Savvy Tips to Get Rid of Your Unwanted Mattresses
Savvy Tips to Get Rid of Your Unwanted Mattresses
Written By Jack Black
Imagine this scene. A proud owner of a brand-new mattress from somewhere like Zenhaven is waiting for his purchase to be delivered is jumping up and down with excitement. Tingles travel down his spine as he thinks of the coming nights with the fresh mattress beneath his tired and aching body. A delivery truck with a mattress logo appears around the bend. The driver climbs down, unloads the merchandise, and sets it down where the owner wants it. The owner, at this time, sees that the old mattress is still where the new one is supposed to go. He then scratches his head in confusion and says, “What should I do with THIS one?”
This is not an entirely uncommon situation. Mattress buyers are usually at a loss on what to do with the old one. The matter of recycling and reusing mattresses is a rather newborn idea in the green world of protecting the environment. Nevertheless, here are some suggestions on the disposal of your old mattress, be it in an ecological or just a practical way.
- Take It to a Landfill
This is the most obvious answer for everyone. Taking the old mattress to the landfill and letting the people who work there do their own thing is simple for most people. Calling the garbage collectors who have the ability to pick up larger items is even easier even though one might need to call well in advance.
Although disposing old mattresses by dumping them in a landfill is at the height of convenience, there are some landfills that refuse to accept discarded mattresses. They take a lot of room and they damage the landfill equipment in the process. Because of their bulk, the mattresses need to be compacted before they are disposed. In the process of compaction, their springs get tangled frequently in the equipment. Old mattresses are an inconvenience not only to their previous owners, but to landfill operators as well.
- Donate It
If the old mattress is still of passable quality and can still satisfy the needs of someone else, then why not donate it? There are a lot of centers that can put old mattresses to good use. Battered women shelters, half-way homes, homeless shelters and other similar institutions are in dire need of mattresses for their members.
Less fortunate individuals in the community would also appreciate the comforts of a soft yet supportive surface under their bodies. Just because you no longer find your old mattress no longer comfortable to sleep on does not mean it can’t be for someone else.
- Recycle It
Recycling mattresses is relatively new, but there are already a few companies that do it. They take the old mattresses apart and separate them into their components. Cotton and cloth may be turned into clothes, foam may be recycled, and wood may be turned into chips. Inner springs could also be sold as metal. If everything goes well and the company does its best, 90% of the mattress can be reused.
- Dispose It
If other alternatives don’t work out for you, there are always other options that may… If one is refused by garbage collectors and landfill operators, then you may better off going online and find out what you can do with your unwanted mattress. With a little research, you can find mattress outlets that offer to pick up your stuff and pay you for disposing it.
Old mattresses need not be a burden to anyone. In fact, with a little use of your imagination and a little sprucing up, they can let you earn back the money that you once spent on them or be the blessings that other people desperately need!
Author Bio: Jack Black is a Global Brand Manager at Mattresses-tomorrow- online retailers of memory foam mattresses. We offer a wide range of mattresses whether you are looking for a double, single or kingsize.
Photo Sources: Mattresses Tomorrow & Google Images
This is very useful information… I cheat and put them down for my kids to jump on 🙂
LOL! Thanks, Chrissy! Glad you found it useful 🙂
If you live in the Dallas or Austin Texas area Sleep Experts will take all the unwanted mattresses and box springs. They send them off to a company that tears the mattresses and box springs down and replaces all the material with new. Sleep Experts then buys some of them back and donate the mattress to different local Charities.
Thank you for the tips, Cheryl!
I will be hunting for a new mattress soon and will have to face this problem of getting rid of the old one. Thank you for the ideas!
Welcome! Thank YOU for stopping by!!
I wonder if using the components of a mattress for some… ahem, chemical experimentation counts as recycling. I mean people make rockets by using Coke and propane. And if you mix polyurethane with aluminum and… um. I’ll say no more lest I get arrested even though I use a foreign VPN =)
Usually Mattresses have metal springs in them. I have taken some mattresses and took the fabric off of them and used the spring part as fencing. I have a bunch of chickens in a pen that has regular chicken wire plus 3 mattress springs. I used them for extra wire that I didn’t have. Also box springs , I’ve seen on the internet they can be used for a book case, add extra shelves. Also they can be used in the garden. Take off fabric and lay it down, fill with potting soil and plant vegetables, flowers. They can be used as a trellis for your flowering vines. I guess what ever comes to mind if you really give your old mattress and box springs a thought. Think outside the box as someone has said to me.
All fantastic ideas, Judy! Thank you for sharing!