Mattress donations, the best ways

Your new mattress has just arrived at your doorstep, and you are all set to get it ready for your next sleep session. But have you thought about what you will do to your old mattress? 

The thing is that discarded mattresses can harm the environment. Americans discard over 50,000 mattresses daily, and a significant portion of these mattresses end up in landfills. Therefore, it is better to donate your mattress so others can benefit from it. 

In this guide, we will be discussing different ways to donate your mattresses and other ways to reduce their environmental impact (also check mattress foundation donation). 

Can You Donate Your Mattress?

So, the question that comes to mind is can you donate your mattress? Before considering mattress donations, you must ensure your old bed is in good condition.

Generally, it will have some normal wear and tear, but if there are any significant defects, local charities or major NGOs might not accept it. Eventually, they will end up throwing it out. 

Before donating, you have to make sure that you are checking for stains, holes, rips, holes, and similar issues like mold and bed bugs.

Where You Can Donate Your Old Mattress?

Talking about donating your mattress, you might have limited options available. You can ask your family or friends if they are interested in your old mattress. 

Otherwise, you can give back to the community with the help of any charitable organization in your surroundings or any that you may know. We have developed a list of nationwide charities and NGOs that can help you get your mattress to someone in need. 

National Furniture Bank Association

This NGO has a record of those who need these home furnishings, including mattresses. Furthermore, their directory tends to cover the entire of North America. Therefore, it’s easy to locate a Furniture Bank facility near you. 

As soon as you drop your donation off, the bank will pair it with the less fortunate families and individuals preparing to move into a house. Most of these locations offer free-of-cost pickup services. And the website for your local furniture bank enables you to schedule a pickup or a drop-off. 

Habitat for Humanity & Mattress Donations

No, Habitat for Humanity doesn’t accept mattress donations for its Habitat Restore programs. But they do accept different types of bed frame donations. Therefore, if you plan to donate your mattress to this charity organization, you need to look elsewhere. But don’t worry, there are some other options that you can explore. 

The Salvation Army & Mattress Donations

Yes, the Salvation Army accepts mattress donations. As with all donations, you will have to assign a value to your donation. This is mandatory if you are looking to explore some tax benefits. 

The conditions of your mattress and its age must determine the overall value. And as a guide, the organization provides you with a specific price range that you select and assign to the donation you will make. 

For instance, you will have to assign $26 to $104 for a crib with a mattress. A single mattress has to be valued at around $16 to $36, and a double mattress has to be valued at around $13 to $78. 

Goodwill & Mattress Donations

Another option you can consider is Goodwill whitish, a multi-faceted and international organization for charity for home goods, clothing, and other reemployment opportunities to maligned communities and lower income groups. 

Vietnam Vets of America & Mattress Donations

This charity organization operates in 34 states and accepts all types of donations and mattresses. You might have to access their “donate mattress pick up” service based on location. 

Catholic Charities & Mattress Donations

This organization works with various shelters throughout the country and provides bedding and furniture. The requirements that you have to meet when donating your mattress are strict such as you can donate almost any new or new-like mattresses. You can go for this option if you have bought the wrong size or model. 

Local charities

Another option you can go for is your local charities or national donation banks. You can look for these options using your phone book or internet by entering “where can I donate a mattress?” or “mattress donation near me” You might get in touch with churches, homeless shelters, and small furniture banks that some of them might have less strict rules for mattress donations. 

But they might restrict pickup services, so you will have to deliver your own goods if you have decided to donate to one of these charities in your community. 

Mattress Donation Challenges

Now, there is a reason why most organizations and charities don’t accept any mattresses for donations. And one of the most prominent reasons is health concerns. Another reason is bed bug infestation. 

So, if you want to donate a mattress to a homeless shelter or a charity organization and see which charity would accept it, your mattress has to be in very good condition. It should be free of tears and stains, and minimal signs of wearing out should be there. 

Scheduling your mattress donation pickup service

First, you need to determine whether they have a pickup service or not before you decide you want to donate your mattress to that charity organization. You will have to contact your local thrift store for this charity organization and schedule a pickup service on the day you want to schedule it. 

Preparing an old mattress for donation

Donation doesn’t mean you will only have to toss your mattress to a side. You will have to properly take care of your mattress to be eligible for the donation, as someone else is going to sleep on it. 

You will have to receive your mattress condition. If there might be some sagging spots, then your mattress is a good option to give away. And if there are a few tears or liquid stains or a lingering odor, the charity might not accept it. Therefore, here are some conditions that are suitable for used mattress donation. 

• The mattress springs have to be in working conditions. 
• There shouldn’t be any stains, or it should have only minimal stains. 
• There should be any extreme sagging, and cushioning should function properly. 
• The mattress should be completely odor free.
• There shouldn’t be any rips or tears.
• The mattress must not contain any pest infestations or mold.

If your mattress meets all these conditions, you can move on to the next steps or prepare your mattress for donation. Most charity organizations need some form of cleaning and planning before you donate your mattress. Here’s the timeline for a typical mattress donation.

Scheduling

As mattresses are significant to the store, most donation banks have to schedule a pickup service or a drop-off date. You can mark your calendar for the best date for you and your charity firm. 

Stripping

You can remove all the sheets, coverings, casings, and toppers from your mattress and must only hand over a bare mattress to these charity organizations for donations. 

Cleaning

Make sure to clean your mattress, and you can go for professional help in this regard. If you are working on your own, you can start by vacuuming all the surfaces of your mattress. After that, shift to spot treatment for any stains. 

You can use specialized cleaning products based on the stain type at hand. Just finished off by sprinkling baking soda on all surfaces. 

Storage and packaging

You can store your old mattress inside a dry and adequately clean area till the date of donation arrives. Then, you can package it for drop-off or pick up if you want.

Sell Off or Give Away Your Mattress

You can give away or sell off your mattress online or in person. But you will have to ensure that it is in good condition. You will only have to cut out the middleman and directly sell it on your own. There are various options that you can explore in this regard. We have listed them as follows: 

Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist

Don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding a donation center around you. You can visit online marketplaces such as LetGo, Facebook, or Craigslist. They have a free listing section, and you can post your mattress on one of these listings. Someone will check your listing and might end up picking your old mattress. 

You might have to take some time to reply to these messages and schedule a pickup service, but this is a much easier and faster process. And when you are planning a pickup service, you have to keep your address in your mind and do your best to meet the public locations. You can bring someone with you if that is possible.

FreeCycle 

Another website you can consider for this purpose is FreeCycle. It is an online network that you can use for listing items within your community for free. As soon as you enter your location on this site, a list of free items available in your community will appear. 

You can conveniently list your mattress here on this list, and anyone looking for a bed can get in touch with you using this list. Communicate with the members directly on this site, and you won’t need to exchange information until it’s time to coordinate and go for a pickup. 

Mercari

In addition to your mattress, you can sell off your old bedding and pillows at Mercari. You will only have to post an ad of your mattress song with the pillows or other bedding accessories on this platform. This resale site is an easy source for selling used bedding, household goods, and other items. 

Friends and family

You can lend a hand to your family or friends by asking them if they need a mattress or not. There is a chance that you might find someone in need of a mattress that you are looking to get rid of. 

What If My Mattress is Not in Good Condition?

If you think your mattress is not in good condition, you always have the option to recycle it. And this process is relatively easy, especially if you consider that most old mattresses are recyclable, even if they have memory foam. 

When talking about recycling, you can go for several options. We have developed a list of several options you can avail yourself of if you want to recycle your mattress on your own. 

Earth 911

This is an online database that assists you in locating a center of recycling around you, and you can do it by just entering your zip code. You can access all the information about this facility, its operating hours, and the different items they recruit. 

As soon as you have located a recycling facility near you, you can conveniently check their website or get in touch with them using your phone to determine if pickup is possible or not. 

Mattress Disposal

They have locations in all major cities of the country and are fully licensed in mattress and furniture removal services. For a nominal fee, they can pick up any unwanted items and dispose of them in the most eco-friendly way you can imagine. 

They aim to avoid landfills and even donate items when they get an opportunity. Nevertheless, Mattress Disposal won’t guarantee that every item is recycled. Therefore, you need to choose their services as your last resort. 

A Bedder World

They have pickup services, and you can opt for this recycling option, especially if you can’t just drop off your mattress. But pricing will vary based on the location and the number of mattresses you give for recycling. 

Different recycling programs in your city

Most major cities across the country have different recycling programs for these mattresses. Some of these programs have pick up service options. But before you start thinking about going for one of these programs, you can visit your city’s website and give them a call to verify what services you can avail of. 

And when you are planning to recycle your mattress, it is critical to remember that most such centers won’t take mattresses if they have any moisture or wetness in them. 

They won’t take a mattress that’s heavily soiled or that is infested with bedbugs. Apart from that, you can’t send your used mattress toppers, pillows, mattress pads, sleeping bags, futon covers, and camping beds to them.

Repurposing and DIY recycling

There are ways to reuse most of the materials inside your mattress. If you can do that, you can break down your mattress into different parts and start recycling or repurposing them for your various DIY projects in your household. 

You can use foam materials to fill your pillows and pet beds. Moreover, you can use it for different packaging materials if you are planning to move in the future. The steel springs inside the mattress can be sold as scrap metal, and any wooden parts can be used for landscaping mulch after breaking it down.

Conclusion:

Mattress donations are the best way to keep the needy in check and your environment under less impact. Therefore, you can either donate your old mattress. You can send it to a recycling facility if it is in reasonably good condition. Using its different components, you can repurpose your old mattress differently. 

It is best to get in touch with a charity organization before you plan to give away your mattress to them. There will only be a nominal fee for that. Some offer pickup services, while others require drop-off after notifying them.