Mattress Ratings >> Memory Foam Mattress Ratings
Off Gassing / Initial Odor or Smell of Memory Foam Mattresses → Based on Data From Over 4,300 Actual Owners
Page last updated April 14, 2010.
Memory foam mattress owners sometimes report "off gassing" from their mattresses.
Off gassing is what occurs when a new mattress gives off an odor that lasts a few hours to several weeks. It is a result of the manufacturing and / or packaging process.
The smell is often described by memory foam mattress owners as being chemical in nature.
The smell can be a small nuisance to some and to others more serious. Reports of headaches, nausea, eye and throat irritation, sleeplessness and asthma resulting from the off gassing exist but are not particularly common.
According to our collected data, at least 15% of memory foam mattress owners report off gassing of some noteworthy degree. About 5% report a strong and persistent off gassing. The problem for some owners is bad enough to cause them to return their mattress.
Some manufacturers / retailers say that American-made memory foam off gasses less than imported foam, namely foam from China. Our research based on actual owner data tends to suggest the opposite; domestically made memory foam has significantly more off gassing reports than imports.
This data may be explained by the fact that higher density memory foam (which tends to be domestically produced) off gasses more than less dense foam (which is often imported).
Below are how some brands rate on the off gassing / initial odor issue. Beds in blue are domestically produced / higher density, while beds in green are foreign produced / lower density.
| Brand | Percentage of memory foam mattress owners reporting at least some off gassing / initial smell or odor |
| Isoform | 22% |
| Bodipedic | 16% |
| Bragada | 14% |
| Night Therapy | 8% |
| Sleep Innov/Novaform | 18% |
| Spa Sensations | 8% |
| Tempur-pedic | 15% |