Maybe you’ve had your old mattress for quite a while now and it feels like it. But how can you know when it’s time for a new one and for old mattress renewal?

And, when you do buy a new mattress, you will have to figure out what to do with that old one.

There can be a number of good reasons for purchasing a new mattress. And many of these have to do with the condition of the old one. But that’s not the only thing that can drive a decision to shop for mattresses.

Things Change and That Includes Sleep

According to information from Statistic Brain, the average household will keep their mattress for seven years before seeking out a replacement for it.

There are a few common events that cause many people to shift to a different mattress, usually for a smaller or larger one. 

Probably the most common - and positive change - is marriage. When two people move in together as a couple they are often faced with the need for a larger mattress. Surprisingly, despite the luxurious sleeping space provided by a King or California King mattress, the number one mattress size used in America is the Queen.

In fact, among the six or seven mattress sizes made, Queen-size mattresses are used in 47 percent of homes in the U.S. The next most popular size used is the standard King mattress at just 19 percent of sleepers.

Another good reason the family addition.

Whether this means moving a child up from a crib or child’s bed to a twin or full-size mattress, or adding another twin mattress for another growing child. Interestingly, although most people are sleeping on Queen mattresses, Twin-size mattresses are the most popular size sold in the United States. In fact, Twin mattress make up 31 percent of the market share for the mattress industry.

Another, perhaps not-so-great reason, is getting older. This is unavoidable and leads many people to seek out new and different mattresses to accommodate their changing sleep needs as they age.

Signs That You Need a New Mattress

Probably the most common reason for upgrading to a new mattress is wear. Mattresses get old and they begin to show signs of breaking down, and this leads to poorer sleep and body aches.

How can you know that it’s time to say good-bye to that faithful, old bed? 

It’s falling apart

Here are some typical symptoms of a failing mattress:

• Lumps or dips 
• The center is lower than the sides
• It’s become noticeably softer or more firm
• You can see places of wear and tear

You wake up sore more often

If you regularly wake up with aches and pains in the morning, especially lower back pain, this can be caused by poor body support while you sleep. Your aging mattress may no longer be properly supporting you when you sleep.

You’re getting less “deep sleep”

Here are some indications that you may not be entering deep sleep for long enough to experience true rest and restoration during the night:

• You are tired throughout the day
• You’re not getting much dream state sleep
• Sleeping is more like dozing than deep sleep
• You’re waking up frequently in different positions

You sleep better in other places

If you sleep better on someone else’s guest bed, or at a hotel, it could mean your own mattress is no longer doing the job well.

And, of course, sometimes it’s just simply a matter of time.

Mattresses don’t last forever and the less you spend on your mattress the sooner you’ll need another as it breaks down. Here’s a chart illustrating the correlation between price/value of mattresses and their typical life-spans:

[Image courtesy of  Novosbed.com]

The bottom line is that eventually you’ll need a new mattress and that almost always means you’ll also need to deal with mattress removal. 

Mattress Removal Made Easy

Actually, there’s nothing easy about removing a mattress from your home for disposal. Especially if you have to do it alone! But there are better options.

It may be obvious, but most mattresses are both heavy and bulky. They can be incredibly difficult to move and navigate through and out of a house or apartment. And, once you have it outside, then you have to figure out how to load it and dispose of it. 

And that means having a vehicle to get it in (or on) and then figuring out where you’re going to take it. 

For some people, their first inclination is to take their old mattress to the dump. Others might think about donating it. But for most it is simply a question: “What am I going to do with this mattress?”

First things first - taking it to the local landfill is not the recommended option. Getting it there is a major chore and mattresses take up an awful lot of space in landfills. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dumping mattresses into landfills takes up 28 cubic feet of landfill space per mattress.

That leaves three other options. 

If your old mattress is still in good shape and usable, then you can try to “gift” it to a friend or family member. This can often be the easiest and quickest mattress removal solution for many people. 

But what if no one you know needs it? Then you can often donate your gently used mattress. While not every non-profit will accept mattresses, there are many that do.

Here are a few well-known organizations that may receive used mattresses:

Goodwill Industries operates stores across the country and most include a donation center. Some no longer take mattress donations so be sure to call beforehand.

The Salvation Army also has a large network of facilities that accept mattress donations and you can call to schedule a time for them to pick your old mattress up.

Habitat for Humanity International is a worldwide that accepts mattress donation drop-offs at multiple locations.

You could try to sell your old mattress, but this can be a bit of a challenge as their are laws in many areas regulating the process. And mattresses tend to be a bit harder to sell now than they were just five years ago because of the recent bedbug epidemic.

So, what’s the third option?

Mattress Recycling: The Ultimate Mattress Removal Solution

The good news is that almost 90 percent of a standard mattress can be recycled to create new products. This includes the springs, foam, upholstery, wooden parts and even the box spring that often does with it. 

If you want to recycle your old mattress yourself, you’ll need to locate a recycling center near your that accepts them.

These can be found with online resources such as Earth911.org or ByeByeMattress.com that have tools that allow you to search for recycling centers in your geographic area that accept mattresses.

But you don’t have to do ANY of the work of mattress removal if you don’t want to!

You can call a professional mattress removal service like Junk King to do all the hard work for you and be assured that your old mattress will be disposed of in the best manner possible. 

Junk King's Mattress Removal Service

Junk King provides an efficient, safe and eco-friendly mattress disposal service to make the whole process easy for you. Our experienced mattress removal team will have the manpower to haul off that mattress and bed frame without damaging any of your home on the way out.

Ready to get rid of your old mattress? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. You make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

Our professional and insured mattress disposal team will call 15 minutes before we arrive at your home. And, once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your items take up in our truck. You simply point and we haul your items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.