How Do I Get Rid Of An Old Mattress

Getting Rid Of An Old Mattress Isn't As Hard As You Think

Getting rid of the old mattress is often an afterthought; the new bed may be already ordered and scheduled for delivery, when all of a sudden the light bulb goes off, and you ask yourself the question, How do I get rid of an old mattress? Alternatively you may be very organised and have thought about it in advance, or possibly you're the other end of the spectrum it's the problem of getting rid of your existing mattress that's making you think twice about buying a new one!

Whatever situation you find yourself in, the problem remains the same, getting rid of your old mattress can present a headache. So much so that you may be tempted to even hold onto the mattress and find a new home for it in your garden of garage after you've bought the new one!

Holding onto the old mattress is rarely a good option. Depending on the condition of the mattress, there can be various problems with keeping it around. If the mattress is in poor condition (assuming that's the reason you're replacing it) then it really isn't the best option to try and hand it down to one of your kids! They actually need a quality mattress more than you believe it or not. Kids are developing and growing all the time, and a lot of this development happens at night when they're asleep, so having a reasonably good quality mattress to provide adequate support is important.

Another reason to get rid of an old mattress is the tiny critters that can make it their home!! Bed bugs and the like can spread from mattress to mattress, there's no point putting an old infested mattress in a room with a new clean one.

So you might think, why not just leave it out in the garage or in a corner of the yard, out of sight out of mind after all! Well your mattress can form the perfect home for larger critters and specifically vermin!! The last thing you want is to provide the local rat community with a nice new five star nest, in YOUR garden!

I think you'll probably agree, getting rid of the mattress is probably the best course of action, but how do you go about it? The first and simplest option is to ask the company providing your new mattress, will they take the old one away, for a nominal extra fee, more and more companies are offering this service.

Next on the list would be to ring your local waste disposal firm. Obviously your standard trash collector won't take a mattress away, but they may schedule a special collection, for a fee of course. If this doesn't work you may need to resort to contacting a private waste disposal firm. If you're lucky, the company may allow you to load the mattress onto a half full passing truck, this is a long shot but worth a try.

If the mattress is in a usable condition, you may consider donating it to a homeless shelter, while some charity organisations do sometimes refuse mattresses on hygiene grounds, a homeless shelter will likely be less fussy. Alternatively advertise the mattress on the net or local adds paper, offering it free upon collection! People will consider taking almost anything if it's free!!

If none of the above have worked, and you're approaching desperation point, then simply set aside a Saturday afternoon, arm yourself with a sharp knife and a big hammer and dismantle the mattress yourself! The padding can be stripped away and packaged into bags for disposal over a period of a few weeks with your standard trash collection.

Any springs or metal parts can either be deposited at a scrap yard or if you're really lucky you might get a few dollars back for them. The timber can simply be broken down into successively smaller pieces and either used as fuel in your fire or disposed of in the trash! Now I stress this is a labour intensive, last resort, but still a viable option! So now you have no excuses, you can go and buy that new mattress, safe in the knowledge you won't be lumbered with an old useless mattress!




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