Left matress on its side for a few days, now has lump that won't go away
October 26, 2015 9:03 PM Subscribe
Someone was moving out of my building shortly after I moved to my current apartment, resulting in my girlfreind and I getting a free queen sized mattress. I left it on its side for about three days while I got my stuff sorted, and since then the side that was in the air has a huge lump. Have I ruined it, or is there a way to fix this?
I've got photos of the mattress and the tag. Also, I um, kind of have left this for a few months now, as I got busy with other stuff and just left it (laying properly) and well, forgot about it and used it for storage. The original idea was the lump might go away with time. No dice. We've also tired sitting and standing on it. My last resort idea is to carefully cut into the side of the mattress and try and rearrange whatever is inside (coils?) and then sew it back together, since it is pretty unusable like this. Is there any way to fix it?
Note: My girlfriend thinks it was the part set on the floor that has the bludge, but I'm pretty sure it was the top, and that the coils or such have all shifted about 6 inches into the mattress proper.
I've got photos of the mattress and the tag. Also, I um, kind of have left this for a few months now, as I got busy with other stuff and just left it (laying properly) and well, forgot about it and used it for storage. The original idea was the lump might go away with time. No dice. We've also tired sitting and standing on it. My last resort idea is to carefully cut into the side of the mattress and try and rearrange whatever is inside (coils?) and then sew it back together, since it is pretty unusable like this. Is there any way to fix it?
Note: My girlfriend thinks it was the part set on the floor that has the bludge, but I'm pretty sure it was the top, and that the coils or such have all shifted about 6 inches into the mattress proper.
Are you sure the lump wasn't the reason for the "free" part?
posted by cecic at 9:14 PM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by cecic at 9:14 PM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
Are you sure the lump wasn't the reason for the "free" part?
Yeah....I've had a mattress in storage on its side for more than a year, and while there was something helping prop it up, it seems really unlikely that being on its side for a short time would cause this....
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:23 PM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah....I've had a mattress in storage on its side for more than a year, and while there was something helping prop it up, it seems really unlikely that being on its side for a short time would cause this....
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:23 PM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
Are you sure the lump wasn't the reason for the "free" part?
Yes. It didn't have the lump when we moved it in.
posted by WizardOfDocs at 9:46 PM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yes. It didn't have the lump when we moved it in.
posted by WizardOfDocs at 9:46 PM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: (Mara is my girlfriend and both helped me move it in and was the one to inspect it before we moved it in.)
I'm also seconding that it didn't have this problem when I got it last spring. I noticed the side looking more saggy after a couple of days.
posted by Canageek at 9:54 PM on October 26, 2015
I'm also seconding that it didn't have this problem when I got it last spring. I noticed the side looking more saggy after a couple of days.
posted by Canageek at 9:54 PM on October 26, 2015
What happens if you prop it up sideways with the part that used to be down facing up, and whack the lump a few times?
posted by flabdablet at 10:35 PM on October 26, 2015
posted by flabdablet at 10:35 PM on October 26, 2015
It's unusable as it is! Go ahead and carefully cut it open!!
See if you can fix it. Check YouTube for videos. There's instructions on how to fix everything on YouTube.
After that, I would spray Lysol or similar in there, duct tape it shut, and put a nice pillow top ($50 to $200) and use it. If you're already psyched about a free mattress, I don't see what is stopping you....
If you can not fix it, put it on the curb and call bulky item pick up in your town to remove it. Or take it to the dump if there is no service in your area.
posted by jbenben at 11:47 PM on October 26, 2015
See if you can fix it. Check YouTube for videos. There's instructions on how to fix everything on YouTube.
After that, I would spray Lysol or similar in there, duct tape it shut, and put a nice pillow top ($50 to $200) and use it. If you're already psyched about a free mattress, I don't see what is stopping you....
If you can not fix it, put it on the curb and call bulky item pick up in your town to remove it. Or take it to the dump if there is no service in your area.
posted by jbenben at 11:47 PM on October 26, 2015
Could you just turn it to the reverse side and put on a matress topper?
posted by MandaSayGrr at 2:17 AM on October 27, 2015
posted by MandaSayGrr at 2:17 AM on October 27, 2015
I had a mattress in storage for a month and it came out exactly the same as before.
Agreeing with MandaSayGrr, if it's a double sided mattress, turn it over.
posted by shesbenevolent at 7:08 AM on October 27, 2015
Agreeing with MandaSayGrr, if it's a double sided mattress, turn it over.
posted by shesbenevolent at 7:08 AM on October 27, 2015
The label says it's a wool pillow top, and I'd guess that the wool has shifted (kind of like down can in a comforter), which would mean that the wool is unwoven fill since it moved past the buttons and something woven could not have without tearing.
I'd suggest putting it up against the wall with the edge you had down up instead, and trying to redistribute the wool right through the fabric with your vacuum cleaner's crevice tool.
Apply the crevice tool to a point a little inside the edge of the lump -- with the vacuum cleaner on of course -- and stroke it toward the area the wool came from.
If this works at all, it'll probably take a while to get the wool moved around the way you want it, so be careful not to overheat your vacuum cleaner.
posted by jamjam at 9:56 AM on October 27, 2015
I'd suggest putting it up against the wall with the edge you had down up instead, and trying to redistribute the wool right through the fabric with your vacuum cleaner's crevice tool.
Apply the crevice tool to a point a little inside the edge of the lump -- with the vacuum cleaner on of course -- and stroke it toward the area the wool came from.
If this works at all, it'll probably take a while to get the wool moved around the way you want it, so be careful not to overheat your vacuum cleaner.
posted by jamjam at 9:56 AM on October 27, 2015
Response by poster: From feeling the lump, I don't think it is the pillow top: I think it is the "pocket coil" things that has moved. Does anyone have experience with those?
posted by Canageek at 12:49 PM on October 27, 2015
posted by Canageek at 12:49 PM on October 27, 2015
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posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:13 PM on October 26, 2015