We couldn't manage anymore. The aroma of mold coming from under the bed just did our heads in. We had
problems in the forward wardrobe and managed those by removing the wooden front and door, replacing it with a curtain and installing a tiny dehumidifier. The problem is that in such a tightly packed space, with every corner and crevice being used, there is not enough air to circulate to deal with the condensation. So it molds when it can't dry. And the bedroom is the worst place, as it is farthest from the stove which could dry it out, does not have a radiator and has at least eight hours of breathing every night... We considered stopping breathing whilst we slept, but then reconsidered.Under the bed was not helped by the hot water pipe from the bathroom, running under the wall side of the bed, then under the floor, along the opposite side of the bed under wooden trunking and then to the radiator on the opposite side of the bathroom. More condensation under the bed to join the condensation over. All this was added to the reality that under the bed is the equivalent to our loft - all the stored suitcases, Christmas decs, out of season clothes, etc, etc. All in all, tightly packed, little air and little heat. You should have seen how happily the mold was taking over the wall...
We had more-or-less designed the solution over many a conversation, and somehow this weekend was when we agreed to get it all done. Saturday was the shopping and Sunday afternoon the installation. It all started with the bed slats - something on which to put the mattress and make sure there will be air circulation. We went to a furniture show room to ask if they might, in case, perhaps, if a bed had been broken, have some spare slats. No frame or fittings, just slats. And they did! Wonderfully, they had the lovely gently bowed shape slats, in half bed width in order that each sleeper has independently sprung slats. High brow for a narrow boat, but hey - they were £10 for the whole lot!
The first installation step was for Pete to borrow Barry's jigsaw and cut four holes out of the solid plywood base, in order to give the slats a frame. Then Elizabeth came in with a heady mix made with advice from the Forestry Commission website - 1 part detergent to 10 parts bleach to 20 parts water. This removed all the mold. After that, they laid duck boards under the bed in order to take all the storage. This will let air circulate underneath all the 'loft' storage.
The next step was to install the slats holder down the middle of the bed base, now bed frame. Pete put a 3cm wide piece of wood on top of a 1.5 cm wide piece of wood and then screwed them to the frame. This gave a lip under which to insert all the slats in the centre. The outside of each slat fit to either the wooden lip on the hall side or to the carpet on the wall side. Then Pete had to cut the ends of 26 (26!) slats, as, of course, our double bed is a little smaller than the King sized bed for which the slats were made. Just so you know - our bed is 4' x 6'3". Odd, but it means there is enough length not to have to sleep on an angle!
So, onto the slats. This is where Elizabeth moved back into the bedroom with staple gun and tape. She fit all the slats a tissue box distance apart, then stapled the tape to keep them the right distance. While Pete was fixing the base and frame and working on slats, Elizabeth was making a thin top mattress (a Swedish practice - see Ikea's website :-). A thin top mattress means that sheets need only be tucked under the top mattress, not the whole thing. This is quite a relief in the boat. As you can tell by the final pictures, the bed really fits into a three sided box. Very cozy, but very difficult to prise a solid mattress up from the corners to fit sheets. A thin top mattress is the answer. She piled up three deep mattress covers, folded them in to make a 4' x 6'3" shape and stared sewing.
Before anything else on the bed, Elizabeth replaced all the deep storage underneath. As you know, planning what goes where is her thing. The final step was to unroll the memory foam mattress we bought from a boat chandlers and let it inflate. With lots of air, it breathes, but it is shockingly comfortable! The thin mattress on top, all made up with fresh cotton sheets and feather duvet and my - what a mold odour free blissful sleep! Hooray!!
