5 Reasons You Shouldn't Buy A Used Mattress
You need to buy a mattress and you've been considering buying a used one since you'd save money that way. Although buying used furniture and home decor often is a smart option, there are definitive reasons to only buy new mattresses.
Cleanliness Issues
You may assume that a thorough vacuuming of a used mattress will get rid of any problems. However, it can be tough to eradicate all the dead skin cells and every bit of hair that's stuck to the fibers. The mattress could contain a certain amount of bacteria and even mold. In addition, think of the bodily fluids that can easily get onto a mattress and absorbed inside.
Bugs
Dust mites like to live in fabric, including mattresses. These insects generate a great deal of fecal matter that many people are allergic to. Unless you know the previous owners of the mattress, you have no idea how often or how thoroughly they changed their sheets and washed the blankets, and whether they used a mattress pad.
Bed bugs are another issue you don't want to ever deal with. You may not be able to see if bed bugs are hiding in that used mattress, and once you bring these pests into your house, they are incredibly hard to eliminate.
Wear & Tear
Even if the seller can verify how old the mattress is, you probably can't know how the previous owners treated it. Did they turn it regularly, as manufacturers recommend to make a mattress wear more evenly? Did they let their kids jump on it? It's difficult to determine the extent of the wear on the springs or foam.
No Warranty
When you buy a new mattress, you have a manufacturer's warranty to address any problems that develop within a certain time frame. Used mattresses don't have any guarantee.
Legal Issues
Depending on the state where you live, it may not be legal for a retailer to sell used mattresses or may only be legal if the retailer has a permit. The permit is likely to require that the mattress is sanitized before going up for sale, and may also require the product be treated for bed bugs. However, that won't guarantee that it's free of dead dust mites or their excrement.
Carefully consider the health and safety issues that have led some states to forbid the resale of mattresses before you decide whether to buy new or used.
Saving money is wonderful, but not if you're risking the cleanliness of your home and the health of its occupants. Mattress dealers sometimes have great discount sales, so plan ahead. Buy a mattress at a discounted price and save money that way. Talk to mattress dealers like Denmark's Furniture Mart & Sleep Shop for more information.