What Happens to A Mattress After 10 Years

Your mattress is an investment that should last you at least a decade. It’s the piece of furniture you spend the most time on, considering most Americans spend 6-8 hours a night on it 365 days of the year. Yet every mattress does have a finite lifespan, and 10-15 years tends to be the average. 

It’s important to know what happens to a mattress after 10 years. This way you can determine whether your mattress needs to be replaced or if it’s still sleep-worthy for another half decade.

Structural Deterioration

Your mattress’ structural support tends to noticeably deteriorate after a decade. How much depends on the type of mattress and how well you’ve been taking care of it. Regardless, after frequent usage over 10 years, the core materials start to lose their supportive properties. From the springs to foam to cotton batting, constant usage will compress or weaken the materials. This leads to sagging and diminished comfort.

However, if you have been rotating and flipping your mattress regularly, the sagging could be minimal, even after a decade. If there’s not much sagging and you’re not waking up sore, you can keep sleeping on your mattress. If that’s not the case, it’s time to get a replacement.

Surface Wear and Tear

After 10 years, the top layers of your mattress could be showing signs of wear and tear. These layers include the cover and comfort layers, which can be made from materials like woven fabric, foam, and cotton or wool batting. Upon inspection, you could find there are noticeable thinning spots or holes in the fabric. This is typically due to friction from your body against the materials over several years.

Holes in the top layers of your mattress can start small. Yet they will get bigger and become a major problem the longer you leave them. Small holes could potentially be repaired or patched. However, keep a close eye on them if you plan to keep your mattress for another few years.

Hygiene Concerns

Hygiene is probably the biggest concern when it comes to old mattresses. While it’s a myth that your mattress doubles in weight after 10 years because of dead skin, a decade of being slept on does come with a few hygienic concerns. Allergies could be more easily triggered by a buildup of sweat, oils, dead skin cells, and dust mites.

Basically, you should be cleaning your mattress over its lifespan to keep these issues at bay. If you haven’t, consider giving it a good cleaning ASAP. Spot-cleaning, vacuuming, using baking soda, and other simple cleaning techniques can go a long way to keeping your mattress fresh and prevent allergies from disrupting your sleep. This way, you won’t need to replace a dirty, unhygienic mattress, but will instead have a clean, comfortable mattress for another few years.

When you’ve had a mattress for 10 years, it’s important to inspect and assess it for wear and tear, structural issues, and hygiene. If it’s starting to show its age and isn’t providing you with the support and comfort you need for a good night’s sleep, come to a Gardner Mattress showroom and begin shopping for a replacement mattress.