In the middle of a deep home clean? Stay far away from that memory foam mattress cover.
One woman has taken to TikTok to warn viewers of what can happen if the cover of a memory foam mattress is removed. She says it turned out to be a costly mistake, with bits of fiberglass spreading all over her house—some even lodging in her eye.
In a video that has drawn over 3.9 million views, fitness content creator Britt (@brittperk) shares her tale of woe from an attempt to clean her memory foam mattress cover, unaware that she would be releasing fiberglass all over her home.
Not only did she have to remove everything from her home to clean it, but anything that could not be cleaned had to be disposed of.
“I removed the cover to wash it not knowing it was wrapped in a fiberglass forelock,” a text overlay on the video reads. “Now we’re dealing with a major decontamination issue. Every surface of our house needed to be vacuumed. We had to buy a new vacuum with a HEPA filter. Everything that couldn’t be vacuumed, washed, or wiped had to be thrown away. We had the carpets professionally cleaned after endless vacuum sessions.”
Later, she says she realized her children’s memory foam mattresses were also leaking fiberglass, despite not being touched.
“Then we realized our kids’ mattresses, which were not messed with, are also leaking fiberglass. All of those sparkles are fiberglass. I feel like I need to warn everyone I meet, because this was seriously awful to deal with and cost us thousands. We’re never going to be completely fiberglass-free.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Britt via TikTok comment regarding the video.
Why is there fiberglass in memory foam mattresses?
The main use of fiberglass in memory foam mattresses is as a fire retardant to prevent them from igniting if near a flame.
Being a super-thin plastic and glass fiber, exposure to fiberglass can cause micro scratches on the skin and in the lungs if breathed in, which is why it is generally not advised to remove the cover from a mattress with a fiberglass covering. However, not all memory foam mattresses contain fiberglass.
What else in my home is made of fiberglass?
Many homes are insulated with fiberglass because of its resistance to fire, in addition to other benefits.
Fiberglass is also often mixed with resin and used to form many things you might be using in your house, such as bathroom and kitchen fixtures like sinks and tubs, as it is very durable.
Viewers weigh in
Several viewers shared that they had been put in a similar boat when trying to clean the cover of a memory foam mattress, or other household items containing fiberglass, despite no warning to indicate that there might be fiberglass involved in the item’s production.
“As a victim of fiberglass mattress 2023. this is no joke!! Still traumatized,” one commenter wrote. “Mattress tag had no warnings about cover.”
“My mom washed curtains which were made of fiberglass and then our underwear in the washer,” another said. “Took awhile to figure out why we couldn’t sit down without being in pain. Sorry this happened to you.”
“A victim of fiberglass mattress in 2020,” a further user said, “it’s real. I washed and dried my entire house and everything in it covered. Making dinner and the air was sparkling. It’s not a joke.”
@brittperk This was honestly one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in a while. Once I realized my mistake, it took us nine days of constant cleaning to feel like my house was livable again. I contacted a professional cleaning company that deals with fiberglass contamination, but they charge upwards of $50,000! Who has money for that?! I had no idea that my mattress could possibly contain such a toxic and awful substance. I was just trying to do a deep clean of my bed and ended up having to do a deep clean of my entire house! Even though I feel like our house is healthy enough to move back into, we still need to get our ductwork cleaned, and I’m going to be vacuuming every day for months because I’m completely paranoid. I feel like it’s my duty to warn everybody I know. #fiberglass #warning⚠️ #cleantok #fyp #dontdothis #fml #mattress #contamination #mistake ♬ original sound – teeharpo
Others, in particular viewers from other countries that do not allow fiberglass in the production of mattresses, questioned why something like this would even be allowed.
“Why are they allowed to make mattresses with fiberglass in the first place?” one commenter wrote. “So dangerous.”
“If you’re Canadian you are safe to remove your mattress cover,” another commented. “We don’t have fibreglass in our mattresses!”
“Watching this while resting on my mattress where the EU doesn’t allow such ingredient in the mattresses,” a third said.
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