If your mattress is ready for retirement, you may be eager to welcome its replacement into your home. A brand-new mattress can revolutionize the way you sleep, significantly improving your quality of life.
Unfortunately, there’s at least one major obstacle to your mattress upgrade: The hassle of getting rid of your old one. After all, you can’t simply stuff a mattress into your trash can and take it the curb (trust us).
Indeed, mattress disposal is a real conundrum for many families, particularly if they’ve never navigated this challenge previously. Moreover, resources differ significantly depending upon your location. While some towns and cities offer helpful programs, most municipalities don’t have convenient and well-publicized processes in place.
Not to fear, new mattress buyer. In this article, we’ll detail all your options for ridding yourself of your old mattress. We’ll also help you assess whether your mattress really needs to be replaced and will even discuss the prospect of selling it.
While there may be no perfect mattress disposal solution available in your area, we’ll help you make the best choice possible.
Signs That Your Mattress Is in Need of Disposal
Good mattresses are built to last, wearing out incrementally over a period of several years. Mattress durability depends on multiple factors, such as the materials used and the weight of the people who lie in it each night.
Accordingly, it can be tough to judge whether a mattress needs to be replaced: There’s typically no dramatic change from one night to the next. How do know you should start shopping for a new one?
Sure, you don’t need to wear a mattress out to replace it. With sleep technology continually improving, you may choose to upgrade just to enjoy new features. But if you are considering a mattress replacement, you may want to be sure that you’ve exhausted the one you have now.
Because mattresses age in many different ways, there’s no single indicator that your mattress needs to be retired. That being said, these tell-tale signs should help you decide whether to dispose of your current mattress and move on to a new one.
- You’re waking up achy and unrested. The best reason to replace your mattress is if it no longer provides the support you need. You’re the authority on your own body, so monitor the way you feel each morning.
- You’re feeling things you shouldn’t. If you can feel the springs inside your mattress or the bed frame slats below you, an upgrade is in order.
- Sagging, lumps, or indentations are starting to appear. When you look at your mattress or lie down on it, there shouldn’t be clear evidence of your body’s shape. If your mattress surface has visible hills and valleys, it’s no longer providing the support you deserve.
If you see these signs, don’t try to extend your mattress’s life with stopgap solutions. A mattress topper, for example, can make a great addition to a mattress that’s in good shape – but it won’t erase these underlying issues. For mattresses worn out to this extent, it’s time to talk disposal.
Selling Your Mattress: Possible and Economical?
When it comes to selling used mattresses, some readers are surprised to learn that it’s even a possibility. Because mattresses are such intimate items, it’s hard to imagine a market of potential buyers eager for one that you’ve already slept on.
Suspend your judgment for a second: If you’ve stayed in a hotel or someone’s guest room recently, you’ve also slept on someone else’s property. And for those with very limited budgets, pre-owned mattresses may be the only affordable option. If you think your mattress is in good enough shape to serve someone else well, attempting to sell could be worth a shot.
Basically, you have two avenues for selling your mattress. The first is a local thrift store, which might buy your mattress if its gently used and made by a reputable brand. You’ll only get a fraction of what you paid for it, but they might have a truck to pick it up (a considerable value in its own right).
The other option is posting your mattress on third-party sites or apps, where potential buyers in your area can place competitive bids. In this case, transportation could be a sticking point – unless the buyer plans to pick their purchase up themselves.
However you sell, honesty is the best policy: Don’t fib about the age or condition of the mattress to stimulate a sale. Additionally, clean the mattress as thoroughly as possible before you pass it off.
For plenty of people, however, the effort required for any used mattress transaction won’t seem worth the small sum they stand to earn. In that case, you’ll be looking for the least obnoxious (and least expensive) disposal option.
Mattress Disposal Solutions: From Donation to the Dump
Donate to a Local Charity
Donation is the ideal used mattress solution: You can simultaneously support a good cause and rid yourself of a bulky unwanted item. Unfortunately, some of the best-known national charities have strict anti-mattress policies, including most Salvation Army and Goodwill stores.
To donate your mattress, therefore, you’ll need to think local. Finding and calling organizations in your area can get tedious, so we’d recommend using a database such as DonationTown.org to identify potential recipients.
Unfortunately, even an extensive search may not turn up many options, especially if you need the charity to pick the mattress up. Sadly, due to fears about bed bugs and the sheer inconvenience of mattress transportation, there may not be a viable donation site in your local area.
Recycle at a Local Center
If a donation is out of the question, recycling is another way to dispose of your mattress with a happy conscience. This option depends entirely on your community’s recycling programs and resources, however, so you may need to do some research.
In some states, such as California, state agencies administer programs allowing residents to recycle their mattresses at no additional cost. Elsewhere, cities supply solutions, charging a small fee for mattress recycling services. If you live in an area covered by this kind of program, you can find it by using ByeByeMattress.com, a nifty site designed precisely for this purpose.
If you are eligible for mattress recycling services, call the associated agency for logistical details. Some cities, for example, sanction mattress recycling only on certain days. Others ask you to transport the mattress yourself instead of providing pickup.
Even if the recycling requirements seem steep, go for it. You’ll be doing the environment a big favor and, as we’ll discuss later, trashing your mattress isn’t exactly easy either.
Contact a Junk Removal Service
If you want a quick fix without breaking your back, a junk removal company handles all the disposal dirty work. For a fee, these trash-hauling companies will arrive at your home at the appointed time and make your mattress disappear. When possible, they’ll bring your mattress to a recycling site. If your mattress is too soiled, they’ll truck it to a dump instead.
The downside here is fiscal: Basically, you’re trading convenience for cash. Thankfully, you should be able to call ahead and get an accurate estimate. Because they trash several mattresses a month, they should have the price down pat.
Have Your New Mattress Company Take Your Old One
It’s not too good to be true: Some mattress manufacturers know how annoying mattress disposal can be, so they want to help you out with it. If you buy one of their products, they’ll cart your old one away when they deliver your new one.
True, some companies charge for this service: It’s an extra fee, not an added perk. But if you anticipate trouble getting rid of your old mattress, it could be worth incorporating this service into your wish list for a replacement.
Drive to the Dump Yourself
If all else fails, you may need to take matters into your own hands. Transporting your mattress to the nearest dump could be easy or onerous, depending upon the vehicle you drive and the proximity of the nearest facility. If you have a friend with a flatbed truck, now’s the time to call them up.
If you’re trying to move a mattress with another kind of car, make sure you have the supplies and space necessary to transport it safely. Check out our guide to mattress transportation to confirm that your approach is secure.
Additionally, call the facility ahead of time to confirm they take mattresses. You don’t want to make the journey just to get turned away.
Moving On: Your New Mattress Match
We hope we’ve suggested some viable options for disposing of your old mattress. Admittedly, you may have to spend your precious time and money arranging to discard it – a frustrating reality to be sure.
Our suggestion is to bite the bullet and move forward: Once you’ve identified your best option, there’s no use stewing or scheming. With your old mattress cleared away, you’ll be free to enjoy your new one. Better sleep is well worth the hassle of mattress disposal, so don’t let logistics stand in your way.
Perhaps in planning to get rid of your old mattress, you still haven’t quite made up your mind about which new one to buy. With expert guides and honest reviews, we’re here to help any kind of sleeper make an excellent selection. Even if you do have a mattress picked already, you’re welcome to consult our reviews of relevant accessories.