Follow this guide for getting rid of everything from toothbrushes to athletic shoes.
Maybe you’ve been putting it off or maybe you just don’t see a reason to spend money on a new one, but that water filter installed four months ago might .
The lifespan of common household or personal items such as pillows, toothbrushes, eye makeup and even footwear can vary, experts say. Knowing when to replace them is key to staying healthy. Here's a guide for when you should get rid of the personal items that could be making you sore or sick.
Pillows and Mattresses
Some pillows need to be replaced earlier than others. Give yours a once-over for lumps and sags, says Dr. Natalie Dautovich, National Sleep Foundation's environmental scholar.
“When you sleep, your pillow should support your head and neck, allowing them to stay in a neutral position without craning or awkwardness,” Dautovich says. “If you find that your pillow is no longer supporting your neck, it may be time to look for a replacement.”
You want to consider every eight to 10 years, Dautovich says. If it hasn’t been that long and you’re experiencing pain and discomfort, it might also be time. "This time frame may be shorter if you are over age 40, or you experience pain and discomfort, due to your body needing a better foundation for sleep," Dautovich says.
It could also be time to replace your mattress if you're disturbed easily when your partner moves. “If you wake up tired or stiff, and you find hotel beds extra comfy, it might be time to think of a change,” she adds.
The National Sleep Foundation’s 2012 Bedroom Poll of 1,500 U.S. adults ages 25 to 55 found that about 90 percent rated a comfortable mattress and comfortable pillows as important factors for . And they're right. Given most Americans spend roughly one-third of their lives on their pillows and mattresses, Dautovich says, bedding that impacts quality of sleep is important for both .
Contact Lenses
Every bottle of contact lens solution should have an expiration date, and you shouldn't use it past that date, says Dr. Rebecca Taylor, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and ophthalmologist in Nashville, Tennessee.
Once you open the bottle, germs from the air can contaminate the solution, she explains. But touching the tip to your hand or onto another object, such as Kleenex, a towel or the contact lens itself, is a more likely culprit for contamination. "Never do that,” Taylor says. “You’ve now contaminated the surface of the bottle, and when that gets wet, you run the risk of squirting those germs from the bottle tip into your case or onto your lenses.”
Taylor recommends every three months to lower the risk of eye infections. A 2014 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found keratitis, or eye infections, due to contact lenses cause nearly 1 million doctor visits each year.
To , wash your lens case with disinfectant solution, and allow it to air dry upside down. Also never wash your lens case or lenses with tap water, Taylor warns. “Water from your tap may be fine to drink, but it’s not sterile, and there are parasites and other bugs in tap water that can cause serious eye infections and keratitis if they infect your eyes,” she says.
Eye Makeup
Attention ladies – or anyone who wears – think about when you bought your last eyeshadow. How about that liquid eye liner? Waxy pencils? If it was three months ago, it’s time to toss it.
“Each time you brush on mascara, you are contaminating that brush with microorganisms naturally present on your skin or eyelash hair," Taylor says. "Then you’re plunging it back into a tube of liquid at room temperature, which is the perfect environment for certain germs to flourish.”
Clarified on May 7, 2015: A previous version of this article misidentified NSF International.