\nThese items that we all have around the house don\u2019t have an unlimited shelf-life. Your favorite pillow, the kitchen sponge and medication are just a few things that made our \u201cmust-toss\u201d list. Here\u2019s when it\u2019s time to say goodbye.\n
Your toothbrush is a magnet for bacteria \u2014 not a pleasant thought about something that\u2019s supposed to clean your teeth! Bacteria on toothbrushes can come from toilet spray (if you flush with the lid open), splashes from the sink while washing hands, and your own mouth, which can contain 100 to 200 species of oral bacteria.\n
Replace your toothbrush every three to four months \u201cor sooner if the bristles become frayed with use,\u201d according to the American Dental Association.\n
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When it comes to medication and safety, follow the \u201cspring cleaning\u201d rule, says to Marjorie Phillips, M.S.Pharm., R.Ph., and member of the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.\n
Once a year, around the same time, throw out all expired medications, both prescription and OTC. Expiration dates guarantee that, with proper storage in a cool, dry place, the drug will retain 90% of its original potency until that date, she says. Afterward, the medication may have degraded enough to lose potency or, even worse, contain harmful degradation-related byproducts.\n
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(Tetracycline is one drug whose byproducts can cause injury if it\u2019s been sitting around for too long, but Phillips recommends checking with a pharmacist about individual meds.)\n
Medication doesn\u2019t magically stop working on the expiration date; it\u2019s just safest to follow that guideline, because it\u2019s really hard to know which meds might be risky or just not work as well, says Phillips.\n
Only one common medication displays a tell-tale sign that it has degraded beyond safe use: non coated aspirin tablets. \u201cWhen aspirin starts going bad, you may detect a vinegar smell,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cThat smell is one of the degradation byproducts within tablets.\u201d\n
If you\u2019re guilty of taking out the smoke detector batteries while you\u2019re cooking and forgetting to put them back, here\u2019s a scary statistic: \u201cThree of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms,\u201d according to the National Fire Protection Association.\n
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While the smoke alarms themselves should be replaced every 10 years, smoke detector batteries should be tested and replaced more often. First, find out if your smoke detector runs on replaceable 9-volt batteries or non-replaceable lithium batteries.\n
The\u00a09-volt batteries should be replaced every year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, while\u00a0lithium batteries will last for 10 years.\n
The good news: airtight, unopened bottle of booze with no dairy-based ingredients will last almost forever.\n
The bad news: Once you pop that cap, spirits like vodka, rum and gin begin to deteriorate. After about six months, alcohol vaporizes, sugars crystallize, and in dairy-based liqueurs like Bailey\u2019s and Godiva, cream curdles.\u00a0Experts suggest replacing liquor every year or so, and sniffing and\/or taste-testing bottles you\u2019ve had longer.\n
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We\u2019re all guilty of keeping makeup past its prime, whether it\u2019s a favorite lipstick or our more dramatic, special-occasion eyeshadow. And though the FDA doesn\u2019t require cosmetics to have a printed expiration date, beauty products have a definite shelf life, says Ron Robinson, a cosmetic chemist and founder of\u00a0BeautyStat.com, who offers the following expiration guidelines:\n
\u201cAfter that time, [makeup] is more at risk for growing bacteria or mold \u2014 especially if not closed tightly, and kept in a cool, dry environment,\u201d says Robinson.\n
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In a\u00a02010 report, ABC News tested past-its-prime makeup and found 11 different types of bacteria, including staph, strep, and bacteria normally found in our intestinal system. Pay special attention to eye makeup and eye creams that are packaged in pots \u2014 they are more susceptible to contamination, Robinson says. \u201cThe eye area contains mucous membranes which are an entry point for possible infection,\u201d he advises.\n
Aside from their being a dusty, sticky mess in your cabinet, old bottles of dried herbs and spices won\u2019t hurt you, says\u00a0Janet Brill, Ph.D., R.D.N. \u2014 they\u2019ll just add less zip to your meals. \u201cThere are no health concerns, they simply lose their potency,\u201d says Dr. Brill.\n
Seasoning purveyor McCormick offers these guidelines for shelf life:\n
Faded color and loss of aroma are two other ways to ID old herbs and spices.\n
Reality check: Most pillows (and mattresses) are infested with microscopic creatures called dust mites who feed off the dead skin cells we shed in our beds.\n
The good news is that mites only cause problems if you are allergic \u2014 about one out of every four or five people are, says James Sublett, M.D., the president-elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). If you have year-round allergy symptoms that are worse after days of high humidity (the mites flourish in humid environments), or after sleeping, you\u2019ll probably want to get tested.\n
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While there\u2019s no rule of thumb for when exactly you should replace pillows,\u00a0if you can\u2019t remember when you bought them or they are stained or smelly, it\u2019s time to buy new ones. Two good ways to prolong the life of your pillows are to use zippered,\u00a0mite-proof under-pillowcases and wash your pillowcases (and sheets) weekly..\n
Considering they\u2019re bathed in soap and water multiple times, sponges are pretty disgusting. Filled with bacteria and mold, they\u2019re the top source of germs in your home, according to\u00a0WebMD.\n
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To prevent your scrubbers from becoming encrusted with microscopic filth,\u00a0swap them out every month, or as soon as they begin to stink (an unmistakable sign of contamination). Preserve them on a daily basis by throwing them in the dishwasher or microwaving damp sponges on high for 1-2 minutes (metal-free sponges only). The heat will kill germs and keep your family healthier.\n
Because fridge filters collect bacteria and mold over time, manufacturers\u2019 rule of thumb is to\u00a0change them twice yearly. Many newer fridges even have a convenient light indicating it\u2019s time to switch.\n
Really, though, it depends on use. If you have a large family who fills up frequently, you may notice your water has an unpleasant flavor or fragrance after just three months. If you live alone, and you tend to drink soda over H2O, it may take up to nine months.\n
Minerals in the water make a difference, as well. Folks with \u201chard\u201d water \u2014 meaning it has a high concentration of minerals \u2014 may need to replace filters more often.\n
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Do your feet often hurt? When was the last time you bought a new pair of sneakers? If you wear athletic shoes often and wait until they\u2019re threadbare to replace them, the lack of shock-absorption in your shoes could cause foot pain and other injuries like plantar fasciitis, according to the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (AAPSM).\n
Take a good look at your shoes before you put them on again \u2014 if they don\u2019t lay flat on the floor, but rather lean to one side, or if the heel of the shoe is very flexible when squeezed, it\u2019s time for a new pair.\n
Prevention.com\u00a0recommends you\u00a0replace athletic shoes every five months, if you walk 45 minutes to an hour three times a week. If you walk more often than that, replace them every three to four months.\n
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byConsiderable Staff\n\n\n
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These items that we all have around the house don\u2019t have an unlimited shelf-life. Your favorite pillow, the kitchen sponge and medication are just a few things that made our \u201cmust-toss\u201d list. Here\u2019s when it\u2019s time to say goodbye. Toothbrush When to toss:\u00a0Every 3 \u2013 4 months Your toothbrush is a magnet for bacteria \u2014\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[51,110,39,30,53,46,6,31,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-8523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-healthy","9":"tag-healthy-life","10":"tag-home-organization","11":"tag-household-hacks","12":"tag-kitchen-hack","13":"tag-life-hacks","14":"tag-life-style","15":"tag-tips","16":"tag-tricks"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Colorful-Pop-Tutorial-YouTube-Thumbnail-3-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}