time of storage and it was in good condition though I vaguely remember having to clean it by hand because of spills from our newborn. I think it was a mix of latex and pocket springs.

How do I know if it's safe to use? On the surface it looks fine but I'm worried about mold on the inside that we can't see.

By comparison the small toddler mattress we stored in the same way has spoiled. Also some pillows are fine and others are obviously not.

I'm tempted to throw them all but DH wants to use the ones that look fine. Any advice?

I’d Chuck it all. Being sealed in a plastic for all that time isn’t good. I’d expect mould to have formed somewhere.

My advice is that storing things long term in units or garages is largely a waste of time because the things spoil. Having said that, some people are very poor and can't afford what they need. If you advertise those ok-looking things on Facebook either free or cheap, someone will be glad to have them. Personally I'd feel the same way as you about them and I wouldn't want to use them either. Others live in damp property where things are always going mouldy so won't care as much about the possibility of hidden mould. A charity once brought me a mattress that they'd stupidly cleaned with something after acquiring it, then wrapped up in cling film and put in storage until it was given out. It stank of damp/mould upon unwrapping but there were no visible signs of mould. I had to waste a day's gas getting the thing dry with it up against the radiator and the window open, but I slept on it for a year and nothing bad happened to me. It was better than sleeping on the floor. For yourselves, if you can afford to replace then I would do that. I replaced mine after a year when I could afford it and donated it to some other family in need via Facebook, which had the added bonus of me not needing to pay the council to come remove it.