Can u just get a memory foam topper? I couldnt afford a whole new memory foam mattress so just got the topper. So much cheaper and still works well .

Blue - It is pretty difficult to pick out a mattress even if you can actually go and try it out at the store.

A memory foam topper might be your best bet. But, if sleeping on a traditional mattress is too painful than you should get what *you* need not what Hubby is trying to get you to accept.

Better ventilation under the mattress might help with the mold problem. I know that you guys are trying to save money but I worry about the impact on your health living there. All of the mold and damp can’t be good especially for you. Never mind the expense of having to throw furniture out.

I hope that you can come to a peaceful resolution and that you get what you need.

I have tried mattress toppers in the past--several kinds, nope. Still painful.

We threw out our box spring and hubby cut wooden slats (painted them to keep moisture out) to allow the future mattress to breath.

I bought a talalay mattress. It is pure latex (rubber) so shouldn't get moldy--although it is possible in bad conditions the outer cloth could.. Also, it had no formaldehyde and is supposed to last much longer than memory foam. It is very comfy, but not at all cheap.

I had a friend living downstairs from me in a dank basement whose memory foam mattress did get mold. I believe she went with bleaching the moldy areas.

Another friend of mine had a house in Puerto Rico and I noticed most of her furniture was rattan. I assumed that it was resistant to mold and rot in humidity, but I expect you would know about that.

Thanks, Ann. I would like to try that latex mattress, but perhaps once we buy a place of our own and aren't living in this dark cave-like, rainy, in-the-middle-of-nowhere jungle. Only because we are trying very hard to save up for that property purchase, which is why we moved to this crap hole in the 1st place. Big expenses will have to wait till then.

We have some rattan furniture.... including a fat rattan sitting chair and I had some Balinese rattan nightstands. The wicker chair is fine, but the night stands went moldy. What's the difference in the material that one is fine but not the other, I have no clue. Maybe the chair has a coating? We just painted 3 layers of sealer coating on our Balinese wooden carved couch to save it because it too was starting to show signs of mold.

Anyway... thanks for the tip, I will definitely keep it in mind. Unless a used one comes along that's within our budget.

Hello, matresses with wires are actually dangerous they attract electromagnetic fields, I had such a nasty experience, ended having a brain scan, I was seeing shooting lights in my brain and could not sleep, it was scary . Found a futon company that made me a matress of recycled material and it cost me very little and its the best ever, Topped with a quilt its been bliss. I say look around, go to the makers, ask, also they make pure wool ones but they are expensive, the wires in matresses are like the wires of radios or electric power station, they should not be made for humans to sleep. love*

I sleep like the princess and the pea. I can feel everything and it will keep me awake.

We have tried new coiled plush pillow top mattresses and had to get rid of it after 3 months of misery for me.

We have tried a sleep number for several years and I would go to sleep in so much comfort, but only to wake in extreme pain.

Then we got a memory foam. (free actually off of craigslist, a nice couple was getting rid of it because it was too firm for the husband). And we have had that for several years.
I go to sleep at night loving that bed. I'm so happy to get back into it at night. And minus stress issues, I sleep all night long it w/out issues.

And in my past 12+yrs living with fibro, I've learned that the mattress is the key to most happiness here. To me, its no different than needing / requiring a medication.

Blue, you struggle with your ribs popping out, you struggle with your sleep and so much more. Now that you're going to school, taking away a quality bed is going to be hard on you. Even with a topper, think about when you travel and take that topper with you...how is your sleep on those nights?

I totally understand that you're decisions to save for future property are your highest priority. And I support you fully in that decision, yet, knowing what we go through and fight for with our fibro and sleep issues, this is one area I would not budge on.

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with loosing so much of your stuff in this move to save money. It breaks my heart for you both.

Joyholy, that's cool that you have one made for you. I doubt there are any "makers" here on the island of Maui. On Oahu maybe because it's the city, but not here. Mostly farmland on this island. I could call around Oahu and see if they do and if they would ship it.

Wonder, part of me is afraid of spending the money for a good mattress just for it to go rotten again and it end up being a waste. Every piece of furniture has gone bad here. But like I said if a cheap used mattress comes along (eg. craigslist) I'll go for it. Then I won't feel so bad if we have to throw it away again.

Blue,

I just was thinking of you and your mold issue and is it possible to run a dehumidifer by chance? I know you're off the grid, but can you run anything through electricity there?

The dehumidifier only works in the walk-in closet because that's the only part of the house that seals off from the outside. The rest of the walls have screen vents at the top, making it impossible to seal out outside moisture from coming in. In addition to that, some of the windows don't close and are just screens stapled to wooden "portholes" if that makes any sense.

Blue, do you think NASA could get to work on a big old sponge for you to help sop of some of that moisture?

Ha ha!

Oh God mattresses! I just recently snatched mine off the box spring, through the box spring out and put the mattress directly onto the floor in a desperate effort to reduce the crippling pain I woke up with every morning. Actually this worked beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised.

I was going to invest in a new mattress and actually I was going after the coil style, but all I could afford was $100 or so and I was really afraid to buy a mattress that only costs that much.

Hi Blue,

We replaced our mattress almost 2 years ago. He needs "very firm", me softer. He is the one working so firm is what he bought. His back recuperated while I suffered so bad, it hurt so much. I got a foam topper and it helps most of the time. Still some nights it feels like a slab of cement. We got the crated one, but we've been talking about getting a thicker, non-crated topper next.

We live in Florida so totally understand the humidity problem with mattresses. Happened to us previously. If you can tolerate the fragrance, damp rid can be a great help. We hang in our closets, put the container ones in the kitchen cabinets under the sink, etc. If you have pets and don't want them to chew or disturb, you can make (or buy) some type of sturdy box contraption with many ventilation holes, for pet safety, something that can't be knocked over or spilled. If this happens to us again, we'll devise something like this and put the ones you can hang in the box. The crystals will move from the top to the bottom of the bag and not spill...it's completely sealed, unlike the container ones.

Let me know if you find a solution.