Will my new mattress have mold issues?

[Annaleigh]

Thanks Twoxentrix! That looks like a great product to use. I am sure I can learn a lot from you guys who own boats! You probably face more mold issues then most people in a van.. I see you used it on the canvas so I guess its safe on all cloth surfaces... I try a test spot first..

Most of the surfaces in the wall and ceiling surfaces are cloth wrapped around and glued to a thin wood paneling.There is house type insulation behind that in the space between the interior and outer metal of the van. Maybe there is something good abut not being sealed too tight. When I removed the old floor I thought I might find a lot of rust being the van was 33 years old. To my surprise it looked like new!

https://imgur.com/XzPCgDK

[nyyankees588]

I'd ditto scotty's input. ~4yrs owning my self-converted van and have never had an issue with mold under the mattress (this includes 8 months of traveling/living out of it full time). My bed platform is plywood, so I drilled 3/4" holes in a pattern across most of it to allow for some ventilation. Mattress is a cheap-o foam mattress from amazon cut to size, DIY cotton/poly mattress cover (aka nothing fancy). Plywood is also raw, no protective paint. I leave the mattress in it 90% of the time (don't tip it up or anything).

There are obviously lots of fancy products that will help to avoid mold... but I haven't come across a need for them. Biggest risk IMO is when you don't use the van for a while and there's a small leak somewhere that you don't notice until it's too late... Always best to run a small dehumidifier or heater for a day or two every month at the very least if the van isn't getting used. Boats are definitely a different story... mold/moisture in them is a guarantee. Your van should be ok IMO.

[Otter]

I’ll add a thought to Bcam’s post. I’ve had sailboats all my life and all of them had bed cushions with vinyl underneath. All of them developed mold if I didn’t remove them or at least stand them up on their sides. Floating on water obviously contributed to the problem but it even happened in smaller boats kept on a trailer in my driveway. It was clear the moisture being trapped under the vinyl cause the mold.

In my van, the cushions are covered in a plush fabric and spend all of their time in the poptop with the top down unless, of course, we’re actively camping. There hasn’t been a hint of mold. I live in Portland where it rains 9 months of the year. So, my advice would be to not use a vinyl or plastic-covered cushion that has to stay in contact with a solid base.

[Annaleigh]

Thanks for the replies guys... The mattress lays on top of the original cloth covered foam seat and the bottom of that seat is open as the foam just sits on a metal frame grid.

Here in the south the humidity and temperature would have a lot to do with it as well as how long I spend in the van.

I haven't slept in the van yet during this very cold weather we are having bud put a oil filled electric heater in there to just see how it would do. I was amazed how much heat it took to keep it comfortable in there. I think there is a 500 watt, 1000watt, and 1500 watt setting. I had to keep it on the 1000 watt setting with the thermostat towards the high setting! My doors are not insulated and there is a lot of glass.
Thanks
Annaleigh

[BroncoHauler]

No personal experience, but I've read where some people use something like the item in the link below.

https://www.mattressinsider.com/matt...revention.html


Herb

[stesmit]

I wonder if something simple like a washable waterproof mattress cover might be enough protection and piece of mind here. Good luck!

[Annaleigh]

The mattress underlay looks very interesting.

As to the washable waterproof mattress cover, The cover over the mattress now is washable and water proof. Its a hospital grade material so it is designed to cleaned with sanitizers.
I would post a couple of pics but the day I got it back from the upholstery shop where they shortened it, I installed it and made the bed up. Until the upholstery shop cut the end and sewed in a zipper, it could have been washed off with a hose. When I take the bed apart again I will be sure to get some close up pics.

Before making the bed up I used a king or queen size comforter and wrapped it around the mattress so it is basically wrapped all the way around and the ends tucked in with a thick blanket.