will a gin spill cause irreparable damage to my mattress?

October 7, 2007 9:56 PM

So my clumsy roommate knocked over a bottle of gin onto my mattress and let about a quart of it spill before it was noticed. My mattress is now soaked through with gin and I need to know the best way for me to deal with it. Any tips on drying? Will it evaporate quickly? What about the smell? Will it mold?
posted by crosbyh to home & garden (12 comments total)

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posted by LobsterMitten at 10:04 PM on October 7, 2007

now you just pour half a cup of dry vermouth on the mattress and....

no no, it'll dry just fine in a day or two and leave the mattress with a pleasant botanical odor, juniper berries mostly, plus whatever else they put in it. gin is a fairly benign substance for spills, compared to, say, bailey's irish cream.
posted by bruce at 10:13 PM on October 7, 2007

I highly doubt that gin would encourage mold growth. You'll be ok. Try to air it out or heat it up with a hair dryer. It should evaporate quickly. Unless you hate the smell of gin, it'll be ok. If you do, try some Febreeze.
posted by SassHat at 10:48 PM on October 7, 2007

It won't mold, but it will smell like a drunken revelry. Soak it with water and let that dry, but be more careful with the water because that could get moldy. Get a new roommate.
posted by caddis at 11:04 PM on October 7, 2007

Gin is 40 percent alcohol, so it will evaporate quickly and it won't mold. After evaporation, there shouldn't be a lingering smell, but as SassHat said above, you could always spray some Febreeze (wait til the gin spot dries though).
posted by amyms at 11:08 PM on October 7, 2007

I think it should be fine. It's probably not going to mold. It may smell vaguely of herbs.
posted by EmptyK at 11:18 PM on October 7, 2007

Hmm. I may be the only one to experience this, but in the house I used to live in, I always found insects highly attracted to glasses with dried-out gin in them. So, if you see insects start to hang out around your matress, might be time to toss it.
posted by blenderfish at 12:28 AM on October 8, 2007

We use something highly absorbent (cloth diapers work great, but towels are also ok) with some weight (phone books) to help absorb the liquid after spills; I don't know if it's too late for that phase.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:21 AM on October 8, 2007

Be extra careful not to smoke in bed.
posted by langeNU at 6:09 AM on October 8, 2007

I'm actually kind of liking this idea (assuming it won't go mouldy or attract insects) because I LOVE the smell of gin. I would seriously buy a gin-scenter air freshener. Let us know how it goes... *eyes bottle of gin and mattress*
posted by corvine at 6:34 AM on October 8, 2007

Two words: lime pillows.

I coincidentally just spoke with a man who works in bed and mattress sales at the mall and he suggested that it would dry faster if you stood the mattress up, therefore allowing air to flow down either side.
posted by ColdChef at 6:41 AM on October 8, 2007

corvine, this cologne is for you.
posted by mds35 at 6:49 AM on October 8, 2007