Redditor's ‘gross’ new mattress is making me itch — what to do if your bed is delivered damaged

The natural response after unboxing a mattress is the primal urge to jump on the bed.

But Reddit user DomenicGioffre had an altogether more nightmarish experience when unboxing their Prime Day mattress purchase.

Describing the bed as "gross", they posted pictures of their new mattress displaying tell-tale signs of water damage and mold, despite being fresh out the box.

"Horrifying!", from user Proof_Ad663, just about sums it up.

Has someone been sleeping on my mattress?

A mattress will grow mold or mildew when moisture becomes trapped within the layers. This can be the result of spills and accidents, but it occurs during everyday use as sweat becomes absorbed by the mattress.

For that reason, we recommend regularly airing your mattress. When you change your sheets, leave the mattress uncovered for several hours to allow moisture to dissipate. This prevents mildew building up during regular use.

But while user Quintaneous suggests the damaged mattress has been handily "broke in", we think this is a case of manufacturer error.

It's likely moisture got into the mattress either during the assembly process —boxing a mattress takes a lot of steps — or when the boxed bed sat in a warehouse waiting for delivery.

These kinds of issues are rare — we test a lot of beds to find the best mattresses for all sleep styles (including Zinus mattresses, the brand behind the bed in question) and problems are few and far between.

Even Reddit users have chimed in with their own positive Zinus mattress experiences (Moneymaker_Film says "I got the green tea one it’s amazing and brand new" while GarnetandBlack describes their new Zinus as "pristine.")

However, if you've unboxed your mattress to find something "beyond unusable," as jjopm describes, you'll need a way out of this nightmare.

We have contacted Zinus for comment.

What to do if your new mattress arrives damaged

It's hard to identify if a mattress in a box is damaged until it's out of the packaging (although if the box or packaging appears compromised, halt set up until you can contact customer services.)

Once unboxed, returning a mattress is a trickier process. Particularly if you've ordered from Amazon or other third-party retailers, which are less likely to offer a mattress warranty period.

A warranty should cover any damage to your mattress, so follow these steps immediately after identifying the problem:

1. Take photos of the damage: Picture evidence can support your claim.
2. Check the warranty. Details of the warranty might be included in the packaging but you're most likely to find them online. Check the original listing.
3. If there's a warranty, contact the brand: Mattress warranties are typically covered by the brand, so reach out to the support team. (In the case of this Reddit user, Zinus offers a 10-year warranty.)
4. If there's not a warranty, check the returns period: Third-party retailers sometimes offer a returns period in place of a warranty or sleep trial. This tends to refer to mattresses within the packaging but you might be able to return a damaged mattress that hasn't been slept on.
5. If that doesn't work, contact customer services: In many cases you should be able to negotiate a replacement, if not a refund.

Then the next problem: actually returning the mattress. Often a brand doesn't want the bed back, as it can't be resold, which means you need to get rid of it.

But if they do want it back, we recommend getting a mattress bag and arranging a courier for collection.

Otherwise, you'll need to dispose of the mattress. In cases of damage, it's unlikely you'll be able to donate or recycle the bed. Our guide to mattress disposal can help you find the right path to take.

Should I be worried about bed bugs?

Reddit user wwydinthismess suggest if this happens to you, it's time to: "clean your apartment like crazy. You might have bed bugs now."

However, bed bugs don't care if your bed is clean or dirty— the perfect mattress for a bed bug to thrive in is essentially any mattress that smells like their food source (bad news: that's you.)

But if you're still feeling a little itchy, you might want to check for signs of bed bugs, to ensure no pests have been delivered to your bedroom.

Bed bugs love the dark, so begin by checking in the cracks and crevices. Bed bug glue traps can help you identify an infestation before it gets going, while a diatomaceous earth barrier can keep pests from your mattress.