How can I dispose of a mattress? (guide)

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Mattresses are bulky, heavy, and can be a real problem when you need to dispose of them – especially if you’re looking for free options. First, you need to check the regulations about mattress disposal in your state.

Be sure to check if there are any mattress recycling facilities or organizations that accept mattress donations. You can also take mattress into your own hands and take it to a dump or recycle it yourself. Mattress materials can be used for a variety of things – from household furnishings to backyard necessities like lawn mulch or wooden boxes.

Please, do not just leave your mattress on the curbside. A lot of mattress owners do that despite it being unsanitary and fineable in many states.

Your first step is to inspect the mattress thoroughly. Is it in a good shape? You can probably sell or donate it. If not, you should opt for recycling, upcycling (making better, creative use of its parts), or dumping the mattress properly.

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How to Donate Or Sell A Mattress

Good options for mattress disposal are to:

• Donate or sell the mattress
• Have a mattress company dispose of your mattress (through a warranty or white glove service)
• Take it to a recycling facility or a collection site
• Upcycle the mattress yourself (and use its parts in creative ways)
• Wrap it in plastic and throw it in the dump (or call a junk removal service)

You can donate or sell your old mattress if it’s in excellent condition – not torn, dirty, moldy, or disfigured. You should clean the mattress, vacuum it and let it air out prior to giving it to someone else. Check out local rules and regulations because some places require sellers to have used mattresses cleaned by professionals.

You’ll probably have to pack the mattress properly before donating or selling, so be sure to have a plastic wrap, or better yet, a special plastic mattress bag. Whether you’re selling or donating, it’s important to inform the charity/buyers if there were any pets or cigarette smoke where the mattress was held.

Donate Your Mattress

There are many charities that will take mattresses for free. If you have more things to donate, you can pack them all up and have them given away.

Donation Town is a really big website that connects ordinary people with hundreds of local charities. Just type in your zip code, and you can see which charities are available. You can schedule a free pickup on the website and be sure your mattress will find a good home. In general, charities are less likely to accept mattresses, so make sure that the mattress you’re donating is in really good shape. Otherwise, it may be impossible to find an organization that would take it.

You should also check out Goodwill, which is currently not in the Donation Town directory but is one of the most recognizable charities in the US. They are present in the majority of towns, and it’s quite easy to find some local Goodwill thrift stores or schedule a pickup with them.

Other popular charities include Salvation Army, Furniture Bank Association of America, Amvets, Vietnam Veterans, Arc, and Habitat for Humanity.

If you know a specific place that may benefit from your mattress – like a hospital or a senior living community, contact them directly and ask if they would accept your donation. You can also visit local thrift stores that are not a part of some large program and see if they would accept your mattress.

Sell Your Mattress

If it’s legal in your area to sell a used mattress, you can put it up on eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, or Facebook. Bear in mind that online sales can take a while, so those who are looking for a quick way to get rid of the mattress should think about other options.

The price of used mattresses typically gets up to 20-30% of their original price. So, a $1000 mattress will only cost around $200 when you use and resell it. This price also depends on the state of the item- if it’s as good as a new mattress, you can ask for a higher price.

Before you post your mattress online, make sure to take high-quality photos and write a detailed description. Include the mattress make, size, materials, age of the mattress, how heavily it was used, and if there are any issues/defects.

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Have A Mattress Company Dispose of Your Mattress

Check Your Warranty

If you’re staying with the same mattress company, you should take a look at the warranty on your old mattress. Most mattresses – including Serta and Beautyrest – have a warranty of about 5 to 10 years for defects in production.

If such a defect caused damage to your mattress, you may be able to get a new mattress delivered for free and have the old one properly disposed of by the mattress company. If you can’t find the warranty, call them and ask – you have nothing to lose and much to gain!

This would be the cheapest and easiest option.

Mattress Companies That Offer Mattress Disposal

Some mattress companies offer to remove your old mattress and foundation/box spring for free, as a part of their white glove delivery. This is the easiest option for you if you need to get rid of the old mattress because you want to buy a new one.

Typically, you’ll need to let the company know that you need mattress removal prior to delivery or when you’re buying the new one.

• Tempur-pedic removes the entire bed. Just let them know you have a bed for removal when they call you to set up delivery. Tempur-pedic has a range of fantastic mattresses with really good support. We recently made a top 5 list of Tempur-pedic mattresses.
• Saatva offers removal of the mattress and box spring. When you’re buying their mattress online, just check the box “Free mattress & foundation removal” at checkout. Saatva is a customer favorite when it comes to online mattresses and we recommend you try it out. You can read our Saatva mattress review for more information.
• Dreamcloud also offers this service. At checkout, you’ll see the “White Glove Service” option. Just click there, and they will take your old mattress away. Dreamcloud is a bed-in-a-box company that has quickly become popular for reasonable prices and high quality. Check out our review for more information.

Some companies, like Idle Sleep, don’t remove old mattresses, but they will help you by connecting you to their partners – mattress removal services. These are not free of charge, so you may have to pay over $100 to remove your mattress.

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Mattress Recycling Facilities and Collection Sites

Some US states have great recycling programs. The good news is – over 75% of your mattress can be recycled and materials used for new products.

California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are a part of the Mattress Recycling Council. It’s a program that boasts recycling over 6 million mattresses by the end of 2019. Mattress Recycling Council organizes collection sites and recycling centers.

If you live in other states, you can contact 1-800-GOT-JUNK? for used mattress removal. This service removes all kinds of junk, but it also has a specialized mattress recycling program. Actually, if a mattress is in a good shape, the organization donates it. If it’s in a bad shape, they recycle it.

Huge amounts of recycled mattress materials are used for a variety of purposes.

How Are Mattresses Recycled?

Mattress recycling services can use almost all of the old mattresses. A mattress is first cut open and its layers are separated.

Typical mattress parts are fabric or fibers on the surface layer, foam padding made of polyurethane foam, and steel springs. Box springs typically have a wooden frame and a steel spring structure. Bed frames may also have foam and fabric for top layers.

Fabric is recycled into industrial oil filters or it finds its use in the textile industry. Foam padding can be turned into carpets or used in dog beds. Steel springs can be recycled as metal scrap, and wooden bed frames can be turned into mulch or used as a fuel source.

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Upcycling Your Old Mattress + Ideas

If you’re a DIY type of person, an old mattress could be a real treat for you! You can recycle it yourself – that is, upcycle your old mattress.

First, you have to break down the used mattress. Then, when you separate all materials, you can find a new use for each of them.

• Use a box cutter to cut and pull off the mattress binding cord from the edges all around.
• Pull the top fabric off as well as the sides. You can use the fabric for pet bedding, cushions, etc.
• Pull the foam layer away. Foam can be a filler for your dog bed or cushions, or you can use it as an insulator.
• Below the foam, you should be able to see metal springs. Using a wire cutter, cut the metal springs into smaller pieces. You can recycle them as scrap metal, or you can cut the whole spring unit into large chunks and use them in your garden – you can plant Morning Glories or Star Jasmine vines through the wire.
• If you’re breaking down your box spring as well, remove all plastic and fabric. Once you get to the bear wood, use a handsaw to cut the frame into smaller pieces. They can be used as firewood, compost, or you can make boxes for flowers, a birdhouse, doghouse, or whatever comes to your mind.

Mattress parts can make for many different objects in and outside of your home. It depends on your creativity and DIY abilities.

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Throw Away Your Old Mattress

If you can’t be bothered with any environmentally friendly options of mattress disposal, you can just throw it away (but definitely don’t put your mattress in the dumpster!).

A mattress is not just regular trash – your waste management authority may require that you wrap it in plastic and seal it with tape. This is a sanitary measure to prevent the spread of various germs or pests. Some people throw away mattresses with bed bugs and workers handling things like those have to be safe.

You can leave the mattress next to your trash on a “heavy trash day” when they accept bulky waste. Alternatively, you can hire a service for mattress removal, like Budget Dumpster. Also, services like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? will remove mattresses from your home. They also conduct mattress recycling and mattress donations.

If you have the means for it, you can also take the mattress to a landfill yourself. Most landfills will take used mattresses without any problems.

Just make sure to check local guidelines and regulations regarding the disposal of old mattresses. Your local government may have specific rules regarding mattress disposal, so do your best to avoid unnecessary fines.

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