Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: missycat on May 19, 2010, 17:55

Title: New life for an old matress
Post by: missycat on May 19, 2010, 17:55

Having taken delivery of a new double matress for my daughter's room I decided to take apart the old one as it would be easier to transport to the tip. I discovered a layer of what looks like coir fibre over the springs and started to think about how I could reuse it ???.
Initially I thought...add to the compost heap... then I thought ...hanging basket liners...and now I'm thinking of using it as weed suppressant and planting through it (the sharp fibres may even deter slugs). :happy:
Now I'm wondering what I can use the inner springs for (not pocket springs but they are individual springs wired together)...does anyone have any ideas?

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: monsta on May 21, 2010, 09:35

bouncy shoes!  :D

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: stompy on May 21, 2010, 09:39

I wouldn't use the inner stuff, it will be treated with a fire retardant.
God knows (and the manufacturers) what types of chemicals they'll be.

I second bouncy shoes though  :lol:

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: missycat on May 21, 2010, 21:17

Mmm...didn't think about fire retardant....looks like it's heading for landfill :(

Am working on the bouncy shoes though...hope to have them ready for when the fruit on the old apple trees on my plot  are ready :D

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: Jeanieblue on May 25, 2010, 17:20

..... spring onions, spring greens  :lol:

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: Digger Tom on May 28, 2010, 11:53

Quote from: stompy on May 21, 2010, 09:39

I wouldn't use the inner stuff, it will be treated with a fire retardant.

 Well at leat your plot wont catch alight  :tongue2:

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: madcat on May 28, 2010, 15:38

Got anything that could use some insulation?  Shed roof, potato store.....

Title: Re: New life for an old matress
Post by: missycat on May 28, 2010, 22:14

Thanks for all the replies.
Having spent over 2hrs stripping the matress into it's component parts (including a hoover bag full of dust :(), I decided I couldn't risk contaminating my crops so I took it down to the local recycling centre... the bloke who helped unload my car is probably still laughing, said he'd never seen anyone strip a matress down before!