How to donate mattress to homeless shelter? In reality, more than 50,000 mattresses are thrown away daily by Americans, with the vast majority of these mattresses ending up in landfills. This places a heavy load on landfills because one bed occupies around 40 cubic feet of space.
Before giving, inspect the item for holes, rips, stains, and other major problems like bed bugs or mold. Make sure the fabric cover is tightly fastened to box springs and that the frame is not crooked or damaged. It could be preferable to recycle the bed rather than donate it if the mattress has any of these problems. At the end of this article, we’ll go over the best ways to recycle mattresses and provide some helpful links.
How to prepare – Donate mattress to homeless shelter?
Donating anything doesn’t mean you throw it away. A mattress needs to be donated with some care because someone else will have to sleep on it. Old mattress owners should think about all conditions before considering a donation.
Let’s start by going over your mattress’s state. a place or two that is sagging? Your mattress is probably suitable for donation. Several tears, some liquid stains, and an odor that lingered? The likelihood is that a charity will reject this bed since it is subpar. The following are standard prerequisites for mattress donations:
- operative springs
- There are little or no stains.
- Practical padding (no extreme sags)
- Odor-free
- No rips or tears
- There are no bed bugs, mold, or infestations.
If your mattress satisfies these requirements, it’s time to start preparing it for donation as furniture. Before your mattress finds a new home, the majority of philanthropic organizations also require some sort of planning and cleaning. The normal timetable for mattress donations is provided below:
Scheduling — Due to the size of mattresses and the difficulty of storing them, many donation centers want a planned collection or delivery time. Choose a date that is convenient for both you and the organization of your choice.
Stripping – Take off all covers, toppers, casings, and sheets. You ought should only give bare mattresses to charitable institutions.
Cleaning – You can either clean your mattress on your own or with expert assistance. Start by sweeping every surface if you’re working alone. After that, apply spot treatments to any stains (use specialized cleaning product for the stain type). To finish, sprinkle baking soda evenly on all surfaces, let it sit for the night, and then re-vacuum all areas.
Storage and packaging – Until the time for donation, keep your old mattress in a dry, clean location. Pack it for pickup or delivery if necessary.
How I can Donate mattress to homeless shelter?
Your options are frequently constrained when it comes to where you can donate your mattress. You may explore asking your friends and relatives if they’re interested in helping, or you could think about supporting philanthropic causes.
Charitable Organizations
Although it might surprise you, most local secondhand shops do not take mattresses. Some people are unable to use any mattress or box spring, including foam mattresses, innerspring mattresses, or waterbeds. Beds must be sterilized before being sold again at those places due to health and sanitation regulations. Most thrift stores are unable to accept these items because they lack the means to do so.
National Furniture Bank Association
An online database maintained by the National Furniture Bank Association lists many locations that are actively collecting donations of furniture. Using this database, you may find a Furniture Bank where you can drop off your gently used mattress. Some Furniture Bank locations also let you set up a pickup time for a team member or volunteer to come to you. Your mattress will be given to a family or individual in need of a new bed after you have donated it.
FreeCycle
On FreeCycle, you may advertise your mattress so that people looking for beds can contact you. There is no need to exchange information before arranging a pick-up because you may contact with members immediately on the website.
An internet network called Freecycle.org shows products that are currently being offered for free in each community. The website will display a list of free things in your city after you enter your location.
Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace
Online markets like Craigslist, Facebook, and Letgo all provide a free listing part if you don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of finding a donation location. Someone in need can pick up your old mattress if you advertise it as free on one of these websites. It could take you some time to respond to messages and arrange a pick-up, but overall, this is a simple and quick process. Be cautious when providing your home address when arranging a pick-up. Try your best to meet in a public space and, if at all feasible, bring a companion.
The Salvation Army
Would you consider giving your mattress to a good cause? The Salvation Army is the greatest choice in that case. One charity that will pick up your mattress and make sure it gets to people who need it most is The Salvation Army. Domestic abuse sufferers and people who have had bad luck as a result of calamities could be the recipients. In most circumstances, The Salvation Army will also pick up your mattress from the location!
Habitat for Humanity
A network of warehouses run by Habitat for Humanity accept contributions of both new and gently used furniture. Similar to the Furniture Bank, Habitat for Humanity’s website has a database where you can search for the nearest facility (called a ReStore). Then, get in touch with your local ReStore to find out what they need and the best way to donate it. Most Habitat for Humanity ReStore sites will pick up your donation, just like the Furniture Bank does.
Goodwill
The Goodwill network of nonprofit organizations uses the proceeds from the sale of all donated goods in thrift stores to fund training and education programs for those who have a very difficult time finding work.
Participants in Goodwill are also given vouchers that allow them to make purchases at any of the organization’s stores located throughout the US and Canada. There are roughly 162 Goodwill stores in the area. Whether there is a Goodwill store nearby, you can get in touch with them to see if they take donations of used mattresses.
Vietnam Veterans of America
With operations in 34 states, the Vietnam Veterans of America accepts all types of items for donation, including mattresses. Depending on your location, you might be able to access mattress pickup services, too.
Mattress companies donate mattress to homeless shelter
The Puffy Mattress Donation Program
The return policy for Puffy is made to reassure customers and save waste. You are free to return your mattress and donate it to a nearby charity if you discover that you aren’t sleeping well.
Puffy can give back to its own local communities with this donation initiative, which collaborates with the organizations listed below:
| Penny Lane Center Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter St. Vincent De Paul | The Mission Of Hope Nashville Rescue Mission Teen Challenge |
The simple goal of Puffy is to ensure that everyone sleeps as soundly as possible. Their partners specialize in providing housing solutions to the underserved areas that require them, with over 2.5 million children facing homelessness in the US alone.
Puffy not only donates the returns but also a mattress for every ten social media postings that mention us. Want to change the world but aren’t ready to give up your Puffy? Instead, write about us and know that your influence will be felt.
The Leesa Donation Mattress
The mattresses we donate are custom-built, the perfect height for bunk beds, and they are made with premium foam for a better, more restful night’s sleep.
For children and their families to have a safe place to sleep at night, Leesa claims to collaborate with more than 1,000 partners locally and nationally.
How to arrange a Pick-up Pro?
There are businesses that will haul your mattress for you if you are unable to transport it to a donation drop-off site or recycling facility.
To find out if there is a program to help you get your mattress picked up at home, check with your local mattress retailer first. For those very few clients who opt to return a mattress, Lull collaborates with LoadUp to offer mattress removal services. Their website allows for the booking of services.
You might also think about hiring a nearby business, like JunkKing, A Bedder World, or Mattress Mills, to remove your mattress for you.
Is there Recycle option?
Choose one of the following services to assist you in recycling your old mattress:
Using your zip code, Earth 911’s nationwide search engine can locate the nearest mattress-accepting recycling facility for you.
One of the finest resources for finding mattress recycling facilities in the United States is Bye-Bye Mattress, which was founded to assist mitigate the disastrous impacts of overflowing landfills.
If you are in a major urban area, this list of the top 100 mattress recycling facilities in the nation might assist you in locating the most convenient facility close to you.