- To be clear, not everyone has nasty household items. But the truth is, most of us aren’t regularly replacing items as we should be.
Do you think you’re house is clean, that you’re a clean person? You may be surprised at how often some of the nastiest household items need to be changed out.
Sponge
Ok, we all know how yucky these can get, and that they can easily be the nastiest household items. But here are the other details you should know. First, make sure that any sponge you have sits in a drainage dish, giving it time to completely dry out. Kitchen sponges should be replaced when they get stinky, hence the drying out. Sponges are great in the kitchen but they will never stay in perfect condition. However, we can get more use out of them as long as we are drying them out every night! There are also some washable non-scratch scrubbers on the market, if you’re looking to replace your typical kitchen sponge.
Sheets
We spend a lot of time in our beds, like a lot. The average person sleeps for about 26 years of their life, and on top of that, we spend a staggering 7 years trying to get to sleep! So 33 years, we spend 33 years sleeping or attempting to. Just wow. Anyhow, the sheets we sleep in for all these years should be replaced about every two years. Washing sheets every week and pillows every month helps, but the best thing is to have a couple sets of sheets as well, then you can rotate them.
Throw Pillows
Now my throw pillows are looking pretty rough after only about 2 ½ years, compared to the 5 to 10 years suggested to replace them. Mine are pilly and the seams are ripping, and one of them I washed and dried, came out rough and thready. Decorative bed pillows fare better than couch pillows, which have heavier use. Synthetic pillows begin to break down at the 2-3 year mark, which sounds about right for mine.
Bed Pillows
And not the decorative kind, we’re talking the white, head pillow you know best and love most. These need to be replaced every 1-2 years. The nastiest part of your pillow comes from your skin and its constant shedding. There’s a lot of oil from your skin as well as products from your hair and whatever you put on your skin.. you see where I’m going with this. If your pillows look stained or dirty, it’s time for new ones. If you have allergies, make sure to wash your pillows every other month or so, otherwise every 3-5 months is good. To help your pillows keep their shape, add a tennis ball or two in the washing machine.
Bath Towels
Towels lose their absorbency after a while and then, what’s the point? They also tear over time, fade and start to smell a little funky. They should be replaced about every two years for the freshest clean after your shower. Follow the sponge idea and be sure to hang your towels so that they fully dry out, this will help with any lingering smell. Unless, of course, the smell does continue to linger, then it’s about time for some new towels. Also be sure to check the cleaning instructions, as laundering your towels correctly will also give them longevity.
Toilet Brush
It’s almost counterintuitive to replace something that cleans the poop, knowing that a new one will get poopy, once again. But still, replacing your toilet brush every 6-12 months should really happen. Once you start seeing discoloration and worn-out or bent bristles, or you are smelling your toilet brush, it’s time to heave-ho using that old (and definitely one of the nastiest household items) toilet brush.
Which one of these have you replaced the least or do you know needs to be replaced? To be honest, I’m still a little thrown that people spend 33 years of their life in bed, either sleeping or trying to. I mean come on, right?
Watch for The Nastiest Household Items and When You Should Replace Them: Part Two, for more tips on how to keep your house clean, from the inside, out.