Infection control is a top priority for healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 virus, but many facilities use porous mattresses that may allow the virus to enter the medium and contaminate them, according to an article on the McKnight’s Long-term Care News website.
Once contaminated, a porous surface cannot be cleaned as well as a non-porous surface.
However, a large foam mattress cannot be laundered, and soft porous mattresses are therefore deemed contaminated and cannot be reused. As a result, many organizations find themselves with a mattress shortage due to throwing away thousands of contaminated foam mattresses.
One solution is a mattress overlay with a wipeable surface.