Use A Mattress Pickup Service To Swap Out Your Old Mattress For A New One
Say youve upgraded your old bed to a brand new memory foam mattress. You may have opted for home delivery. Many mattress companies offer removal services when they come to drop off your new mattress, meaning you can easily swap out the old one for the new.
This is one of the easiest ways to recycle your old mattress and may only require a small fee. Some companies even include the mattress removal for free as part of your purchase. Online retailers, however, do not usually offer this service, in which case its best to shop around until you find someone who can.
Time To Kick That Mattress To The Curb
Mattresses are the best thing that ever happened to us while being the bane of our existence. Curling into a soft warm bed after a long day is one of the most luxurious and satisfying experiences of our lives. And for most of us, it can happen every day.
On the flip side, if you end up with a mattress that just doesnt suit, you wake up every morning with a hangover and the sad realization that you did not party last night, instead you went to bed at 10:00 like a proper middle-aged man.
If you are the former you have our congratulations and our well wishes that it may last you all of your days. If you’re the latter then it’s time to ditch the mattress.
Introduction To Mattress Removal
Your old mattress most likely weighs a lot more than your new mattress and you probably have a box spring that needs to go as well. You will most likely need to find someone to help you haul your old heavy mattress around. If you dont have access to a truck, or a friend willing to loan their truck, then you may need to rent one. On top of renting a truck, you will need to find somewhere to dump the old mattress. Most places, like your local landfill or transfer station will charge you to take the used mattress, if they even take it at all.
This is why we have put together helpful options to guide you through mattress removal in a more modern, easy and eco-friendly manner at an affordable price point for your mattress disposal cost.But first, you will need to assess the condition of your mattress.
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What Parts Of A Mattress Can Be Recycled
There are many parts of a mattress that can be recycled. Steel springs, wood frames, stuffing, and fabric are all contained in a mattress and can be recycled and reused in different ways.
However, mattresses are too big to be left out for pickup with your regular recycling. Youll need to find a facility that specializes in mattress recycling and transport it there on your own.
If you want to make sure all parts of your old mattress are recycled properly without the need to lift a finger, then our friendly and professional crew at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is the solution for you!
Bonus: Can I Donate Luggage
This one gets a green light. In fact, many shelters are actively seeking good-condition suitcases, backpacks, duffel bags and cloth totes. These are considered dignity items. Instead of distributing items in plastic bags, its much more respectful to receive in a backpack, suitcase or tote, says Glancy. Participants really appreciate it.
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Donate A Mattress To Habitat For Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a crucial resource for low-income families. Not only do they offer services to build houses, but they also provide household goods for those homes through the thoughtful donations of people like you. Many locations will even offer pickup services, though there may be a minimum requirement of two or more large items being donated to qualify.
To make the added effort, throw in an additional $20 to cover the sanitation costs. Similar to the Salvation Army, donated items sell at lower costs in their stores to families who cannot afford them at retail prices. Where consumers may spend anywhere from $500 to over $1,000 on mattresses, this lowers the cost significantly for families in need.
A used queen mattress in a Habitat for Humanity Restore may be only $100. The proceeds from this sale are used to build more homes and to service families across the globe.
We Also Recycle Various Other Materials:
- Appliances
- Cell phones
- Clothing
In recognition of our mattress recycling operation, The Mustard Seed of Central Florida received the governors Sustainable Florida 2014 Non-profit Best Practice Award for outstanding achievements and excellence in helping to create a sustainable economic, environmental and social future for Florida.
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Contact Your Mattress Topper Manufacturer
Most memory foam manufacturers understand that the materials they use arent environmentally friendly, and offer resources to assist their customers with recycling options. Some manufacturers will take you old foam topper through a buy-back or disposal agreement. But this information isnt always on the label. Cant find recycling information?
- Visit the manufacturers website and search for their contact information.
- Contact the store where you purchased the mattress pad and ask them about recycling options
Do Charities Take Care Of Mattress Recycling
Some charities opt to recycle mattresses that they cant donate to those in need. But not all have the capabilities for recycling or even storing beds. If your bed is in good condition, charities like homeless shelters or thrift stores may accept it. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Furniture Banks of North America take mattresses, too.
But if you need mattress removal because of issues that make the mattress unusablelike bed bugsthen a charitable organization will not accept it. There are pick-up services like Earth 911 and that dispose of mattresses via recycling centers.
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Does The Salvation Army Take Mattresses
Unlike some thrift stores that cannot accommodate the necessary cleaning costs for used mattresses, most Salvation Army locations accept gently used furniture and mattresses. They do have strict requirements, however, and will not take any beds with structural damage. When donating your used bed, a pop up on the Salvation Army website asks you to ensure there are no rips, excessive stains or wear.
Once you are ready with your Salvation Army mattress donation, there are pickup services to make the mattress removal process easier for you. Once you have chosen the location, they will provide you with a date to come to pick up the item. This timeframe can be anywhere from two weeks to a month away, so plan accordingly.
There are also plenty of instructions you can leave for the pickup personnel to follow, ranging from knock on the door to leave out labeled SA. These instructions let the workers picking up the materials know precisely where and how to find the used mattress.
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.
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The Nectar White Glove Delivery Service Does All The Work For You
Some mattress companies will actually take your old mattress when they deliver your new one. Thats one benefit of not going to mattress stores they recycle for you and your families.
The Nectar White Glove program does exactly that. Schedule a pick-up, the White Glove Service will pick up your old mattress, from whatever room its currently in, and make sure that it is used or recycled so that it can find a second use. Thats a great way to recycle for families who need it as your family gets a new mattress and box springs, an option you wont find in many mattress stores. However, if you arent comfortable with online purchases, you can find our amazing Nectar mattresses in mattress stores near you.
This is a great, stress-free option that can assure youre doing your part to help the homeless too. Unlike most mattress manufacturers, we donate using the Mattress Recycling Council to make sure each mattress donated is in compliance with state law. Very rarely is there a win-win in this world, but the Nectar White Glove service is the rare combination of convenience and stewardship that can warm even the coldest heart thats the power when you recycle a mattress. Sleep well knowing your old mattress is in a better place. We hope this information was helpful for figuring out how to donate a mattress, and that youll come away from this experience with a bigger heart, and a softer bed. Happy sleeping!
Option : Find Recycling Center
With so many recycling centers now working to improve Earths wellbeing there may be a local one that will accept large items like a mattress. Make some calls to see if there is a center close by that will take a bed.
There are online resources available to aid one in finding a center for mattress disposal:
allows one to input their zip code to find a facility
Mattress Disposal Plus operates in 30 metro markets in the U.S. and are in just about every major city in the country. They have a great reputation for being customer focused and convenient.
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Use The Furniture Bank Association To Donate Your Mattress
A furniture bank is another nonprofit organization that operates across the United States. Unlike Goodwill or the Salvation Army, the Furniture Bank Association does not function under one unifying name. Instead, it consists of several small organizations that serve their local communities.
These furniture banks collect your old beds and box springs and donate them to families who are often referred to them by schools or state agencies. Most do offer mattress removal services too, though they may require a minimum donation when you schedule a time to pick up the furniture. If you wish to do a drop-off instead, take the furniture to the location listed on the website.
How To Donate A Mattress
If your mattress is still in good condition and you think it will be accepted as a donation then the next few sections will explain the process and the possible institutions to reach, starting with the most common choice the charities.
Donating to a charity is the most customary option because it allows you to decide exactly where you want to donate and who you choose to support.
If your mattress has some imperfections, skip ahead. We will discuss the appropriate choices available to you, one of which still includes donating to someone in need.
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How To Donate A Bed To Charity
Donating your unwanted furniture items to charity can be very rewarding. According to Charity Guide, donating unwanted furniture helps both needy individuals and the environment, as it keeps the furniture out of landfills. Learning how to donate a bed to charity is one way to bring joy and happiness to a needy person.
Locate a charity organization in your area that readily accepts furniture donations. You can find a charity organization in your area by visiting the Charity Navigator website and conducting a quick or advanced search.
Clean the bed. Wipe the bed down with a damp rag to remove all dust or stains found on the frame. Scrub the rag hard over any stained areas. Re-wipe the bed with a dry cloth to ensure that no moisture is left on the bed frame.
Disassemble the bed frame, if possible. Disassembling the bed frame will ease the burden of moving and transporting the bed to the charity. Remove the mattress and box spring and set them aside. Unscrew or unclasp the footer and header from the frame. Place the bed in your vehicle or in an area where the charity organizations pick-up crew will have easy access to it.
Deliver the bed to the charity organizations official address or have the charity organization pick up your donation. According to Donation Town, many charity organizations will send a truck to your home and pick up your donations free of charge.
Tips
Warnings
References
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.
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Habitat For Humanity International
HFHI is an international organization that works to offer affordable and sustainable accommodation for people worldwide. The people the HFHI help have a pressing need for somewhere to live and for affordable household furniture and other items, most of us take for granted.
Your old mattress could make a massive difference to the living standards of a mother and her young children. They may not use your actual mattress, but it could be sold by HFHI to provide the finance to allow that family the luxury of sleeping on a comfortable surface rather than on a floor. If you donate your mattress to Habitat for Humanity International it will be sold in a ReStore center. Contact your nearest ReStore home improvement facility and it may pick up your mattress. If not, you can drop it off yourself.
Option : Fix Up Your Mattress
Are you wanting a new mattress, but maybe its not quite in the budget yet? Its understandable that you are so ready to get rid of the old mattress you cant stand, but have you gone through all the possibilities for fixing it up? You just may be able to fix your mattress enough to get a few more good years out of it.
Gel Mattress Pads: Add a gel mattress topper or pad for a cool to the touch improvement. Simply unroll to fit your mattress exactly, while still allowing your mattress pad and sheets to fit nicely over everything and the bed is much more comfortable and can even help reduce heat and sweating during your nights sleep.
Mattress Covers & Protectors: Adding a mattress cover and protector to your mattress could not only aid in fixing a sagging mattress by compressing it together but would also help keep your mattress clean as well as hiding any nasty stains. A mattress cover will also contribute to a more comfortable nights sleep.
Under Mattress Helpers: These types of items are not very common at many stores, so you may not know about this product, but you can purchase props that you place underneath the exact areas of your mattress that is sagging. These are not 100% helpful but do offer some extra support when other options dont do the trick.
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Q Can Mattresses Be Repurposed Outside Of A Recycling Facility
A) Yes! If you decide not to go the traditional recycling route, you can keep your mattress from becoming landfill by making new use of it yourself, also referred to as upcycling.
There are many things you can do with an old mattress or its materials, whether youre a novice DIY-er or an expert craftsman. Here are a few suggestions:
- Garden and Outdoors: If youve got a green thumb, you can use the wood from a box spring as a raised planting bed, or break it down to add to compost or mulch. A metal mattress frame can be used as a garden wall, especially if you have creeping plants and ivys.
- Home Repair and Furniture: Around the house, mattress foam and padding can be used as insulation, stuffing for reupholstering couches, and/or as protective covering for furniture during a move. Mattress frames can be used as an extra kitchen rack or a closet space extender, and a slab of memory foam can make a super-comfy dog bed. You can also put an old mattress in a kids playroom, to be used as a play surface.
- Art projects and decor:There are many, many types of art and decor that can be made from parts of a broken down mattress. From a wine rack or hanging light fixture made from repurposed steel springs to wind chimes, picture frames, and candle holders, mattresses have a lot of potential in the art and design department.
