The average lifespan of a mattress is ten years, if you bought the top of the line offering, and 5-7 years if you didn’t.

Longer than that and you’re basically immersing yourself in a sea of dust mites when you lie down at night, and if you think that’s going to help you Live Simply, well, you couldn’t possibly think such a thing.

So, we all constantly need new mattresses. Fine.

But the hurdles one faces between bidding adieu to an old mattress and luxuriating upon a new one are not insignificant.

Why? Turns out mattresses have become one of the more difficult things to rid oneself of, because bed bugs. We’re all petrified of them, even plenty of charitable organizations.

So it’s not as easy as 1-2-3. If you’re looking for another number to motivate you to responsibly release your old mattress it’s 50,000. That’s the number of mattresses that the Mattress Recycling Council estimates as the daily contribution to landfills.

While in general I advise against micro-managing stewardship, getting rid of a mattress necessitates a good measure of that. You’ll have to actively seek out a charitable organization, individual, or recycling program interested in taking that baby off of your hands. But the good news is that, like anything and everything else, there is always a way to relieve yourself of a possession, mattress included.

And the even better news is that I’ve done all the research for you. Consider this your Where To Send My Old Mattress Cheat Sheet.

1. Craigslist

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, and when it comes to the exchanging of second-hand goods, C-list is all tire and spokes. List your old mattress for sale if it’s in superior condition, and for free if not. Maybe either way list it as free and stipulate that it must be picked up. Probably definitely the latter.

2. Freecycle

Another awesome way to connect with an individual in your community who’s interested in taking a mattress off of your hands (and keeping it out of the landfill).

3. New mattress delivery

If you are purchasing a new mattress, inquire whether they’ll haul away your old one when they deliver the new. Many retailers (and/or the delivery services they use) do provide this as a courtesy, or for a small additional charge.

4. Salvation Army will still accept mattresses for donation, provided they are dry and free of stains and tears (check with your local chapter to ensure this is true for it). What’s even better? They offer free pick-up services. Hip hip!

5. Donation Town is a fantastic resource. Their partnership with many of the major charitable organizations means that you can enter your zip code and get a list of the ones in your area that provide pick-up and accept what you have to donate.

6. Furniture Bank Association of North America has over 80 chapters all across North America, nearly all of which are happy to accept mattresses. Furniture Bank’s mission is to provide home furnishings at little or no cost to those living in poverty or those in other states of serious crisis. Find the Furniture Bank, and its respective donation and pick-up policies, near you here.

7. IKEA has a mattress recycling program. They’ll haul your old one away for you when they deliver a new mattress, or you can drop your mattress (any brand) off at the store. *Double check that your local IKEA participates. 

8. Locate the mattress recycling site nearest you (I forget the statistic, but a good chunk of what comprises mattresses is material that’s fully recyclable.) with the help of Bye-Bye Mattress.

9. Similarly, Earth 911 is another easy way to locate mattress recycling resources.

10. If that fails, contact a local junk haul removal service. Find one that responsibly disposes of picked-up goods, i.e. recycles anything recyclable, donates anything donate-able, if at all possible.