Offgassing Mattress?
When we unboxed the Nectar mattress we took notice of the mattress smell. Upon our first sniff, we really couldn’t tell there was any smell at all unless we put our noses onto the mattress and sniffed. Even then it wasn’t a strong or bad smell. Jump ahead a few days and we did notice what the mattress industry calls off-gassing from Nectar. It’s not a terrible smell but after spending some time, it did start to bother us. All new products give off an odor – think new car smell. However, memory foam mattresses are known for a particular smell.
Update: June 2017 – we’re happy to report that there is no smell detectable now, even after leaving Nectar in a room with the door closed for weeks.
The company claims there is not an issue or that it goes away within a day. We found that off-gassing is an issue with memory foam mattresses. It’s not uncommon but it’s something you should know about and be aware of. The mattress was in a bedroom with the door shut. There was no one coming or going. So over time the off-gassing built up and became unpleasant.
What is Off-Gassing?
According to Wikipedia: Outgassing or as some say, off-gassing, “can be significant if it collects in a closed environment where the air is stagnant or recirculated. For example, the new car smell consists of outgassed chemicals released by heat in a closed automobile. Even a nearly odorless material such as wood may build up a strong smell if kept in a closed box for months.”
We worried about filming our YouTube video when both of us were feeling affected by off-gassing. We didn’t want to alarm others so we decided to first give the mattress time to air out. After we did we both sighed a sigh of relief that the issue resolved itself. Otherwise, we couldn’t recommend the mattress. We were further reassured when we learned that almost every mattress will have some off-gassing but that almost none are returned (from the store or a website) as a result of this issue. Still, you need to be aware and address off-gassing so it isn’t a problem.
Let your Memory Foam Mattress Air Out
The lesson we learned is that you must let your new memory foam mattress air out for a week or two before you sleep on it. The company says it takes a few days but we needed a few weeks. Maybe if you put it outside or keep the windows open for several hours. We had the mattress in a guest room so there was little airflow in or out. After we opened the windows and let some air in we still have a scent but it was much less. We’re letting it air out longer and trying a mattress protector to see if the scent is still noticeable. It’s faint now but it’s there. Even if we closed the door or windows the smell diminished quite a bit but still lingers. We think this is important to know!
Look for a CertiPUR-US Seal
Just so you know, even though there is some smell from the mattress materials, you shouldn’t worry. Like most mattresses, Nectar passed the CertiPUr-US safety certification. A CertiPUR-US seal means that the mattress you have has very low VOC emission (less than 0.5 parts per million). CertiPUR-US-certified mattresses are also free from PBDEs, formaldehyde, and CFCs. The CertiPUR-US seal assures the buyers that the foam they are about to buy has no substances that may be dangerous to their health or the environment.
Overall, memory foam mattresses have the best consumer satisfaction among all mattresses (80%) with latex being the next most popular. They’re usually the most expensive mattress type too, but with many online mattresses available today, the price has gone down. There’s a lot more competition, which means that you can get a memory foam mattress like the Nectar for a very reasonable price.
Make sure whatever memory foam mattress you buy is a CertiPUR-US-certified brand. It doesn’t mean there won’t be a smell or that the smell won’t be irritating to you. Rather, it means that it’s not harmful to your health or to your family.
Be sure no matter what memory foam product you buy, it has passed and has CertiPUR-US approval. That goes for pillows or any other product.
Do you get paid by Nectar to protect them? The smell from their mattress is absolutely atrocious and gets on anything that comes in contact with it – the bedding, the bed, etc. It is noxious and awful and can not be gotten rid of easily. I do not believe the statement you make that Nectar mattresses are not normally returned due to smell. I can not wait to get it out of my house.
Honestly, we didn’t notice a bad smell. They could’ve changed it since we did our review or you got one that was in plastic longer and has a worse smell.
Diana’s son still sleeps on it. Heat is more an issue than smell but a mattress protector we got helped the heat issue.
We didn’t get paid but they provide the mattress for the review. It’s been several years now.
I purchased a full size nectar mattress 1,500 could not figure out the smell in my place, 9 months of this, I’m buying every deodorizer etc finally realize the mattress! The smell on me my cats, never could get away from the smell because its always on me!! Charcoal smell gagging you sore throat absolutely terrible! I can’t wait to get this out of my place!!
I think you must have a different Nectar model than we got because we never had an issue with the smell (and I’m sensitive to it). After a few days I no longer could smell it. I’ve since reviewed another Nectar and no strong smell either. However, I’ve noticed that some smells can really bother one person and not affect someone else. Hope you can return it!