Judy writes:

Hi Pete,
I have a good quality futon mattress on a wooden frame in my home office, which is in the sofa position.
I need to store some cardboard boxes of files on top of the futon – for maybe six months or so.
Will this damage the mattress?
I have two cardboard supports, about 1/2 inch thick each, that are meant to be used under a bed mattress for support.
I was thinking about putting these on top of the futon mattress before adding about five or six boxes.
Would that help or worsen the situation or make no difference?
Thanks, Judy
Hi Judy,
Futon mattresses, usually, have some cotton batting.
Maintenance includes shaking the mattress to recover its loft.
If you pile a lot of stuff on the mattress, you’ll need to shake it to decompress the cotton batting.
Keep the heaviest items at either end, saving the lighter things for the middle.
It wouldn’t hurt to brace the front wooden beam.