I learned a hack!

  

At home, we have an organic foam rubber mattress, with a topper made out of the same kind of foam, and we love it.  In the bus, we have a conventional mattress with the same kind of foam topper as at home, but bought at a different time.  I remember what foam rubber smells like from when foam rubber mattresses first appeared when we were kids; like rubber.  They don't smell like that anymore… except for the topper in the bus.  It has a strong rubber smell.  I've been waiting for it to air out.  I've taken it out of the cover and set it outside on a picnic table to breathe.  I've been waiting for years for it to air out, and it's just not ever going to happen.  So finally this year, I called the seller and asked what to do.  Will they replace it?  Do I have to buy a new one?  How can I be sure the next one I get doesn't have the same problem?

 

After several minutes of conversation, the person on the phone told me she had heard of this problem before.  Sometimes there is a batch of rubber that doesn't cure like it should, it will never get better, and I should just put baking soda on it.  That should take care of the problem.  Well, I never would have thought of this on my own as a solution.  I opened up the cotton pad cover and sprinkled baking soda liberally on the foam pad.  I closed the cover.  By this time, the cover smelled like rubber too, so I sprinkled baking soda liberally all over it, then put on the mattress pad over that.  First night, better.  Second night, odor totally gone.  Problem solved!  It has been gone for weeks now.  I don't know how long that batch of baking soda will last, but it will be easy to refresh it any time I need to.

 

So there you go.  Next time you need a hack, sprinkle baking soda on it!