How Often Should You Replace a Mattress? (Australian Guide)

Most mattresses need replacing somewhere between 7 and 10 years — but age is the least useful test. A well-made pocket-spring mattress can be fine at twelve years, and a cheap foam one can be finished at four. What matters is how it's performing, and there are clearer signals than the calendar.

The seven-question test

If you answer yes to three or more, it's done:

1. Do you wake up stiff or sore, and does it ease within half an hour of getting up? That pattern points at the mattress rather than at you.
2. Is there a visible dip or valley where you sleep? More than a couple of centimetres of permanent sag means the support layer has failed.
3. Do you sleep noticeably better in hotels or at other people's houses? The most honest test there is.
4. Can you feel individual springs, or does it creak when you move?
5. Do you roll towards your partner without meaning to? Classic centre-collapse.
6. Have your allergies or asthma got worse at night? Old mattresses accumulate significant dust mite populations.
7. Do you toss and turn far more than you used to?

How long each type actually lasts

• Innerspring (bonnell/continuous coil) — 5 to 7 years. The cheapest construction and the first to sag.
• Pocket spring — 7 to 10 years, longer at the premium end. Individually wrapped coils fail more gradually.
• Memory foam — 6 to 10 years, heavily dependent on foam density. Low-density foam softens permanently and quickly.
• Latex — 10 to 15 years. The longest-lasting common type, and priced accordingly.
• Hybrid — 7 to 10 years, usually limited by the comfort layer rather than the springs.
• Mattress-in-a-box — highly variable. Some are genuinely good; many use lower-density foam that softens within three or four years.

Things that shorten a mattress's life

• No rotation. Most mattresses should be rotated head-to-foot every three to six months. Skipping it concentrates all the wear in one place.
• A failing bed base. A sagging slat base will destroy a good mattress, and people replace the mattress without fixing the cause. Check the base when you check the mattress.
• Slats spaced too far apart. Foam mattresses in particular need closely spaced support, typically under about 7cm between slats.
• No protector. Moisture and body oils degrade foam over time.
• Sydney humidity. Poor airflow underneath — a solid base with no ventilation — encourages mould in a humid climate.

Can you fix a sagging mattress?

Mostly, no. A mattress topper will mask a mild dip and buy you a year, but it can't restore support that's failed — if anything it hides the problem while your spine keeps taking it. Plywood under the mattress is a common suggestion and a bad one; it kills ventilation and encourages mould.

The genuinely worthwhile fix is checking the base. If the slats are bowed or a centre rail has dropped, replacing that is cheap and can transform a mattress that seemed finished.

When the new one arrives

Two practical things people get wrong on delivery day:

Sort the old one before the new one lands. Once the new mattress is on the bed, the old one goes to a spare room or the garage and stays there for months. Book its removal for the same day or the day after.

Check whether the retailer takes it. Some do, usually for a fee, and usually only as a like-for-like swap. If they don't, or you've got two going, book it separately.

What to do with the old mattress

It can't go in a bin, and it can't go on the nature strip without a booked council collection — that's illegal dumping and it's fineable. Your options are a booked council pickup, a drop-off at a recycler, donation if it's genuinely near-new, or a collection service. Full comparison of the four options and what each costs.

With us it's a flat $80, any size, any condition, collected from the kerbside across Sydney, Monday to Friday, 6am–4pm — often the same day if you book before noon, otherwise within 24–48 hours on service days. Please arrange for the mattress to be placed outside at the kerbside before collection. The steel springs, foam, timber and fibre are sent for recycling rather than buried. Here's what happens to it.

Frequently asked questions

Does a warranty mean it should last that long?

No. A 25-year warranty typically covers manufacturing defects and sag beyond a specified depth — not comfort, and not normal softening. Comfort life is almost always far shorter than warranty length.

Is a topper worth it?

On a structurally sound mattress that's just a bit firm, yes. On a sagging one, it's a delay rather than a fix.

Should I replace the base too?

Check it at minimum. A failed base will ruin a new mattress, and it's the most commonly overlooked part of the problem.

Ready to get rid of the old one?

Flat $80, any size, any condition, recycled rather than buried.

Book a mattress pickup — $80 →