Is it OK to use a mattress that may have gotten ant spray on it?

July 15, 2022 9:36 AM

I am thinking of taking a mattress my friend is getting rid of (mentioned in this question). A few months ago she sprayed pretty close to it with ant spray, which may have gotten on it. I don't know what kind of ant spray, but let's assume the more toxic kind. The mattress did have the sheets on though. Is this a risk at all? If so can I get rid of the risk by using a mattress protector? Any certain kind of protector?
posted by catquas to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

Best answer: There are a lot of different ingredients in ant sprays, but I think in general they're all going to evaporate and/or break down over time. You might be able to increase the speed at which the ingredients break down with exposure to sunlight or air or water. The National Pesticide Information Center has info about various active ant-spray ingredients.

I think the risk is pretty low overall, though - home-use pesticides are generally chosen because they're less toxic to humans. Spraying them directly in your face is still a bad idea, but being exposed to trace amounts is probably not a big deal.
posted by mskyle at 10:06 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think you're probably fine. I occasionally use the Ortho Ant Defense or Bug-B-Gone concentrates in my pump tank sprayer. I wear shop overalls and proper PPE when using it. If the wind shifts or I get a bit sloppy, I will occasionally get a little overspray on the legs of my overalls, but it's never gone through to the skin. When I'm done, I hang up my overalls in the shop, and by the next day, certainly two, there is no residual odor. These products require regular re-application to be effective, even the indoor types, so I think it's logical to conclude that they dissipate over time. I would think with a good "airing out", you'd be more than fine.

I will say, as a former mattress retailer, please please carefully read any tags and labels before attempting to clean the mattress. Many mattresses should not be cleaned with a wet carpet shampooer/uphostery attachment. Airing it out is fine, beating the dust out of it is fine, dry vacuuming it with an upholstery attachment is fine. In general, the "wettest" you should get it is a slightly damp rag, wrung out very well before rubbing down the mattress. A very light misting with Febreeze is okay if necessary; just let it dry completely before putting sheets or a mattress protector on.
posted by xedrik at 10:29 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

You’re fine, unless you’re an ant or they really saturated the bed.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 1:21 PM on July 15, 2022