Four Easy, Everyday Items You May Not Be Replacing as Much as You Should

You know how our pillows start yellowing? You can be the cleanest person and it will still happen. It's from sweat, hair products, lotions, and natural oils from your skin.

The yellowing is an obvious sign that we can only put off for so long before we need to hit Target, Home Goods, or Amazon and buy new ones.

It got me thinking about other everyday items and how often we should, but probably don't, replace them.

Pillows Every 1-2 Years

Yellowing is not the only sign. Over time our pillows collect dust mites and allergens that totally affect our health and sleep.

Kitchen Sponge Weekly

Your kitchen sponge is dirtier than a toilet seat according to The Zebra website. Even though it's filled with soap water and rinsed out, even boiled in hot water or or microwaved to kill germs, it's still home to bacteria collecting if you use it daily.

Toothbrushes Every 3 Months

I always heard that once the bristles on the toothbrush start spreading outward means it's time to switch it out. However, that's not always the case after three months because we all brush differently. Although that's partially true, the rule is every three months or so.

According to Newsbreak, it's not just about the wear on the bristles but bacteria build up.

Bath and Kitchen Towels Every 2 Years

This one totally surprises me and although old towels make great rags, I most definitely don't change these out that often, do you? According to Newsbreak it's especially important with the kitchen towels you use daily to not only dry your hands, but all those dishes.

According to The Zebra, while we can handle the loss of fluffiness over time, bacteria can collect over time, especially on hand towels. Towels also lose their absorbency.

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Oh, and according to the Popsugar website, we should wash our towels every two days, even the ones we only use on our hair. After all, while hanging and drying, they're picking up bacteria.

It's about our health after all even with good hygiene. Who knows how these items are affecting our health, even in the most minor of ways and we don't even realize it.