Shopping for a new mattress has its ups and downs, and when you finally find the one for you, it’s a total relief! But have you ever thought about what happens to your old mattress when the new one arrives? Sure, you want it out of your home ASAP, and some retailers offer haul-away services — only where are they hauled away?
The answer is more complicated than you might think! But don’t worry; we’ll walk you through the scenarios that happen to old mattresses in their afterlife!
What the Retailer Does
Some retailers offer a haul-away service when they come to deliver the new one, but what happens depends on the state. For instance, mattress retailers in California make it the standard (aka, the law) to recycle mattresses. In states like these, the shop offers a free pick-up and recycling service where they take it to a facility — it’s the easiest way to get rid of your mattress!
In other states that don’t have mattress recycling laws, the retailer will send the mattress to a landfill or donate it (depending on the condition). But donating isn’t as simple as it sounds; up to 40 million mattresses and box, springs are discarded every year! So, asking what haul-away services your mattress shop provides is important before buying a new bed.
Note: States with required recycling will always send the mattress to a facility unless it poses an extreme health and safety risk to the employees or surroundings.
What Can You Do?
Say the mattress retailer you bought from doesn’t offer haul-away services — what then? Your old mattress is still taking up valuable space, but what are the next steps? It depends on whether you want to recycle, donate, or resell it. Each option has its ups and downs, but if none are viable, you might have to utilize your county’s bulky-item curbside pickup or take it to the dump yourself!
Recycling Your Old Mattress
Did you know that about 90 percent of the material used in mattresses can be recycled? That’s a lot! Usually, wood frames, steel springs, polyurethane foam, and outer foam can be recycled. And some specialty recycling facilities will break down and sort the components. But if your state doesn’t require the retailer to send your old mattress to a facility like this, you have other options for recycling it!
- Local Recycling Center: Call around and find a facility that accepts whole mattresses — some facilities include a haul-away service for an additional fee. You can also ask local universities for suggestions or use the Bye Bye Mattress datable for more options!
- Recycling it Yourself: You can recycle your old mattress by taking it apart and recycling each part, like the wood frame, springs, foam, and fabric! It’s a lot of work, but definitely worth one less mattress in a landfill!
- Repurposing: Most of the materials in a mattress can be repurposed right at home! For instance, you can make a wine rack or ornaments from the springs, make a dog bed from the foam (or add padding to an old one), create new cushion covers from the fabric, or use the foam as packing material!
Donating Your Old Mattress
If your old mattress is in decent shape, you can try donating it. But to donate it, the mattress can’t be stained, ripped, or unusable. Some charities and non-profit thrift stores will take old beds, but you might need to call and ask before finding one that will take it. You can try charities like the Salvation Army, Furniture Bank Association, or Habitat for Humanity.
You can also try giving it away for free to someone in your community or a neighboring community. Either way, you won’t have to haul the old mattress anywhere yourself or try to tear it down.
Reselling Your Old Mattress
Sometimes donating your mattress can be difficult, so it might be easier to resell it instead! Of course, the bed needs to be in decent condition, either barely used or halfway through its lifespan (like five or six years old). But you also need to double-check if reselling a mattress is legal in your state; some states require a strict cleaning process before reselling!
If all systems are good to sell, make sure to sell it locally so you don’t have to pay a ginormous shipping fee. And don’t forget to include pertinent details someone might want to know, like when you bought it, if your home is smoke-free or pet-free, what the brand is, and other information you think could be relevant.
So Long, Mattress!
As you can see, there is more to removing old mattresses than you might think. So, if you’re getting ready to upgrade your mattress at Van Dyke Appliance, keep this guide in mind — it’ll be helpful when it’s time to remove your old mattress. But if you still haven’t decided on a new mattress and have questions, don’t hesitate to call us or stop by!