We all have heard that we need to update our daily products. From toothbrushes, to pillows, to water filters. There are a lot of things we are supposed to keep track of. We have all heard that if we don’t change them or rotate them or clean them bacteria grows, we will get sick or begin to have allergic reactions and issues. But let’s face it, there are a lot of items on that list that we are supposed to update, and often times we simply just get overwhelmed we don’t do any of them at all!
Well today I am going to walk you through five products to change, when to change them and why to change them. This is a great place to start. You can mark them on your calendar, set an alarm and keep track easily. There are way more than five items but these five are pretty important in our every day lives. So, let’s get right to it!
1. Pillow
This is one of the most important products to change in our lives. If you think about it we spend 1/3 of our day sleeping. So making that environment clean and healthy should be pretty important. The National Sleep Foundation says we should change our pillows every one to two years. Why? Because our pillows absorb body oil, sweat, drool (don’t lie we all do it), dead skin cells and hair. And this environment, if left untouched, can lead to a perfect place for dust mites to live! Gross! They also recommend washing your pillows every six months.
2. Toothbrush
The toothbrush has made my top five for important products to change because it is vital to keep your mouth clean and healthy! Many dental professionals agree that we should change our toothbrush every three to four months. If you have recently been sick or the bristles are frayed then changing it sooner is recommended. The reasons for changing this is because germs, fungus and bacteria can hide in our tooth brushes, and this can lead to infection.
3. Kitchen Sponge
Researchers in Germany found that bacteria (that causes food born illness) can stay on your sponge even if you clean it. Researchers said, “From a long-term perspective, sponge sanitation methods appear not sufficient to effectively reduce the bacterial load in kitchen sponges and might even increase the shares of RG2-related bacteria.” This makes sponges a very important product to change.
So when should we change this? Experts say every week or at the most every two-three weeks. Invest in a big pack of sponges at Costco as an affordable method.
4. Air Filter
This is a tricky one because there are many factors that determine when you are really supposed to change your air filter. Some of these factors include:
- The rate at which you use your cooling/heat system – depending on where you live, whether you use your AC a lot of us all in Florida it is almost all year around, you will need to change your filter much sooner.
- The size of your home – The bigger the house the harder your system will need to work to pump the air throughout your home, whereas as smaller home does not require as much work.
- The quality of air – if you have pets you will more than likely need to change it sooner.
The air around us is filled with dirt, dust and other “contaminants”, and having a dirty or clogged filter can lead to a dirty house, allergens, congestion, and other health problems. The range from when you are suppose to change your filter is between every 30 days (when using cheaper air filters) to 4-6 months (if you invest in a higher quality air filter).
5. Loofah/Bath Sponge
After a long day at work, or with the kids, a long hot shower can feel amazing. But before you start scrubbing, stop and think about how long you have had your loofah for. You might be trying to be frugal, I mean it works and is still doing the job, but in wet environments like a shower, mold and bacteria can grow very easily. And when we continue to use the loofah or sponge, we are spreading all of those germs to our skin. In fact, dead skin that remains on your loofah is food for bacteria. Gross! Mold can also grow on your loofah, and this can cause many allergic reactions and skin reactions. These facts makes this one of the very important products to change, in fact, dermatologist recommend replacing your loofah every four weeks.
For more health articles, cleaning ideas and tricks visit DrSerrano.me