Shock Treatment & Conditioner

Let us remind you that waterbed conditioner is very important in combating algae and bacteria.
There are many conditioner products on supermarket shelves and other non-waterbed outlets that may do a similar job but waterbed conditioner must also contain a vinyl treatment to prolong mattress life. These conditioner products are usually are for 6 monthly use.

We advise that when setting up a new mattress or refilling a mattress that a shock treatment or conditioner concentrate be used to bring the initial water solution up to the recommended strength, then a six monthly solutions should be used as booster.
Make sure that you use conditioner concentrate or shock treatment to start off. If you don't the vinyl treatment strength would not be at the mattress manufacturers recommended level. Like looking after the air and water in your car for example.

You will find that adding shock treatment and subsequent 6 monthly top ups, is a condition of many waterbed mattress warranties. Many manufacturers will void all or some of warranty if shock and six monthly treatments are not used. It is important that you should have proof (receipts) of waterbed shock treatment purchase, and the subsequent six monthly solutions. Check your warranty card?

When should Conditioner Concentrate Starter Solution ( Shock treatment ) be used?

• When filling a new waterbed mattress
• When re filling a waterbed mattress
• When you have not put conditioner in the waterbed bladder for a while
• When the water has an odour

If you have not been up to date with treatments and water is used in topping up a waterbed mattress and then mattress then becomes smelly, it is recommended that Conditioner Concentrate or Shock Treatment is used to combat this issue as well.

As for the outside of the mattress where you lay, a periodical clean with warm soapy water will remove body oils that too, can lead to PVC brittleness.

What are plasticizers?

Plasticizers for plastics, is a additive that gives hard plastics like PVC the desired flexibility and durability. They are often based on esters of polycarboxylic acids with linear or branched aliphatic alcohols of moderate chain length. Plasticizers work by embedding themselves between the chains of polymers, spacing them apart (increasing of the "free volume"), and thus significantly lowering the glass transition for the plastic and making it softer. For plastics such as PVC, the more plasticiser added, the lower its cold flex temperature will be. This means that it will be more flexible, though its strength and hardness will decrease as a result of it. Some plasticizers evaporate and tend to concentrate in an enclosed space; the "new car smell" is caused mostly by plasticizers evaporating from the car interior. Solvents and some unsuitable cleaners can speed up the process, leading to brittleness.

What is the purpose of plasticizers?

PVC liner production involves mixing or blending PVC resin, stabilizers, plasticizers and pigments. The plasticizer softens the polymer to make it pliable to aid in Calendering (manufacturing) process and provide a flexible sheet which is easy to seam in both factory and field conditions by a variety of methods. When plasticizer is blended with the PVC, a portion of it forms an intimate bond with the PVC, while the remainder is captured in the polymer matrix.

How is plasticizer lost?

The rate of loss of plasticizer depends on plasticizer type, temperature, sheet thickness, environment and exposure time. The actual mechanism behind this loss is migration of plasticizer from the surface membrane. Plasticizers can migrate from PVC geomembranes over time because of contact with air, liquid and an absorbent solid material. Plasticizer loss reduces the flexibility of PVC geomembranes and in extreme cases results in noticeable shrinkage. [See photo below] The constant use of bleach in the water will rob the vinyl of plasticizer and then make the fabric brittle followed by cracking, particularly in wear areas. (ie. where you get in and out of bed and corner seams). By adding just household anti-bacterial products to the waterbed water is beneficial to eliminating bacteria and algae but this does not address the loss of the plasticizer.

Waterbed Treatment

Most importantly a solution is to protect the surface with a coating that inhibits the loss of plasticizers. Protection on the inside of waterbed bladder comes in the form of Mermaid Waterbed Conditioner Concentrate (ie. Shock Treatment) and the subsequent six monthly conditioner top ups.

Mermaid Waterbed Treatment is a multi purpose waterbed conditioner, specially formulated to treat and condition mattress water, fibre and foam. Also lubricates and conditions vinyl interior, maximising mattress life by reducing the loss of plasticizer leaching into the mattress water or water gel crystals. A flexible waterbed bladder is also a long lasting and more reliable

As here are no legal waterbed heaters to warm up Gel Beds, the loss of plasticizer is reduced but we still recommend the initial use of shock treatment to eliminate algae and bacterial growth in the Gel filled bladders or cylinders.

Honey I Shrunk the Mattress!!

The loss of plasticizer in this extreme case has shrunk the mattress away from the corner. This can happen to ALL brands of waterbed mattresses.
Make sure that there is plasticizer in the conditioner by buying it from a reputable waterbed dealer.
When filling or refilling your waterbed mattress use a concentrate like our shock treatment and six monthly follow ups.
Contact Dreamlover Waterbed World and they will send you the right product for the job.