Have you been waking up feeling unrested or with more aches and pains than you once had? If so, you might blame old age or the stress of your job, but there could be something else at fault: your bed. Mattresses don’t last forever, and some don’t even make it the seven or eight years you’re told they will. Waking up with aches or not sleeping well isn’t normal, and if you know it’s not a health-related issue, it’s probably your mattress.

Old mattresses become lumpy, fail to support your body correctly, and can actually be the cause of breathing issues. However, getting rid of an old mattress isn’t always easy since they are one of the bulkiest and most awkward pieces of furniture to move. That’s why many people call a junk hauling service like Junk King. If you’re wondering about the state of your mattress, here are some signs that it’s past its prime and some tips for getting rid of it.

Is it Time to Trash Your Mattress?

The first thing to determine is if it’s time for your mattress to go in the trash. First, look for some of the common signs that your mattress is no longer doing what it should be. Are you sleeping well? Do you have trouble getting comfortable at night? Do you wake up in the middle of the night and toss and turn for what feels like hours? If you rule out medical conditions and other issues that could cause you to not sleep well, the answer is likely that your mattress just doesn’t provide the support it should.

Over the years, mattresses slowly begin to break down. If you have a traditional coil mattress, those coils can start to flatten out or shift out of position. Once they do, they don’t support you or, worse, they poke you in the back. Memory foam mattresses may not have this issue since they don’t have coils, but the foam does break down over time. If you get off a memory foam mattress and can very clearly see where you were laying, it means the foam isn’t springing back into place like it once did. 

There are other signs that your mattress needs to join your bulk trash pile. Here are a few things to check to see if your mattress needs to be replaced:

There Are Visible Signs of Wear

If you see stains, rips, and tears in the mattress, it’s likely there is more damage beneath the surface. These signs typically show that the mattress has been heavily used and needs to be replaced. 

It Smells

If there are stains on your mattress, there are likely smells coming from it, too. No mattress should smell bad. Yes, at first a new mattress is likely to have a bit of a smell to it because it’s been wrapped in plastic, but that smell should dissipate pretty quickly. Any bad smells coming from a mattress you’ve used for years aren’t normal. In fact, if you know liquid has been spilled on the mattress, these smells could indicate that mold has started to grow inside the mattress.

It Squeaks

You shouldn’t really hear your mattress as you turn over or move around. At most, you should hear a slight sound, but if you’re hearing loud squeaks and groans, it’s not a good sign. That indicates that the coils in the mattress are wearing out. 

You Find Bedbugs

There’s no real question about whether or not your mattress needs to go if you’ve found bedbugs. This infestation will likely result in having your entire home treated. While you could have your mattress specially cleaned for bedbugs, it’s very difficult to fully eradicate them. They are so small they can hide within the walls by slipping through electrical outlets. It’s often simply easier, safer, and even more affordable to purchase a new mattress instead of having one cleaned.

Why is Getting Rid of an Old Mattress so Important?

Mattresses, especially high-quality mattresses, can be very expensive. Experts recommend you replace your mattress every seven to ten years, but do you really need to? In some cases, no. If you’ve taken care of your mattress, it may not need to be replaced. However, if your mattress is showing any of the signs listed above, you do need to look for a new one.

The reason is simple: if you have a worn-out mattress, you’re not sleeping as well as you should be. A lack of sleep will affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally. While you may not notice some of these effects, they are happening. Here are some of the ways a lack of sleep is damaging to your health:

Physical Damage

Physically, a lack of sleep leaves your body weak. Sleep is when the body repairs damage to itself and combats the viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses. If you aren’t sleeping well, your body’s defenses aren’t as strong as they should be. This means you may be sick for longer periods of time or get sick more often. 

This also affects chronic health conditions. Without good quality sleep, the body can’t deal with these conditions effectively. Your chronic health issues could get worse, or conditions that you had managed effectively could become more serious. A lack of sleep will affect every part of your body, so any and every condition, wound, or illness you have will be impacted. 

Mental Damage

Mentally, a lack of sleep leaves you feeling groggy all day. You may find it hard to concentrate on things or work through problems. You might forget important things or find it hard to focus on the details of a job. Another mental effect of a lack of sleep is that your flexes are no longer as sharp as they should be. This could result in hurting yourself or others. For example, you may not react fast enough to a car coming over into your lane, resulting in an accident.

Emotional Damage

Emotionally, poor sleep results in a poor attitude. You may find yourself being much more irritable or emotional than normal. This can damage your relationships with others, especially if you lash out at co-workers or family members. 

How Do You Get Rid of an Old Mattress?

Once you’ve decided that your old mattress has to go, the question becomes how do you get rid of it? There are a few options. You could try taking it to the city landfill yourself. Unfortunately, this means you’ve got to get it out of your home and then find a truck to get the mattress there. This isn’t always easy. Once you get to the landfill, you’ll also have to pay the dumping fee.

Another option is to put the mattress out for bulk trash day, but again, that involves getting it out of your home and down to the curb. The city doesn’t pick up bulk trash every week, either, so you need to know when the pick-up is and remember to put the mattress out. If you put it out too early, it’s possible you could be fined. 

Call Junk King of North Texas

The easiest way of getting rid of an old mattress is to call Junk King North Texas. Our crew will quickly and affordably get the mattress out of your home. We will schedule the pickup according to your schedule, and we can even do a contactless curb pickup if you can get the mattress outside. It doesn’t even have to be at the curb—just tell us where to find it, and we’ll come pick it up. 

If you’re at home, you don’t need to move the mattress anywhere. All you need to do is remove the sheets and anything else on it, then show us where it is. We will carefully haul it out. We can take the box springs, headboard, and frame, too, if you want to get rid of the entire bed.

We will also take other junk at the same time. We handle furniture and appliances, of course, but we can also take old electronics, construction waste, yard waste, and just about anything else. We won’t touch anything categorized as hazardous waste, though. Our crews simply aren’t trained or equipped to deal with that. 

The Junk King Process

The first step to getting rid of that old mattress is to reach out to Junk King North Texas for a free, no-obligation quote. For a basic mattress, we can easily provide the quote over the phone or via text. Our online price estimator also includes basic costs for a mattress, although these costs are just estimates. The final quote will be provided when we arrive on-site, but it will include all fees and costs associated with the removal. You’ll never find any hidden costs or extra charges. Once you agree, we’ll haul away the mattress and whatever else you had on the list.

Ready to get started? Give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK or send us a text to 1-737-888-5865.