Well Answer Your Questions About Who Accepts Mattresses For Donation & How To Donate An Old Mattress
Youre trading up your old mattress for a brand new one, and you cant wait to sleep in your new, comfy bed for the first time, but youre definitely not looking forward to dealing with getting rid of the old one.
What are you supposed to do with a used mattress? Youd rather pass it along to someone in need than throw it away and have it end up in a landfill, but youve been searching the Internet for hours for where to donate an old mattress and still have zero answers.
Trying to find mattress donation near me can be so difficult that many people just finally give up on mattress donation and recycling altogether.
Luckily, youve found this article where well explain the secrets and details of donating a used mattress to charity. Keep reading to find out where to go to get rid of your old mattress by donating it.
Need to get rid of an old mattress? BOOK A PICKUP
Charity Organizations For Mattress Donation
If your mattress is still sleepable, theres a great chance you can give it to a charitable organization instead of trying to figure out how to dispose a mattress. However, it takes some planning to donate to a reputable institution. From top charitable organizations to proper preparation, here are some tips for how to donate an old mattress.
Where You Can Donate A Mattress
Because of the current epidemic spread of bed bugs, you might not be able to find a charity that takes used mattress donations. Many charities refuse to sell donated mattresses, but some charities will take your mattress to reuse the materials. Other charities accept used mattresses in order to recycle them.
Check with nonprofit thrift stores and charities in your area to ask about their policies on taking used mattresses. Some charities, such as Goodwill, will not accept any mattress donations at all, while other organizations will accept mattress donations but only in certain locations and conditions.
Its important to remember that the charities that do take mattress donations are almost always short on space to store and house the mattresses that get donated. For example, you may have better luck donating a twin size bed than you would trying to donate a queen or a king.
With that said, here is a list of charities you may want to contact to see if they will accept your used mattress donation:
- National Furniture Bank Association
- Local homeless or battered womens shelters
- Local nonprofit thrift stores
Larger organizations like Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity usually do not accept mattress donations, for the same reasons that Goodwill does not take used mattresses.
Its easier to donate a mattress when you live in a big city where there are more organizations and charities that have the resources to handle mattress donations.
Don’t Miss: How To Return My Pillow Mattress Topper
Throwing Out Your Mattress
In some cases, you may not be able to donate or recycle your mattress. It may be that your mattress isnt fit for donation, or you cant find a recycling center close enough that will take it. For whatever reason, youre unable to donate, give away, recycle, or upcycle your mattress, theres always the option to throw it out.
However, it is often not as simple as just putting the mattress out on the curb. Many states, cities, and towns have specific ordinances and rules about throwing away mattresses, some of which prohibit putting a whole mattress in the trash. In those places, a curbed mattress may not be picked up on garbage day, and may result in a ticket or a fine.
The rules regarding garbage disposal vary, and you can find the rules for your state and city with a quick Google search. If you live in an area where you can, in fact, throw out a mattress with your regular trash, make sure to carefully read any additional rules to avoid fines and/or pickup refusal. In most places, you will be required to wrap your mattress in plastic, and in some places, you will be required to wrap the mattress in a specially made plastic mattress bag. To be safe, cover your mattress in plastic and seal it shut with packing tape.
For those who cant curb their mattress at all, there are a few other options.
- Was this article helpful?
Can I Donate My Mattress 8 Things Charities Dont Need
Some donated items are inconvenient or even a potential liability others are surprisingly useful. Do you know the difference?
Weve all been there. After a Marie Kondolevel purge, youre wondering what to do with used items you no longer need. Donating to charities is often our first instinct diverting stuff from landfills and helping others in the process seems like a win-win. And usually, it is. But no matter how well-intentioned the donation, there are some things charities dont need and wont acceptand donating them anyways is actually creating more work for organizations, cutting into their ability to help others.
Each charity has its own rules and a wish list that changes with the seasonsor if a specific ask has been met. For example, Torontos Sistering, a United Wayfunded support hub and drop-in space for women and trans folk, has a system in place to categorize donations. Green items are things we often take, says fund development officer Kathryn Glancy. Yellow definitely falls under contact the organization, so that could be household appliances. Red items are things that are never takenfor example, clothing thats too worn, used underwear or things that are tarnished or stained.
Read on for some broad guidelines on what organizations will and wont take.
You May Like: My Pillow Topper Price
Does Goodwill Take Pillows
Well, when it comes to donations, you always think of sending them to Goodwill.
But the question is: does Goodwill really accept such donations?
While Goodwill greatly appreciates every donation, there are some things that they do not accept donations due to legal, safety, and environmental issues.
Below are some of the donation items that Goodwill CANNOT accept: :
- Items of furniture covered with animalhair, stained, broken, or have missing parts
- Large appliances such as washing anddrying machines, stove, refrigerators, air conditioners
- Bedpillows, mattresses
- Any type of trash and hazardous materials
- Cosmetics and hair care products
As you can see Goodwill specifically mentions pillows and matteresses as items they donât accept. Moreover, most secondhand stores, due to sanitation and hygienic concerns, will not accept them.
Who Needs Your Mattress Donation
Unfortunately, many people cant afford a new mattress when they need one. Nearly 20 percent of people in the United States who own homes carry furniture-related debt, and many of these people arent willing to take on more once the couch and dining table are taken care of.
A used mattress can also provide people living in poverty with a safe place to sleep. Many nonprofit organizations have drop-off donation stations or even mattress removal services to help get beds to people who need them. You may find that local charities even offer free pick-up to deter folks from leaving usable beds in the dumpster.
Also Check: Purple Mattress Recycle
What About A Sagging Mattress
If you have a sagging mattress, sometimes the problem can be the mattress foundation. By placing a board over your existing mattress foundation, this can make your mattress perform better and reduce the sagging issue.
You can pick these up at Lowes or Home Depot and have them cut the wood/board to size for you. I would recommend cutting the wood at least an inch shorter both width and length-wise so that you don’t have any wood protrusions. If this doesn’t work, purchasing a new mattress foundation could extend the life of your mattress and improve its comfort quality. If it’s a foam mattress , you’ll need a solid, uniform bottom foundation.
Can You Donate A Mattress
If your mattress is still in good condition, consider donating it to charity or giving it away free. That way you can help someone in need, as well as ensuring that it doesn’t end up in landfill.
Organisations such as British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross and Emmaus will resell your mattress and put the proceeds towards a good cause. Several other charities also accept mattress donations, so if there’s a cause you particularly want to support, its worth contacting the charity directly.
As a general rule, these organisations will collect your mattress free of charge, but they might request that you send images first to prove that it’s of acceptable quality. Any organisation accepting a mattress donation will expect it to be fit for use, clean and have a fire label intact.
Another way to ensure your mattress stays out of landfill sites is to use a non-profit initiative such as Freecycle, or your local equivalent group, which can put you in touch with someone in the local area looking for a free second-hand mattress.
Don’t Miss: How Long Before I Can Sleep On My Dreamcloud Mattress
Places That May Take Box Springs In Your Area Include:
When it comes to where to donate a mattress, you likely want to be able to drop off both your box spring and mattress. Call ahead to ensure the organization or charity you choose can handle both.
Also consider whether you can gift your unused beds to friends and family. You can also list these items on services like Craigslist or Facebook. Many Facebook groups allow members to post and sell household items, so a free listing may interest some of your neighbors or other community members.
Plus, anyone who wants the free bed will need to pick it up themselves. This way, you dont need to worry about transporting the items.
Assessing Wear And Tear
To determine the condition of the mattress itself, you should examine all side of the mattress. Look for any tears or holes that could be releasing pressure in the mattress. Holes caused by nails mean your mattress is no longer holding up appropriately. Search the entire mattress for any lumps that may have formed. Sit beside the mattress and look for uneven spots that may be sagging.
Also Check: Dreamcloud Mattress Unboxing
Have Your Mattress Booked To Be Picked Up Within Minutes And Reclaim Your Free Space Today
You have an old mattress you want to dispose of and we have the perfect means to do so.
We provide the quickest, easiest, and greenest mattress recycling around. Just book your mattress, bed base, or bed frame to be picked up right here and rest assured that well do the rest for you. Thats professional, hassle-free mattress recycling and you did all of it online in a matter of minutes!
For some further reading We understand that handling the disposal of mattresses can be tricky business. You need to spend on dumping fees, pay for fuel consumed by the trailer that you need to haul the mattresses , and of course you also need to invest some of your time and effort to transport your mattresses to the landfill. Worse still is that your old mattresses will simply add up to the rest of the 1.25 million mattresses that end up in landfills each year in Australia. Youre absolutely right: mattresses disposal takes up too much time, money, and effort. Dont worry! Were on hand to help rid you of these worries through our professional mattress removal service. You can also be assured that our drivers are very careful of your property, some companies that drive large vehicles dont respect a clients property. Our driver went to the finest truck driving school Sydney has to offer before moving to Melbourne.
We recycle 97% of mattresses, helping drive the initiative towards a greener, more responsible Australia.
Why Should You Recycle Old Mattresses
If mattress donation is not an option for you, then you might want to consider recycling one instead. Old mattresses that are discarded cause active harm to the environment. In America, more than 50,000 mattresses get discarded in a day, and the majority of these end up in landfills.
Mattress donation or disposal can be done responsibly, in a way that does not harm the environment. In fact, more than 75% of mattresses can be recycled. Thats millions of pounds worth of useful material, that often end up in various waste streams. Mattress donation to recycling centres work by having these places cut open your mattress, separate its layers, and then organize them by different material types.
Unlike mattress donations, which go on to someone who then uses your old mattress, mattress recycling can be used to convert your old bed into useful scrap material for other production processes. The metal and box springs in your hybrid or spring mattresses are extracted, sent to scrap recyclers, and then used in steel mills. Memory foam and other soft materials are compressed, to be reused in the production of carpets, oil filters, and other textile applications.
Read Also: Vacuflat Queen Mattress Bag
Who Will Pick Up My Bed Frame Free
Some charity organizations offer free pickup of your donation. They do so because you will find no harsh or difficulties while donating your items.
Free pickup charity organizations are mentioning below:
- Salvation Army
- Various household items and appliances
- Used Cars
Hence, you must be finding sub-categories among these especially wooden bed frames from the Furniture category.
Charity organizations will accept your wooden bed frame no doubt about it. But, you have to make sure that your wooden items are ok, usable, and sanitized. Doing so, there will be no tossing and turning of this concerning issue.
After that, here comes another interesting query the king-size bed frames. Whether it is acceptable or not? If does, then where? keep exploring.
Find A Ontario Charity That Will Pick Up Your Clothing Donations & Other Household Items Donations
Donate clothes and other household items in Ontario. Charities such as Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more will pick up your donations for free.
Donationtown.org is currently integrating all of the Ontario donation pick up charities and service areas into our database. For now, we recommend you contact one of these great Ontario based charities to schedule a donation pick up:
Also Check: How To Return My Pillow Mattress Topper
The Precious Parts In A Mattress:
Mattresses are made up of precious materials that can be re-used for other purposes. According to Scientific American, a standard mattress is comprised of steel, cotton, wood and polyurethane foam.
Proper mattress recycling helps cuts down waste, resources, energy use, and costs because its materials can be used to make new products.
A city similar in size to Toronto is estimated to throw out a quarter million mattresses and box springs a year according to The Globe & Mail thats a lot of precious materials gone to waste.
These are the materials in your mattress and how they can be re-used when recycled properly:
Metal: A mattress frame and springs are often made of metal, which can be re-used for a variety of products. When a mattress is brought to a recycling plant, this material is sent to a scrap metal recycling facility where it is melted down to get re-used.
Steel: According to Better Homes and Gardens, a mattress can contain anywhere between 300 to 600 steel coils depending on its size. The bigger and better quality the mattress, the more steel it will have. Like metal, steel can be melted down and re-used.
Fabric: The fabric encasing a mattress can be processed to use in mats and other interior materials.
Wool & Cotton: Mattresses are full of stuffing, which is commonly made up of wool and cotton. These materials can be processed and used as yarn when properly recycled. It can also be used to make insulation and felt.
Can I Get Money For My Old Mattress
What if your mattress is in such a good condition that you think you may still be able to attach a modest price tag? We recommend circling back to the third party resale websites mentioned above. Instead of posting your mattress for free, enlist it as for sale. You can experiment with the price a bit here, as well. If your original price does not get any responses from potential buyers, you can slowly reduce it over time until someone takes the bait. Otherwise, you may have to eventually resign yourself to giving it away for free.
Read Also: Purple Mattress Moving
Where Can You Donate A Bed Frame
Americans throw away over 50k mattresses a day. Hence, to resolve the concerning issue of garbage, ecologists have come out with two possible solutions Donating & Recycling.
While donating your old Bed Frame or Mattresses, sudden things must knock at your mind. Among these, you must find the answer of Where to donate a bed frame? Keep moving for your answer.
Nationwide Charities Accepting Mattress Donations
Goodwill Industries
Goodwills across the country may take your used mattress if in good shape and offer many local drop-off locations for mattress donation.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army offers scheduled pick-ups with load hauling trucks for mattress donations. There may be a 2 week to a month waitlist.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide organization dedicated to helping people find a safe place to live and may accept mattress donations.
Furniture Bank Assoc.
Each Furniture Bank operates independently and donation pickup requirements vary. Most pickups are available within a 15-20 mile radius.
Read Also: What To Do With Purple Mattress Bag
They Can Be Used To Create A Kneeling Cushion And Floor Pads
Ifyou love doing some backyard works or gardening, it would be much enjoyable ifyou kneel on something comfortable. You can use your old memory foam pillows asan alternative instead of buying kneeling pads.
Anotheruse of old memory foam pillows is that they can be used to make floor cushions,especially if you love watching movies while lying on the floor. Make sure theyare long enough so that you can fit your body on the cushion.
