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suzanne_sl

Warning-Costco dog bed

suzanne_sl
11 years ago

x-post to Kitchen:

I recently bought this dog bed from Costco:

That cat is so bossy! This bed has shredded memory foam in it. DH picked up the bed to vacuum under it this morning and discovered the new bamboo floor is wet underneath. After some investigation, we think the wet is from Katie just sleeping on the bed - not from urine or slobber. Maybe the memory foam makes her really hot too?

We're hoping it will dry out and be OK, but what a surprise discovery. So fair warning, if you bought one of these, pick it up and look underneath. We've had the other Costco dog beds for years with cedar shavings (?) inside in the same location with no problem.

Comments (36)

  • annzgw
    11 years ago

    Have you checked the foam to make sure it's not wet? If you're sure it's not urine, I'd be suspicious that the bed got wet during storage at Costco. If you think the moisture is within the foam, then take it back to Costco for an exchange.
    Since you said the flooring is new, is it possible there's condensation happening from the floor being covered? Have you check under the rug to make sure it's dry underneath?
    One of your pets sleeping on the bed wouldn't be causing this to happen....there's moisture somewhere.

  • suzanne_sl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Good idea. I just sent DH out to check the foam, and he says...(waiting)...his arm feels oily after sticking it into the bag. What's in memory foam? Could there be a residue that warms with the dog's body heat and gets pressed onto the floor?

  • lynninnewmexico
    11 years ago

    OMG, that's the exact same bed we recently bought our dobie, Ronin, from Costco! No problems like that, though. Are you sure that it's not urine? That's terrible about your new floor. Let us know what what your follow up is with the bed, will you?
    BTW, our "bossy" little 11-pound Tibetan Spaniel tried to take over Ronin's bed, too (LOL)!
    Lynn

  • suzanne_sl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Sure, joyce. The rug was another Costco purchase last November when they were on sale online. I don't see it in their current offerings, but they have lots of others. I really love this rug, but it did shed like mad for months. I didn't know wool rugs did that, having never had one. I kept having to empty the vacuum canister mid-job!

    lynn - I assume dog urine smells like urine and the bed doesn't. Also the grain on the floor isn't raised despite the wet, which kind of raises the possibility of it being a petroleum wet vs. a water wet. We'll keep investigating. I will let you know what we find out, but I have to warn you there's a complication. My daughter is expecting our granddaughter any time. Her due date is the 9th, so I bought a plane ticket for the 5th two months ago. Her first baby was 5 days late, so I felt pretty safe going for 4 days early. Maybe not. She's been having cramps that she doesn't interpret as contractions (but I'll bet they're related) and all the usual creaks and groans that precede actual labor. If she lived closer, I'd get in the car and go, but they moved up to the SF Bay area and it takes 9 hours to get there from here at the other end of the state. I have my fingers crossed that she holds out until Wed. so I can be there for Big Brother.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    11 years ago

    I don't think it's urine and here's why. I've had different dog beds, and the last big ones had a cloth shell with the top of sherpa, stuffed with shredded foam of some sort inside a cloth bag. Believe it or not, in the winter (really the only time the dogs used them alot), when I would lift the beds to move them or to wash them, sometimes I'd find dampness under them and even a thin layer of frost on the wooden floor where the beds had laid. Yes, my floors get cold in winter. Anyway, I think it came from the warmth of the dogs' bodies and the moisture the heat created not being wicked away. Does that make sense? I know there was no urine stains or smell at all on the beds.

  • Olychick
    11 years ago

    I wonder if the dog is breathing directly into the foam and the moisture is just not evaporating? The cat obviously is keeping her nose in the air!

  • cind11
    11 years ago

    The cat sleeping in the bed with the dog sleeping several feet away is pretty cute lol.

  • Vertise
    11 years ago

    "The cat sleeping in the bed with the dog sleeping several feet away is pretty cute lol."

    That gave me a good laugh. Both their expressions are perfect. Your doggie looks like he's given up on trying to use the bed. That photo would make a good ad!

    I'd put some plastic under it. Maybe with a towel on it.

  • nosoccermom
    11 years ago

    Here's a link about dampness and memory foam. The other thing is that cats supposedly sweat through their paws, but I wonder how much dampness that could cause.

    I'm assuming there's no cooling gel inside, is there? We had a Costco desk gel pad that sprang a leak and destroyed the wood chair.

    Here is a link that might be useful: memory foam

  • Oakley
    11 years ago

    I don't think it's urine because the area on the floor is so big. If it was, it would be wet inside the bed. Plus, dogs sweat by panting.

    Humidity could have been trapped between the bed and floor. What I'd do is put down a small area rug, then a layer of plastic (you don't want plastic on the floor), then put the bed on top.

    Cute pets!

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    11 years ago

    I have a memory foam bath rug and have noticed the underneath gets very wet while the top seems dry. I haven't had it that long but think I'm going back to tuft type of bath mats. Major mold/bacteria breeding ground.

  • lazy_gardens
    11 years ago

    when I would lift the beds to move them or to wash them, sometimes I'd find dampness under them and even a thin layer of frost on the wooden floor where the beds had laid

    Your house doesn't have a proper moisture barrier under the flooring, and the bed is trapping the moisture as it makes its way up through the floor.

    Try this: Tape a 12x12 inch piece of plastic wrap on a bare bit of floor, under a couch or somewhere, and check it a week later. If you have moisture there, you have a slab or crawlspace problem.

  • lascatx
    11 years ago

    I'm also thinking that you have moisture seeping and being trapped by the bed. I think the bed is probably not the problem -- just revealing the problem. The link above has no relevance to pet beds since dogs and cats do not perspire -- they both cool by panting.

  • tinam61
    11 years ago

    How weird!!!

    If it were urine, you'd be able to smell it. I agree with lascatx about dogs/cats not perspiring, so I don't think the pets are causing the moisture. I hate to say it, but I'd be concerned about moisture coming from under the floor - which could cause some very big problems.

    tina

  • Vertise
    11 years ago

    I would check under the rug especially where your dog often sleeps to see if there are any problems there.

  • Vertise
    11 years ago

    duplicate

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 20:04

  • nosoccermom
    11 years ago

    Well, if memory foam traps moisture from the floor, then memory foam rug pads for us on hardwood floors don't sound like a great idea. (And supposedly cats sweat through their paws and don't usually pant like dogs.)

  • barbarany
    11 years ago

    Suzanne - OT once again regarding your rug....I know you said Costco doesn't sell it anymore, but is there a tag on the back with the manufacturer name or model number....or anything? thanks

  • schoolhouse_gw
    11 years ago

    Set a memory foam pillow on the floor, making sure to block access to sleepy dogs by putting an object on it, and then check it later to see if there is dampness or condensation.

  • cindyloo123
    11 years ago

    Memory foam doesn't breath and the bottom of the bed may even have some water resistant coating on it. I think that moisture is coming out of your floor. I'd put a simple, all cotton throw under the bed so there is some breathing room between the bed and the floor.

    I'd be pretty concerned that your floor was was not installed properly. Is it concrete or sub-floor underneath? If you put some plastic over an area and tape it on all four sides so that it is air sealed, you would probably see condensation on the plastic within a day. If that happens, your floor is destined to have moisture damage.

  • suzanne_sl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    x-post (mostly, but not entirely):

    Baby update: Baby was indeed born just after midnight on Dec. 4. Those cramps? Right-from 3 cm to delivery in 40 minutes. The photo is Julia 3 days old. That sleeper is 0-3 months and she's swimming in it! I'm still up here at my daughter's doing the grandma thing. She is so sweet! Looks a lot like her brother at that age.

    Dog bed: I just read the article* onedoggie linked. Years ago, our waterbed heater died about 2 weeks before a scheduled vacation, so we put off changing it out until we had the time. We put sleeping bags on top of the covers. Guess what? Our warm bodies, plus bedding, met the cold water in the bed and grew mold on the mattress pad next to the bag of water. I'm really allergic to mold. We actually discovered the problem after I had a major asthma attack, which answered the question of what set me off. So maybe that is exactly what is going on here: warm dog, cold bamboo = condensation. Weird. It never happened with the dog beds that had cedar in them.

    The Floor Q.: Now I'm totally curious what the story is. When I get home, I'm going to try a few of these experiments. Meanwhile, Bumblebeez, thanks for the head's up on the bath mats. I just bought two of this type but haven't used them yet - the cat tears up the bath mats, so I was waiting until the Christmas company was imminent.

    barbarany - Just called home and got DH to look for a label: Artistic Weavers by Surya, Elizabeth, hand tufted, India, 100% wool.

    Here is a link that might be useful: *onedoggie's link

  • springroz
    11 years ago

    Precious, precious girl!! Congratulations to the entire family!!

    Nancy

  • magriff1
    9 years ago

    I have had the same problem from a recent dog bed purchase from Costco. We got rid of an old dog bed we purchased from Costco which had a cedar fill and we had it in our bedroom for years. Put the new one with some kind of recycled fiber fill in the same spot and when I picked it to vacuum there was noticeable moisture damage to our floors that looks the same as the posted picture where the seams appear much darker from the moisture damage. Our floor is also strand bamboo. It seems the cold floors and the body heat from the dog creates condensation build up as the dog bed doesn't allow for any air movement like the cedar filled bed. This is not a moisture issue seeping through the floors as there is appropriate moisture vapor barrier installed but condensation build up like a drink glass on a hot day.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Julia is a beautiful baby and I adore her name. My great grandma's name was Julia and I have always loved it. Congrats to you all!!!

  • junglegal
    9 years ago

    We noticed the same thing with a Costco dog bed!! Not urine but trapped moisture. We have newly refinished terrazzo floors

  • erinsean
    9 years ago

    A dog bed should not have moisure I know but how about taking a piece of plywood and put little legs on it ....could even use an empty thread spool.......and put the bed on that....would put air under the bed and would not be tall enough to bother your pet.

  • starbar19
    9 years ago

    I have this same problem.. I bought the bed at Costco.. I thought I was going mad.. I might have to take this back but my dog loves this bed.. I have tried on wooden floors vynal floors and on rugs . It's always damp underneath.. Nightmare

  • sudisetup
    9 years ago

    Joyce..II think this is her rug and it's on sale at Joss and Main today...Jhttps://www.jossandmain.com/Sweet-Simplicity-Eleanor-Rug~YA32408~E17261.html


  • Jak Perth
    9 years ago

    After reading this I went to check on my Costco dog bed. No moisture. It is the big round one, but does not have the cedar filling. It is apparently made in Texas with some kind of fibre fill, not surprised if the fill was from China.

    anyway it has been on my wood floor for a month and all is well.

  • joyce_6333
    9 years ago

    sudisetup: thanks much for the link!


  • katrenco17
    5 years ago

    This is a common problem, so even though this is old thread, I'm going to post. Floors colder than the warm body laying on top = wet bedding. Solution: Raise the warm-body bed off the floor. Putting a membrane, blanket, padding, whatever between the bed and the floor MAY keep the bedding dry (but probably not), but the floor will still be wet (and eventually damaged or ruined). Straw or wood shavings for bedding breathes/dries better than blankets, but who wants that in the house?.........Raise the bed.

  • Veronica Thanasiu Williams
    4 years ago

    We have the same issue with a memory foam bed. Our beloved dog was had to be laid to rest last night. After removing his bed we have this staining on the floor. I scrubbed it and it's not as bad,but still noticeable. Any ideas on how to make the darkness go away? Or does it just need sanded and restained?

  • suzanne_sl
    Original Author
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    (OP here) Oh my gosh, talk about old threads! That floor turned out to be fine after it dried; bamboo rocks! The rug joyce_6333 asked about is on our new floor, although Kitty has shredded it around the edges. Our sweet golden died in 2014, but Mr. Kitty is still with us. He just turned 16. That darling newborn is starting 1st grade in a few weeks and Big Brother is starting middle school. We gave up the long grandparent commute and moved to the other end of the state to be close.


    Julia at 6.

  • chispa
    4 years ago

    Ha! This thread certainly had an unexpected twist. I got to see a baby grow up in the blink of an eye!

    Suzanne, glad you are enjoying being close to family, but sorry to hear your golden passed away.

    Back to the topic of dog beds. I highly recommend the Orvis Memory Foam Bolster dog bed. I've had it for a few months and washed it several times. Easy to take apart and put back together. No wet spots under the bed. It is pricey, but the quality is way above other beds I have bought at Petco and it will last much longer.
    https://www.orvis.com/p/memory-foam-bolster/2c9b

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