Getting a new mattress can not only be exciting, it's often a serious investment. But what to do with your old mattress?
Maybe you've read about the recent epidemic of bedbugs and you fear you won't be able to get rid of it? Or perhaps someone told you that you can't donate used mattresses because no one will take them?
Good news: There are great ways to overcome your fear of old mattress disposal!
Okay, so it is true that not every retailer will gladly take your old mattress off your hands when you've purchased a new one from them. And, with the rise of online mattress shops, the burden of getting rid of your old mattress falls on you.
Now, what you don't want to do is sneak off in the middle of the night with your old mattress strapped to the top of your car so you can dump it somewhere outside of town. That is simply poor environmental citizenship, will generate bad karma, and is quite likely illegal no matter where you live!
But you probably don't want it taking up space in your garage, basement or storage unit either. Maybe, if you're lucky, you can use it as a "spare bed" for overnight guests. But, most likely, you already have one of those and the old mattress still needs to be removed somehow.
The good news is that you can get rid of your old mattress legally and efficiently.
In fact, there are a number of options for mattress removal that don't involve furtive trips in the dark of night, or even just hauling it to the local landfill.
Here is a brief overview of five ways you can successfully dispose of your old mattress and enjoy your new one without fear:
Donate Your Mattress
Contrary to what you might believe or may have been told, you really can donate your old mattress. While it is true that not every thrift store, second-hand store or charitable organization will take used mattresses, there are quite a number that will.
Here's a list of suggested organizations you can either donate to or find information from:
Sell Your Mattress
You mean, people will pay money for a used mattress? Yes, they will. In fact, because the price of new mattresses are often out of the reach of many people, especially families, finding a good, clean, but used mattress is a real deal for them.
Kate Williams of Consumer Affairs advises that,
"Before you consider this option, you should know that selling a mattress may be illegal in your state. Many states only allow you to sell a used mattress after you’ve cleaned it in a rigorous and specific way. Check with your state to find out its regulations. Because the department that handles bedding varies from state to state, you might have to contact your state departments of Health, Consumer Affairs, Agriculture or Licensing."
You should keep your sights local when you advertise your used mattress since you won't be shipping it anywhere like you might do with a book or a item of vintage clothing. Make use of local buying and selling sites in addition to eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
Reuse Your Mattress
No, we don't mean buy another bed frame. But a little creativity can go a long way with your average used mattress. Don't be afraid to break it down, cut some things, and experiment. Whether you create another piece of furniture or a unique art or home décor piece, you can be happy knowing you made good use of a faithful old friend.
Mattress manufacturer, Lull (www.Lull.com) suggests these resources for fearlessly sparking your DIY inspiration:
"Pinterest offers over 1,000 inspired ways to turn your old mattress into a work of art for your home, including how to make a repurposed steel spring wine rack. Bob Vila shows you 7 ways to add rustic style to your home with your old innerspring mattress. And you don't want to miss these 15 creative ways to reinvent your old mattress into something completely new and fun."
Recycle Your Mattress
Okay, so your old mattress obviously won't fit in your green recycling bin on the curb. But it is likely quite recyclable nonetheless. In fact, 90 percent of standard innerspring mattresses can be reused. And when mattresses are disassembled and broken down they provide materials that can either be recycled or sold for scrap.
Just some of the parts of an innerspring mattress that can be reused include:
Connecticut, Rhode Island and California all have state laws that allow residents to recycle their mattress for free, or for a small fee, through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs.
Discard Your Mattress
While this option may seem a bit heartless, there are times when you cannot sell it, donate it, or even get it to a recycler yourself. Never fear - a professional mattress hauling team is near. You can call Junk King to come a take your old mattress of your hands (and out of your house) quickly, safely and efficiently.
At Junk King, our full-service mattress removal and recycling eliminates the need for maneuvering old mattresses because we can haul and recycle the items for you. You can recycle your old mattress today and even schedule bulk junk pickups by calling or by booking online.
Junk King provides an efficient, safe and eco-friendly mattress disposal service that makes the whole process easy for you. Our experienced mattress removal team has the manpower to haul away your mattress (and your bed frame, if needed!) without damaging any part of your home on the way out.
We’ll do all the heavy lifting - no need to carry items out to the curb so they can be an eyesore for your neighbors. And we’ll make sure that the mattress or bed is disposed of at a proper recycling facility so that it doesn’t do any harm to our ecosystem.
Our professional and insured mattress disposal team will show up promptly at your home and we call 15 minutes before we arrive on site. Once we arrive 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.
Ready to get rid of your old mattress? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. You can easily make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).