Am I the only person in the world who didn't know this. You can not wash the mattress bag from your sleep number bed!!

I woke up yesterday, before dawn, and found a major oops disaster. Apparently my DW sat on the edge of the bed and thought that she was on the toilet. Everything was wet including the mattress bag ( case, whatever you call it) and even the skirt around the foundation of the bed. I figured, great, these are like mattress pads, I just have to unzip the mattress and wash them. The top pad is too bulky to put in the washer so I hung it in the sun and washed the bottom part and the skirt. When all was done, I tried to put it all together and guess what -- they shrunk and didn't fit. On the funny side you should have seen me pulling one corner just to see the other corner pop off while my wife is pointing and babbling as though she is telling me what I need to do.
In order to have somewhere we could sleep, I wound up zipping it back together without the foam frame on one side.

I called Select Comfort today. The upshot of my stupidity is that the replacements will cost over $1,000! So my tale of caution is that if you have a sleep number bed, don't try to wash the mattress case!

I've also heard that those Select Comfort beds can get bad mold problems. Making them impossible to clean... well, THAT is a major design flaw.

No, I didn't line dry those parts. I put them in the dryer and that's probably what shrunk them.

Thanks for the information. I need a new mattress but I certainly won't be buying a Sleep Number.

I bought a sleep nr 7000 bed about 8 mos ago, and used it for 1 week. MY dw is so fussy with her bed that we have bought 7 different king size beds in the last few years. She constantly complained about the sleep nr bed, and I was lucky enough to put it back in the boxes and sell it on ebay for almost what I paid for it. I understand that the air chamber has problems with mold, and that the mattress covers cannot be washed, as you just found out. My suggestion is to call sleep comfort and complain about mfg defects, and that the cover shrunk. There is a girl there named Snow, and she is very helpful, and they just may replace your cover. It is certainly worth a try.....good luck

Baltobo, what is the deductable on your homeowner's??? They may pay for the replacement or part of it. Also if you call the company and get a salesperson, you might be able to purchase one from a returned bed, remember that they have a money back trial period. IF you can get on make sure it has been sanitzed. They sell the returned models and have them sanitized prior to the shipping. If not, take it to the dry cleaners. they will know what to do with it.

Thanks, Stuntgirl. At least I'm not the first person to try to wash the covers. And even dried in the sun, yours doesn't fit together like it should. For what they charge, it really is a simple product. Just two air mattresses with a foam frame inside a big bag.

I already ordered a new cover for a little over $1,000. We need for the bed to be right. I just accept it as another Forrest Gump episode. "Stupid is as Stupid does." Or probably more accurately as I read in a book written by a caregiver, "Stress makes us stupid."

I sent an inquiry to Select Comfort asking how to remove urine from the mattress cover. Here is their reply:

Thank you for contacting Select Comfort Customer Service. We apologize for the delayed response. The cover can be spot treated for stains, but please keep in mind that it should not be machine washed, machine dried or dry cleaned. If this is done, it may be melted, shrunk, or damaged in some other way.

To clean the cover, it is easiest if you can unzip your cover, take it off the mattress and take it to a laundry tub or bathtub. Using a sponge and a mild detergent (Dreft, Ivory Snow or Woolite) and water mix, take the sponge and spot treat the stained area as you would for a carpet stain. To rinse, allow cool water to run through that area - do not submerge the whole cover in the sink or bathtub; do not saturate. Pat it dry with a towel and allow it to fully dry on a clothesline or draped over something in your home (such as a shower curtain rod or over a chair). Wringing water from the material is not advised.

Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any further concerns.

Sincerely,

Stephanie S.
Select Comfort Customer Service
1-800-472-7185

I have a Somma 11 bed. It is a hybrid water bed composed of 9 heavy plastic tubes that are filled with water for the firmness you want. Movement is not transferred from tube to tube. Has a regular rim so that regular sheets are used. No heater needed as it isn't deep or heavy. You can sit on the rim to tie shoes-etc. As regular pads and sheets are on the bed everything is washable. I discovered it when I was doing home visits on a quadraplegic patient to prevent bed sores. Really love it.

Lori, thanks for your reply from Select Comfort. What they don't account for is that you have to get the cover dry in time to sleep on it that night. Lots of luck. They do warn that you can ruin it by washing and drying like I did.

I also now realize that if I spot clean it until my wife is no longer able to sleep in this bed, it will cost at least a grand to replace the cover. I can't immagine how much they charge for the whole mattress including the foam supports. (I can immagine that over time, they will be ruined also.)