What To Do With Your Old Mattress - A Few Creative Options

Over the years many of us collect old or unwanted household items and pieces of furniture. However, whilst smaller objects can be donated or given away as gifts, what do you do with larger items such as mattresses? Well, here we'll tell you a whole host of different ways to get rid of, or upcycle, your old mattress!

Which of the following methods you can use for your old mattress will depend a lot upon its condition. Obviously, if you have worn it thin and it is no longer comfortable enough to sleep on then it will be of no use to anyone as a mattress. In this case, you may need to think a little bit more creatively!

Donate It

If you have a mattress that you no longer need, perhaps you simply want a new one or you're changing bed sizes then you should consider donating it. However, donation centres will not just take any old mattress. You should inspect it to make sure that it is in decent condition, clean and perfectly fine to use.

There are many different places to donate mattresses, such as charity shops or even shelters. You can choose to support and help whichever charities you want. If you think that your mattress may be a little too unfit for you then have a look for services that disposal of old mattresses in an eco-friendly way. The last thing that you should consider is taking it to a top.

Repair It

If you are looking to get rid of your mattress simply because there's a stain, a small rip etc. then perhaps you should consider repairing it. Often mattresses can be repaired either by yourself or by a professional for a fee. Obviously, whether or not your mattress can be repaired is entirely dependent on the problem itself. 

However, if it's only a small and easily fixable issue then you should repair it and keep it. This will lessen the environmental impact of throwing away a perfectly fixable mattress and can also save you a lot of money as you won't need to buy a new one!

Sell It

Another option, if your mattress is in decent condition, is to sell it. Not only will this help you to recover some of the money that you spent on it in the first place but by selling your mattress you are also helping someone to buy second hand. This helps you to make a bit of money and also them to save a little bit of money. It's a win-win!

Of course, if there is anything wrong with the mattress then you should always be upfront with them about this.

Repurpose It

If your mattress is not in good enough condition to sell, donate or repair then don't be disheartened. There are still plenty of things that you can do with your old mattress and you don't necessarily have to throw it away. You just need to get your thinking cap on and bring out your artistic side. Below are a few different ideas of ways to repurpose that old mattress.

Make A Pet Bed

If you have any pets at home then you can use your old mattress as a pet bed. Of course, you will need to make a few alterations to it for it to be suitable, but it will certainly save you from having to dispose of the whole mattress.

You will need to cut the mattress to size, obviously the bigger the pet the more mattress you will need to save. Then you can stitch up any open edges and cover as you like. This can either be with blankets or you can get crafty and make a custom-size sheet for the new mattress.

Your pet is guaranteed to love their new bed as it will smell of you.

Safety Cushion Under Climbing Frames

If you have small children then chances are that you have some kind of play equipment in the back garden. This could be anything from swings to a climbing frame or even an entire jungle gym. However, one problem with the kids playing is that they may fall and hurt themselves when they hit the ground. 

So, what can you do with an old mattress? Well, you can use it as a type of safety cushion. This will both allow you to find a use for the mattress as well as keep your kids safe. 

Make Decorations

If you're feeling particularly artsy then you can even go as far as to deconstruct the mattress to make decorations. If you have a spring-based mattress then there are an endless number of different crafts that you can make from an old mattress. 

One example is that you can make a garden planter out of the spring base. You can either choose to keep the springs coloured as they are, giving a rustic feel, or you can even jazz it up and paint the springs bold and bright colours.

If you choose the cut the spring up you can even make individual candle or glass holders. The possibilities are endless here!

Use It For Art

Art comes in many different shapes and forms. So, if you're not in the mood for pulling out all of the springs, or perhaps your mattress doesn't have any springs, then consider using it for art. You can be as creative as you want and use any medium that you have on hand. You can even get the kids involved!

Conclusion

Just because you are done with a mattress doesn't mean that you need to take it to the skip. There is a multitude of different things that you can do instead. 

Depending on the state of your mattress you can either recycle it by donating, repairing or selling it, helping both yourself and someone else. If your mattress is in a slightly worse condition then get crafty. You can repurpose the cushion for many different art projects and make someone useful or pretty out of something unwanted.