The short answer
Mattresses are the single hardest household item to get rid of politely. Nobody resells them, most charities will not take them, and they do not fit in a car.
The flat prices: twin $82, full $94, queen $103, king or Cal king $114. A box spring on its own is $92. A mattress and box spring together price as a set at $143, which is why you should list them together rather than separately.
Add the frame if it is going too: a standard metal or platform frame is $68.
Why donation usually fails
Used mattresses sit in a category of their own. Charity resale operations across the San Antonio metro almost universally decline them, and the ones that occasionally accept a nearly-new set will inspect it hard and can still say no on arrival.
Texas does not run a statewide mattress take-back program the way a small handful of other states do, so there is no free drop-off waiting for you as a matter of course. Some retailers will haul the old set away when they deliver a new one, and if you are buying anyway, ask at the point of sale. That is the cheapest legitimate route that exists.
The stain and pest problem
Two things make a mattress non-donatable instantly: visible staining and any suspicion of pests.
San Antonio's humidity swings matter here. A mattress stored in a garage or a backyard shed through a summer where the daytime highs sit over 100 for weeks will hold moisture, then mildew on the side against the concrete slab. Once it does, it is disposal, full stop.
If you are clearing a rental turnover along Bandera Road or a unit near the Medical Center and there is any chance of bed bugs, bag it before it moves. Wrap it in plastic and seal it in the room. Dragging an unbagged infested mattress down an exterior stairwell spreads the problem through the whole breezeway.
The bulky-waste route
The city runs bulky collection on a published schedule tied to your address. If your window is coming up and you have a garage to park the mattress in until then, that is the free path. Check your street on your city's solid waste page and note the rules on how items must be presented.
Two things break this plan. First, timing: the windows are infrequent enough that a mattress you want gone in June may have a long wait. Second, weather. A mattress left at the curb through one of the heavy downpours that rolls in off the Gulf doubles in weight and turns into a genuinely unpleasant object. If it cannot live in the garage until collection day, this route is not really free.
Apartment residents mostly cannot use it at all. Complex dumpster enclosures across the North and Northwest sides post bulky-item bans for exactly this reason.
Hauling it yourself
A mattress will not go in a sedan and will not stay on a roof at highway speed. People try it on 410 and 1604 every weekend and it is genuinely dangerous.
If you have a pickup, strap it flat and low, cover it, and go early. Facilities charge at the gate by weight or by load and the rate changes, so check the current number before you commit the morning. The drive from most of the metro out to a disposal site is not short.
One person cannot load a king mattress. It is not weight, it is that it folds in the middle and catches wind. Bring somebody.
Flat-price pickup
Published, carried out of the bedroom, disposal included.
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Mattress — Twin | $82 |
| Mattress — Full / Double | $94 |
| Mattress — Queen | $103 |
| Mattress — King / Cal King | $114 |
| Box Spring (Any Size) | $92 |
| Mattress + Box Spring Set | $143 |
| Bed Frame (Standard / Metal / Platform) | $68 |
| Adjustable Bed Base (Motorized) | $118 |
| Bunk Bed | $123 |
| Crib | $67 |
There is no stair charge and no walk-up fee. Minimum visit is $75.
Doing the math on a whole bedroom
Bedrooms rarely go one piece at a time.
A queen set plus its frame: $143 + $68 = $211.
Two kids' bunk beds being replaced: bunk bed $123 plus two twin mattresses at $82 each = $123 + $82 + $82 = $287.
A full guest room: queen set $143, bed frame $68, dresser $126, nightstand $57 = $143 + $68 + $126 + $57 = $394. A half-truck load is $431, so item pricing wins that one. Price it both ways and take the lower.
San Antonio timing
Two seasons run hot for mattress pickups here, and both are worth planning around.
May through August is PCS season. Families moving through Joint Base San Antonio clear out rentals in Universal City, Schertz, Converse and out by Camp Bullis, and mattresses almost never make the truck. Book early in that window if you are on a move-out clock.
Late April and May is student turnover around UTSA, St. Mary's and the Alamo Colleges. The complexes off Babcock, De Zavala and Culebra fill their dumpster enclosures in days.
In both cases, an early-morning slot in summer is worth taking. Carrying a king set down an exterior stair run at three in the afternoon in July is a different job than at eight.
Frequently asked questions
How much does mattress removal cost in San Antonio?
A twin is $82, a full is $94, a queen is $103, and a king or Cal king is $114. A box spring alone is $92, and a mattress and box spring together price as a set at $143. The minimum for any visit is $75.
Will any charity take a used mattress?
Rarely. Most San Antonio resale charities decline mattresses outright, and the few exceptions inspect closely and can still decline on arrival. Staining or any sign of pests is an automatic no. If you are buying a new set, ask the retailer to take the old one on delivery.
Can I put a mattress out with bulky waste?
Only inside your address's scheduled collection window, and check how the city requires items to be presented. The practical problem is storing it until then, and a mattress that gets rained on at the curb becomes far heavier and harder to move.
Do you take the box spring and the frame too?
Yes. A mattress and box spring priced together as a set is $143, and a standard metal or platform frame is $68. A motorized adjustable base is $118.
What if the mattress has bed bugs?
Bag and seal it in the room before anything moves, and say so when you book. Dragging an unbagged mattress down an apartment breezeway near the Medical Center or Babcock is how it spreads to other units.