While you’re doing your spring cleaning in the coming weeks, check out your mattress. Generally, a mattress should be replaced after seven years, but a few conditions may make you want to toss yours a bit sooner in favor of a newer model. Keep these ideas in mind when deciding whether your old mattress should stay:
- Do replace your mattress if it’s been seven years since you bought it, even if the mattress appears to be in good condition. This is because even the most reliable mattress will become a potential germ and allergen attractant over time. (Keep in mind that this isn’t a matter of cleanliness; these issues can arise no matter how fastidious you are and how often you change your sheets.)
- Check for signs of wear and tear. Today’s generation of mattresses could last you a significantly longer time than in the past due to advances in mattress technology, but older versions could simply have worn out, become uneven and experience rips and tears.
- Assess your comfort level when lying on the bed. Be honest now – do you routinely avoid that one “sunken spot” near the middle when you cozy in for the night? Do you feel restless and unable to relax on your mattress? Then it may be time for an upgrade. You can avoid a “sunken spot” with a memory foam mattress from Tempur.
- Think about how you feel during the day. Even if you’re sleeping well at night, the wrong mattress (or simply a worn-out one) can leave its effects on your back, neck and joints the next day. If you’re experiencing aches and pains your doctor can’t pinpoint to a certain event or condition, it’s possible you’re simply not being supported sufficiently at night.
- Assess your current needs. Our bodies change over time. So do our circumstances. Do you feel cramped in a too-small bed? Do you feel the need for firmer back support? Think about where you are today and whether that old mattress just isn’t working for you any more.


