How Long Does a Mattress Last? When to Replace It

A good mattress lasts about 7 to 10 years. That's the guideline the Sleep Foundation gives, and it's what we see at the counter when people come back for their second bed from us. Latex and dense foam tend to last longest, pocket-coil beds with foam on top sit in the middle, and old-style open-coil innersprings wear out soonest. In what we see, your weight, how you sleep and the base the bed sits on matter as much as the type.

A mattress doesn't have an expiry date. If you're sleeping well on it, it isn't done, whatever the calendar says. If you're waking up sore or sleeping better at a hotel, it may be done early.

How long each kind of mattress lasts

The Sleep Foundation's guide gives 7 to 10 years as the range for a good bed and ranks latex longest, dense foam and hybrids next, and traditional innersprings shortest. The split below between pocket coils and old open-coil springs is ours, from what wears out on our floor.

Type	How long it tends to last	What goes first	What we carry
Latex	Longest of the four; the Sleep Foundation rates it the most durable type.	Little. In our experience latex softens slowly and holds its shape.	Serta iComfort PRO (latex over a foam core) and custom latex cut to size; the Yataş Hybrid Pro Latex puts latex over pocket coils.
Memory foam and all-foam	Long if the foam is dense; low-density foam wears out much sooner.	Softening and body impressions in the top layers.	Serta iComfort; A-Z 1565 and 2040 foam; the 6-inch Rockwell Cub, Koala and Husky Tomboy for lighter use.
Pocket coil with foam or latex on top (most Beautyrest and Serta beds, including hybrids)	In the middle: the coil unit outlasts the comfort layers.	The comfort layers settle before the coils do; a pillow top pad settles first of all.	Every Beautyrest line, Serta Perfect Day, Classic, Celebrate, Perfect Sleeper and Perfect Comfort X, Rockwell Hotel Plus, Resort and Sweet Dreams, the Yataş hybrids.
Open-coil innerspring (springs wired together)	Shortest. The Sleep Foundation puts a traditional innerspring at about six years, and on our floor the beds that wear soonest are the open-coil kind, where the springs are wired together.	Sagging and bounce as the wired springs loosen together.	We don't stock many; every Beautyrest, Serta and Yataş coil bed we sell is individually wrapped pocket coils.

What shortens a mattress's life

In what we see, three things matter as much as the type. The first is body weight: a heavier sleeper compresses the comfort layers further every night, so the same bed wears sooner, and the Sleep Foundation notes that heavier sleepers may see sagging early. The second is how you sleep: if you sleep on your side, you load the hips and shoulders in the same two spots, and that's where impressions form. The third is the base: a mattress on a sagging box spring, on a frame with slats too far apart, or on the floor wears unevenly and can void the warranty. The build matters too, which is why we sell the 6-inch foam beds for bunks, campers and guest rooms rather than for every night under an adult: low-density foam and a thin entry-level bed won't last like a dense foam or a heavy coil unit.

Signs it's time to replace your mattress

The Sleep Foundation's list, with our notes. You sleep better at a hotel or at someone else's house than in your own bed. You wake up with aches and pains (in our experience, the kind that ease once you're up and moving). The bed feels saggy or unsupportive, or you find yourself rolling toward the middle. You feel your partner's movements more than you used to. Your allergies or asthma seem worse. Or it's simply been more than seven years. Our rule of thumb: one of those is a hint, and two or three mean it's time. Before you shop, check your warranty, because a real sag may be covered.

How to make a mattress last

Rotate it head to foot every few months. Every Beautyrest, Serta, Rockwell and Yataş bed we sell is one-sided, so you rotate rather than flip; the one exception is the two-sided Yataş Cool & Wool, which flips as well. Rotating moves your hips and shoulders onto fresh foam and evens out settling, and it matters most on pillow tops.
Put it on a proper base. A platform or slats no more than about three inches apart, a box spring in good shape, or an adjustable base where the maker allows it. A foam bed on wide-spaced slats sags into the gaps, and most warranties don't cover a mattress that wasn't properly supported.
Use a mattress protector from day one. Stains aren't covered by any warranty we know of, and a protector keeps sweat and spills out of the foam.
Give a boxed bed its time. A roll-packed mattress needs a day to expand before you judge it.
Don't fold or bend it. Carry it flat or on its side; folding a one-sided coil bed can damage the coil unit.
Keep the receipt and the law label. Keep both, because the maker will ask for them, and the law label is the one tag you shouldn't cut off.

What the warranty does and doesn't cover

A mattress warranty covers defects, not wear. On the Serta and Beautyrest beds we sell, that means a body impression deeper than the maker's stated depth with nobody on the bed, coils that fail, or foam that cracks or splits. It doesn't cover the gradual softening every mattress goes through, stains, a mattress used without a proper base, or a sag that hasn't reached the stated depth. The depth and the process are on our mattress warranty page, and we'll help you file a claim with Serta or Beautyrest if you ever need to.

The warranty terms on the beds we sell, as of November 2026: every current Beautyrest line and every Serta line with a dealer sheet carries a 10-year warranty from the maker, and Serta's sheets call theirs non-prorated, which means a valid claim is covered at full value for the whole term rather than a shrinking share each year. The Beautyrest Flynn and the clearance Serta 720 beds carry 5 years. The Serta Celebrate's term is on its law label. The Husky Tomboy carries one year and the Koala has no written warranty; for the A-Z 1565 and 2040 and the Rockwell beds, just ask us at the counter, and the Yataş terms come with the lot paperwork. A 10-year warranty doesn't promise the bed will feel new for 10 years; it promises the maker will stand behind a defect for that long.

How we'd think about it in the store

If you want the bed to last, buy for the support underneath rather than the top layer. The coil unit or the foam core is what carries you for a decade; the comfort layers are what you feel in year one. A heavier sleeper or a couple gets the most years out of a taller firm build with a heavy coil unit (the Beautyrest Centennial's Triple-Stranded coil is built for lasting support, in Beautyrest's words) or out of latex. Pick the feel you like at the firmness you like, lie on it for ten minutes, and put it on a proper base when you get it home. When the old one goes, our Fraser Valley mattress disposal guide lists every option, and we can take the old one away when we deliver, for a per-piece charge.

Questions we get asked

How often should you replace your mattress?

Every 7 to 10 years is the usual guideline, and it's the Sleep Foundation's. Replace it sooner if you're waking up sore, sleeping better elsewhere, or can see a sag; keep it longer if you're still sleeping well. Treat the calendar as a prompt to check.

How long does a memory foam mattress last?

It depends on the density of the foam more than anything. Dense memory foam and polyfoam are among the longest-lasting materials; low-density foam wears out much sooner. A 6-inch foam bed is built for a bunk or a guest room, not ten years under an adult, and the price reflects that.

Does a 10-year warranty mean the mattress will last 10 years?

No. It means the maker will stand behind a defect, such as a body impression past its stated depth or a failed coil, for 10 years. Gradual softening isn't a defect. The warranty is a backstop, not a lifespan.

What does a non-prorated warranty mean?

A valid claim is covered at full value for the whole term. A prorated warranty pays a shrinking share each year, so a claim in year eight might be worth little. Serta's dealer sheets list the 10-year warranty as non-prorated on every current Serta line we carry.

Can I flip my mattress?

Not the one-sided beds, which is most mattresses made today: the comfort layers are on top and the support is underneath. Rotate head to foot every few months instead. The two-sided Yataş Cool & Wool is the exception; it has a summer side and a winter side and flips.

Do heavier people wear out a mattress faster?

Yes, as a rule. More weight compresses the comfort layers further every night, so impressions form sooner, and the Sleep Foundation notes heavier sleepers may see premature sagging. A heavy coil unit, a taller firm build or latex lasts longer under more weight than a thin or low-density bed.

Can a sagging mattress be fixed?

Not really. A topper hides a shallow dip for a while, and a firmer base helps if the old one was the problem, but a sag in the mattress itself doesn't come back. If it's past the maker's stated depth with nobody on it, that's what a warranty claim is for; if not, it's time to shop.

Does a box spring make a mattress last longer?

A proper base does; a box spring is one kind. A platform or close slats work just as well. What shortens a mattress's life is a base that has itself sagged, slats too far apart, or no base at all, and the warranty usually requires proper support.

Our mattress guides

Everything on this site is written from the makers' spec sheets and what we see on the floor in Chilliwack. If you're still deciding, these are the pages to read next.

Try them in the store

If you're deciding whether yours is done, come lie on a new one for ten minutes; the difference tells you more than any checklist. We're at 101-44703 Yale Road in Chilliwack, open 10 am to 6 pm every day, and nobody here works on commission. We're a Fraser Valley store: shoppers drive in from Abbotsford, Mission, Langley, Hope and Agassiz, and we deliver to all of them on Sundays. For what's inside each kind of bed, read mattress types explained and hybrid vs memory foam; for firm, medium and plush, mattress firmness explained. Lifespan guidance from the Sleep Foundation's "How Long Should a Mattress Last?" (updated July 2025); warranty terms from Serta's and Beautyrest's dealer sheets and our warranty page; checked November 2026.

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