At some point in time, we all decide it is time to get a new mattress. It’s possible that your current mattress doesn’t allow you to get the quality sleep you really need. Studies suggest that a timely upgrade of your bed is essential and that newer bedding systems can improve your sleep significantly. One thing to keep in mind is that buying a new bed often means getting rid of your old one.
If you are reading this article, you might be wondering how it can be done. There are several ways you can dispose of your old mattress. If you’re already paying for a new bed, you probably don’t want to pay for disposal, but you need to keep in mind that there aren’t many free disposal options in the UK. Continue reading for the ultimate guide to mattress disposal.
How often should you replace your mattress?
If you can’t remember for how long you’ve been sleeping on the same bed, it’s time to get a new one. It may still feel comfortable, but it will be less supportive and less sanitary than when it was new.
Here at LightSleeper, we recommend that you replace your mattress every seven years because, after that time, it will have been subjected to over 20,000 hours of use. Imagine the equivalent of 2,555 nights in the amount of fluid that adults lose each night and the number of dead skin cells that they shed annually. Not a pretty or sanitary side. Isn’t it?
Generally speaking, the best mattresses can last up to a decade without softening, sagging or losing their support. Meaning that if you regularly clean your bed, change the sheets weekly and let fresh air into your room, you might only have to change it every 10 years.
What To Do With An Old Mattress?
You should think about why you want to dispose of your current bed before making a decision. For example, it is recommended that you replace your mattress every 7 to 10 years, so if it’s that time, disposing of it is a good way to go. But if yours is only a few years old and you are having issues with it for some reason, then you should look into some other options.
Old Mattress Disposal Guide
Here is what you can do to get rid of your old mattress and make space for the new one:
1. Sell or donate
People forget that mattresses can be used again if there are no obvious issues. If you only want to upgrade yours due to reasons other than a poor-quality one, then you should consider donating it to charity. Or there are a lot of online selling stores that will allow you to sell your bed for what it is worth. This way you might get some money for your new purchase.
If you want to donate, you can do so in your local charity shop. A charity shop usually accepts all donations. However, to accommodate larger items, you might need to go to a bigger shop. For example, donating your old mattress might save you a lot of wasted time and even some cash you might have had to pay to discard your bed.
You can donate your old mattress to one of these charities:
2. Use a mattress disposal service
Sometimes disposing of a product isn’t possible by car, which is why you can use a disposal service to do that for you. For example, many mattress disposal services can pick up a bed from your house and take it off your hands.
Depending on the item you need to remove, the price of waste collection services can vary. Since it is difficult to dispose of a mattress, it may cost more than other furniture pieces. The disposal service market is usually saturated, so keep searching for the best deal and try to compare options.
Many people that have used this service before, say that you might get a better deal if you have various things to dump. We mean that instead of paying £30 for one item, you can pay the service to get rid of multiple furniture pieces for £50.
3. Take it to your local tip
Another option for you is to drop off your mattress at the local tip. The contents of many beds are made from natural and recyclable materials. Sometimes you even might be able to pop it in the recycling skip if possible. When it comes to disposing of your old bed at the local tip, you have to think about how you want to get it there. You could ask a friend to help you out if you don’t have a car or hire a van.
This option might be more complicated if you have a pocket sprung mattress. Simply roll up your mattress as tightly as you can and tie it together with a piece of string to make transportation easier. After you get the bed there, you can ask some of the employees for help to put it in the skip.
4. Contact the local council
It might be easy to contact your local council to have your mattress taken away, depending on where you live. You will have to pay for this, but it can be cheaper than using a private disposal service in some situations.
Also, the price you pay will be determined by what council you live in. However, it is important to remember that a council collection will be slower than a private service one, meaning you should probably think in advance if you don’t have a lot of space in your home.
5. Contact the retailer
Another way to get rid of your old bed is by contacting the retailer you’ve purchased it from. Depending on who you’ve bought it from, the manufacturer or brand might be able to offer you the option of collecting your old mattress for you.
Some brands offer disposal when you purchase a new mattress from them, meaning when they deliver your new one, they’ll get rid of the old one. However, in most cases, this is accompanied by a small fee. Even if you do have to pay for this service, it is an excellent option because it can be as easy as taking the product away after the delivery of your new one.
Overall, there are some things you should not do when choosing a disposal method. It’s not recommended to burn or leave your belonging elsewhere for collection because fly-tipping is illegal, and you might find yourself with a huge fine on top of the price of your new purchase. Burning household products in public can contribute to environmental degradation, and it is even dangerous in most circumstances. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a reliable removal method when disposing of your old mattress.
Bottom line
Overall, this article works as the ultimate guide to mattress disposal. You have multiple options: either sell or donate it, take it to be recycled, invest in a private removal service, or use your new mattress retailer. Generally speaking, most mattress retailers aim to work towards helping with recycling and keeping the industry environmentally friendly. This means entrusting them to dispose of your bed responsibly might be a fantastic idea.
When making a decision, you should take into account your circumstances. Can you compact the mattress by yourself, haul it into the car and go to your local recycling tip? If that’s the case, this might be a good option for you. If you don’t have a car or someone else to help you, paying for an external service will be easier.
Before selling or donating your item, make sure it’s in a good enough condition. If it isn’t the right one for you, it might be for someone else. It’s always a good investment to buy a high-quality mattress that suits your needs.
Now it’s our turn to hear from you if any questions regarding the subject were left unanswered. If you want to share some information, we would gladly hear about it in the comments below.