Nope, no new mattress every five years. As you say, mattresses are expensive. And bulky, big, and too many of 'em in the landfill is a #carbonfootprint I'd rather not leave. In recent years, box springs are going out of fashion (yay!) and new mattresses are smaller, closer to the floor, less space-consuming in the landfill. I often envy the creatures who circle the meadow grass, flatten it into a bed, and sleep under the stars. If not for cold, wet, morning dew, I'd be there too. (And ticks. Ugh! And chiggers.) #BedBugs are spreading into residences now, and exterminators have been busy in the Midwest, tackling infestations in homes. Our daughter works as a patient care tech at a psychiatry clinic, and more than once, a patient has come in with deadbugs on their coats and shoes. What a nightmare for the clinic to evacuate and exterminate the area.
Mattresses... "away in a manger" (hay beneath our backs) sounds awesome to me. But chiggers, ticks, fleas. Dang.
Thanks for this @wakeupkitty!