What to do with a mattress nobody will take

A mattress is the one thing in a house that almost nobody wants. It's bulky, it's personal, and in a lot of towns it's banned from the regular trash. I've watched people move one from the bedroom to the garage to the curb and back again over three weekends. The trick is finding out who will take it before you drag it anywhere.

Call your hauler before you buy a tag

Find out who picks up your trash — city, county or a private company — and ask two questions. Do you take mattresses curbside, and do I need to schedule it or buy a sticker? Some places take them on your normal day if they're wrapped, some need an appointment, and some won't take them at all. Ask about box springs separately, because it's often a different answer.

If your hauler says no, ask the same questions of the landfill or transfer station you'd use. Then ask what they charge, since it varies a lot and they'll tell you straight if you ask.

Ask the store where you're buying the next one

If a new mattress is coming, the delivery crew is often the simplest way to get rid of the old one. Ask when you order, not on delivery day. Be specific: do you take the box spring, do you take it from inside the bedroom, and is there a fee? Get it written on the receipt.

Call the donation place, don't just drive there

Most charities and thrift stores won't take a used mattress, for hygiene reasons and because they can't resell it. The ones that will usually want it clean, stain-free and bagged. Call ahead and describe it honestly. If you show up with a stained mattress in an open truck, you're driving it home again.

The frame and box spring are the sellable parts

A used mattress has almost no resale value. Nobody wants a stranger's. A wood bed frame, a metal rail set, a headboard, a trundle — those sell. So does a box spring in good shape, sometimes. Photograph the frame with the mattress off it, list the measurements, and say pickup only.

Get it out of the bedroom in one move

• Vacuum it and check the seams and corners for bed bugs before it goes anywhere.
• If you find signs, don't donate it and don't sell it. Bag it and tell whoever hauls it.
• Buy a mattress bag at a hardware or moving store; a lot of haulers require one.
• Tape a note with your address and pickup date on the bag.
• Put it out the night before pickup, not a week before.

When nothing works

Try your county's waste page and search for mattress recyclers. Some areas have one that takes drop-offs for a fee, and it's not always listed anywhere obvious. A junk removal company will also take one, usually as part of a bigger load, so it's worth waiting until you have a truckload of other stuff to go with it.

Don't lean it against the alley wall or the dumpster behind the grocery store. That's illegal dumping in most towns, the tag with your address is still on it, and it's the kind of thing that comes back to you as a fine. If it's going out, it goes out on your scheduled day.