Our current mattress is sagging after only 6 years. My mother’s mattress lasted 40. The fellow at the store says 7-10 years is about all you get now, and this site seems to agree.
That is terrible! You mean that everyone is tossing out these huge mattresses every 7 years? What an appalling waste!
Is it possible to get a mattress that will really last? Or to re-furbish an old one, to make partial use of the inner guts with, say, a new top?
Hi KitSnicket,
There are certainly many mattresses that can last for much longer than 7 - 10 years (and one of the goals of the site is to help you find them) although after 10 years the limiting factor in the useful life of a mattress may be the changing needs and preferences of the person sleeping on it.
Post #4 here has more information about the many variables that can affect the durability and useful life of a mattress relative to each person. You can also see an example here of a latex mattress that was in use for almost 50 years but even for latex this type of longevity would be very unusual.
There are also some local manufacturers who can rebuild a mattress by replacing just the layers that have softened or broken down.
Component mattresses with zip covers that allow for individual layers to be replaced as necessary without having to replace the entire mattress can also be a good option.
There are also many people who have done mattress surgery to replace the lower quality materials (that unfortunately are very common in the mainstream mattresses that dominate the industry) and replace them with higher quality materials (see post #2 here).
Finally there is also more information in post #2 here about recycling mattresses.`
Of course the first goal is to avoid most of the mainstream mattresses that use lower quality and less durable materials in the first place :).
Phoenix
Thanks, this it terrific. I’d love to take my mattress apart before/instead of disposing of it, but I do think I’ll try the strategy of flipping a one-sided mattress to try to sleep on the hard side for a while. And the 50-y.o. mattress in the video – that’s exactly what I’d like long-term. 3-4" thick, no fluff or nonsense. Wonder who still sells those?
Hi KitSnicket,
The tutorial post includes a link to a list of the members here that sell mattresses online and some of these sell two sided latex mattresses or component latex mattresses (although none of them are only 3-4" thick which would probably be too thin for most people).
There are also local manufacturers that make two sided latex mattresses in some parts of the country and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know if there are any that I’m aware of that are close to you.
Phoenix
I’m in CT and somewhat interested in Gold Bond because they are in Hartford. I haven’t been able to figure out if you can buy direct from them, or – even better – if they have a seconds outlet, but honestly my revulsion at putting the current hunk of junk out on the curb prevents me from looking too seriously at a new one yet.
Hi KitSnicket,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Connecticut area (subject to the guidelines here) are either listed or linked in post #2 here (depending on where in Connecticut you are).
You can see my thoughts about Gold Bond here but they are wholesale only and not factory direct so they are only available through retailers. Like any mattress purchase though … I would make sure you know the type and quality of all the materials inside any mattress you are considering regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label.
Phoenix
Just a mildly interesting follow-up.
I explored our current sad mattress (into which I sink too deeply to roll over without pretty bad hip pain). I found a tag which identifies the mattress as “Englander Nature’s Finest.” It has “aloe vera” stamped all over it. Looking that up online, it appears to have some large amount of latex, making it worth resurrecting.
I flipped it onto the side you’re not supposed to sleep on, and it feels (nicely) firm. We’ll see how it goes, but I really think looking into a topper for the wrong side is a good way to go, with a back-up plan of contacting Columbia Mattress in Hamden about maybe renovating the saggy layers around the latex layer.
So, thanks for all the good advice.
Hi Kitsnicket,
It can certainly be worthy trying and is one of the suggestions mentioned here that may be helpful for a mattress that is either too soft or has developed soft spots or areas that are sagging.
Phoenix
In case the mattress innards or even one layer (if it is layered) is not worth reviving, if it is natural latex, you could compost it.
It would compost quickest if you cut it up a bit and followed standard compost protocol of covering with other compostable goods and mixing up the pile every so often. Usually compost piles have start with layers of brown plants, dirt and green plants. Adding those layers around the latex would help it decompose, along with keeping the pile moist.
It will probably take about a year to decompose if done right. Just leaving it out in the dirt without covering it with other composting goods will take at least a few years for it to degrade thoroughly.
It is quite awful that so many mattresses are going to the dump after less than decade.
We are fortunate to live in an area that has several mattress recycling centers. They “disassemble” the mattress, and recycle components. At one recycling center, I was told they can recycle 85-90% of the mattress components.
If you contact your local trash hauler, they may be able to provide you with information on recycling your mattress. I know not all areas of the country recycle as aggressively as where I live, but I’m bet other places are recycling components too.
Also, on the Yahoo group Freecycle, a friend of mine was able to give away her mattress to someone really in need of one.
Ours was in really sad condition, with sagging springs, so we sent it to a mattress recycler.