How to maintain your mattress for longer lifespan

A mattress is one of the most important investments for your health and well-being, but it often gets neglected when it comes to maintenance. Proper care can significantly extend its lifespan, improve sleep quality, and prevent hygiene issues. Here’s a detailed guide on how to take care of your mattress.

 

A mattress is not just a product for rest, but an investment in health, well-being, and quality of life. When properly maintained, a high-quality mattress can provide consistent comfort, support, and hygiene for an average of 8–10 years, and in some cases even up to 12–13 years. Proactive mattress care — through the use of protective covers, regular rotation, and proper ventilation — not only supports restorative sleep and reduces exposure to allergens, but also helps consumers save money while protecting the environment. Extending the useful lifespan of a mattress avoids premature disposal and production, thereby contributing to more responsible consumption in line with the goals of the circular economy.

The Importance of proper mattress maintenance

Sustainability: key facts on mattress disposal in Europe

 

  • Every year, approximately 35 million mattresses are discarded across Europe.

  • In the European Union alone, an estimated 42.5 million mattresses are disposed of annually, while around 47.2 million new units are sold each year.

  • Disposal methods remain far from sustainable: only 14% of discarded mattresses are actually recycled, around 34% are sent to Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities, and over 51% still end up in landfills.

  • In France, around 6 million mattresses reach end-of-life each year; of these, about 4 million (roughly 72,000 tonnes) are collected, with a recycling rate of about 50%, and less than 4% going to landfill.

  • In the Netherlands, roughly 1.5 million mattresses are discarded annually, with the country targeting a 75% collection and recycling rate by 2028, positioning itself as a frontrunner in sustainable mattress management.

 

 

Individual contribution → collective impact

 

With just a few simple daily practices — such as using a washable protective cover, rotating or flipping the mattress according to manufacturer guidelines, ensuring good ventilation, and using a supportive bed base — consumers can extend mattress lifespan to 10 years or more. If adopted on a large scale, these actions would significantly reduce the number of mattresses discarded each year in Europe, thereby lowering the environmental footprint of landfilling and incineration, and reducing the demand for raw materials used in new production.

 

Proper mattress maintenance is more than a matter of personal comfort; it is an act of environmental responsibility. The European data highlight the urgency of the challenge: millions of mattresses are discarded annually, with recycling rates still too low. Only through a combination of responsible consumer behavior and structural policies — such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and national collection targets — can the bedding sector in Europe become truly sustainable.