Should I Buy Used Mattress

Are you lot shopping on a budget? You might be tempted to go to a thrift store or 2nd-hand shop and pick upward a previously owned mattress. Many people consider this route because used mattresses have a low cost upwards-front.

However, there are many risks to ownership a used mattress that could price you more in the long run. From bed bugs to low-quality beds, used mattresses can come up with tons of hidden costs. This makes them not worth the trouble.

Bed Bugs

This is probably the biggest adventure of ownership a used bed considering information technology comes with such severe consequences.

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on humans while we're sleeping. They don't spread affliction and aren't dangerous. Just they can exit y'all waking up to itchy welts in the morn. This tin can interrupt your sleep and crusade anxiety. Severe bed bug infestations can even get out yous bloodless and reduce your home'south value.

The big consequence with bed bugs is they're difficult to get rid of. They tin hide almost anywhere. They're resistant to many at-dwelling remedies. And their population can grow big before you realize in that location'south a problem. To get rid of them, you'll probably need professional help. This can current of air upwards costing you thousands of dollars.

Many used mattress sellers make clean and inspect their products before selling them, just some don't. However, even an inspected mattress tin still have bed bugs. These wily insects are great at hiding and hitchhiking. That means they can often wing right under an inspector's radar—and right into your home on your used mattress.

Higher Long-Term Costs

But like virtually every other product out there, mattresses have a shelf life. Most of the fourth dimension, you lot should replace your mattress every 5 to twenty years, depending on their materials. Nonetheless, this life expectancy only applies to new materials.

If you get a mattress that's already been slept on for a few years, how long the mattress will last is greatly reduced. That means you'll have to supplant your mattress much more than often. This could price yous more in the long run.

For example, you could purchase a $300 used mattress that lasts five years. Then you'll have to replace it with another $300 used mattress that lasts another five years. Or y'all could buy a mattress for $500 or less that lasts ten years. It costs more up-front just less in the long run.

You also don't know how the previous possessor treated their mattress. A bed that looks good in the mattress store might have broken or worn-out components. This might be something you don't observe out until yous get your mattress dwelling. If that happens, you might have to supplant it nigh right after you bought it.

It can be tough to become a skilful night's slumber on a saggy mattress. But replacing your electric current saggy mattress with a mattress that might outset sagging in a few months isn't the solution.

No Warranty

It goes without maxim that information technology's unlikely a second-mitt mattress will come up with a warranty. While yous might call up this is no big deal, it could come dorsum to bite you. Mattress warranties cover all kinds of things, from defects to premature crumbling.

If your new mattress experiences sure damage while it'southward under warranty, you can get information technology repaired or even go a replacement for costless. All the same, if your used bed has a trouble, you could wind up stuck with a broken mattress y'all have to pay to replace yourself.

Reasons People Purchase 2d-Mitt Mattresses

Low Initial Cost

It'south no secret that mattresses aren't cheap, so you might exist tempted to get a used one to salve a few hundred dollars. It'southward easy to see the price tag of a used mattress and think you're saving money by ownership one.

However, in that location are plenty of high-quality upkeep mattresses that won't price you lot all that much more than a used mattress. Both innerspring and memory cream mattresses come in a broad toll range. Some decent-quality value memory foam or innerspring beds tin cost every bit little as $200 or $300. This isn't much more than the cost of a used mattress.

If yous want specific suggestions for an inexpensive mattress, run across our All-time Mattress Under $1,000: Reviews & Buyer's Guide.

Eco-Friendliness

Other people might recollect that buying a used mattress might be meliorate for the environment considering it keeps an older mattress out of the trash for a few years or uses less free energy and fewer resource.

Over again, there are amend options. For example, older mattresses are less likely to have been made using eco-friendly manufacturing practices. On the other hand, new mattresses are frequently made using practices that leave a smaller environmental footprint and create less waste.

Those who desire an eco-friendly mattress should expect for Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certifications instead of buying a used ane. Shoppers who want to minimize their carbon footprint can even purchase an organic or natural mattress.

FAQs

Should I accept a hand-me-down mattress?

If someone you know offers you lot their old mattress, it could be a little dissimilar than buying a used ane. After all, with a hand-me-down mattress, you have some knowledge of where the mattress came from and its treatment.

However, there are even so risks. The former owner might unknowingly give you a mattress with bed bugs. There are besides signs of mattress aging that are easy to miss. That means even a friend or family unit fellow member with good intentions could give you an junior mattress. Keep that in mind and use your all-time judgment when deciding whether to accept a hand-me-downwards mattress.

Are there whatever wellness risks in getting a used mattress?

Yep. Pests are a big trouble with used mattresses. Bed bugs can cause all kinds of issues similar anxiety and indisposition. These can bear upon your mental health. If in that location are enough bed bugs in your bed, they can also give you lot anemia by feeding on you dark after night. And scratching bed bug bites tin get out y'all open up to skin infection also equally triggering allergy symptoms.

Additionally, a saggy, unsupportive mattress can also cause problems. Information technology's your mattress' chore to support you and evenly distribute your trunk weight. If an older used mattress can't perform this task, information technology could cause your spine to fall out of alignment and your joints to feel pressure. This could lead to back pain, joint pain, and other problems that disrupt your slumber.

Is there a condom way to buy a second-paw mattress?

At that place's almost no way to buy a risk-gratis second-paw mattress. If y'all programme to do and so anyway, audit your mattress for bed bugs. Expect under buttons, between creases and folds, and below the cover if it's removable. Also, check for other signs as well live bugs. These include:

Modest chocolate-brown stains on the mattress
Shed exoskeletons
Debris that look like tiny coffee grains
Eggs that look like little sesame seeds

You'll as well demand to clean your used mattress thoroughly. Steam cleaning can assist impale any pests that could be hiding in it. Baking soda tin can reduce odors and elevator stains. And vacuuming tin can likewise remove mites and bed bugs.

What do I practise if I become bed bugs from my used mattress?

Bed bugs are tricky pests to get rid of once you accept them. However, you might be able to deal with small infestations yourself. Try steam cleaning and vacuuming your mattress to kill and suck upwardly bugs. Insecticidal Diatomaceous Earth (DE) can kill bed bugs by ripping them to shreds when they crawl over it. You lot might too try certain plant oils to repel the bugs in your mattress. Even so, bed issues infestations don't limit themselves to your mattress.

Bed bugs tin can be in your box springs, bed frame, sofa, and about anywhere else. When that happens, it's almost impossible to care for your whole house. Instead, you'll have to call professional pest command companies that can charge you thousands of dollars. The best matter to do is to avoid getting bed bugs by purchasing a new mattress. There aren't many mattresses on the market that toll more than bed issues treatments for your whole house.

What'south the difference between a used and refurbished mattress?

Nigh of the time, at that place is no significant difference. Sometimes, a refurbished mattress might have undergone cleaning or some repairs. However, virtually of the time, these terms are interchangeable, and mattress sellers just use the give-and-take "refurbished" considering they think it sounds fancier.

Bottom Line

Buying used may seem like the smart choice, but mattresses are one of those things you lot should never purchase second-mitt. Information technology may seem counterintuitive to say that buying a used mattress can cost you more in the long run. Still this tin can easily happen if yous take to replace your mattress more often and pay to exterminate the infestations it brings into your dwelling house.

From bed bugs to dust mites to broken components and sagging, old mattresses can pose all kinds of costly problems for potential buyers. That'southward why it's a lot safer to spend a piddling more on a new mattress.

Harrison Wall is Sleep Junkie'due south concern strategist and sleep analyst. He also authors posts on bedding and mattress accessories. Harrison regularly coordinates with new mattress companies and tests their products to determine what really helps yous become better rest and take brighter mornings.