We all have things lying around the house that we know we should replace, but just how often should we be swapping them out? Here's what the experts say about these six common household items. When toothbrushes get old and frayed, they actually stop cleaning as effectively. The American Dental Association recommends that you replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles look worn out. The ADA also advises that children's toothbrushes typically need to be replaced more often than adult brushes, so keep a regular eye on the bristles in your bathroom and update accordingly! Shutterstock / Oleg Krugliak The longer your eye makeup is lying around, the easier it is for bacteria or fungi to get in, which can cause eye or skin infections. Africa Studio / Shutterstock Mascaras or other liquid or creamy products that you use around the eyes should be replaced more often than other kinds of makeup, as they can cause you more problems the older they get.
"The things that are most likely to give you an infection are creams, or things that are wet or dark or damp," said optometrist Dr. Andrea Thau. The FDA notes that most manufacturers recommend discarding your mascara two to four months after purchase, and experts agree that most eye makeup should be replaced after three months. Are you tossing and turning more than usual, or waking up with back pain? It could be time to swap out your mattress. Most good quality mattresses have a life expectancy of nine or 10 years, says The Sleep Foundation. A few ways to tell if you're due for a replacement: You can feel the coils in your mattress, you have aches and pains when you wake up, and when you get up, you can see the indentations or impressions in the mattress from where you've slept. RELATED: What to know when buying a new mattress Side note: Your pillows will likely need freshening way before your mattress. Here's a great guide on how to clean them, and the “fold” test can tell you if you need new ones altogether: Fold the pillow in half and let go.
If it unfolds and bounces back to its shape, keep sleeping! If it stays folded, it's time to send it to pillow heaven. Sponges collect some of the grossest things in your kitchen, and can become breeding grounds for bacteria like E.coli, salmonella, yeast and mold. You can keep things clean and extend the life of your sponge by cleaning it daily in hot, soapy water, zapping wet sponges in the microwave for a minute or two, or running them through the dishwasher. None of these methods fully eliminate germs, however, so to be extra safe, toss your kitchen sponge every week or so, or when it gets slimy or stinky — whichever comes first. RELATED: How often you should clean kitchen sponges, hairbrushes, more Peter Scholey / Alamy Stock Photo / Alamy Stock Photo There’s no hard and fast rule here, but to get that fluffy feeling when you step out of the shower, you’ll want to replace your bath towels when they lose their absorbency — which experts say is about every two years.
"Towels are subject to daily use and frequent washing, so it's inevitable that they will eventually start looking tired," Parachute founder Ariel Kaye told TODAY. "We suggest donating your old towels to your local animal shelter or re-purposing them as cleaning rags. Good for you, good for the environment." Keeping them clean in the meantime helps avoid mold and mildew and protects you from allergens, so launder every three uses. This is one of the most hard-to-define categories, because no two runners wear out their shoes the same way. (In fact, some hardcore runners we talked to for this story declined to be identified, noting that no one wants to offer "rules" on the subject!) The general guideline is that you should replace your shoes between 300 and 500 miles, but if you're not a serious runner, it can be hard to know what that means. Luckily, many free running or workout apps (like Nike+ Run Club), will track your miles and can even alert you when it's time to consider buying new shoes.
Here are some rough guidelines if you're totally in the dark. If you run or work out in your shoes twice a week, you should probably invest in a new pair once a year. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are running six to seven days a week, you'll burn through your shoes in more like four months. And if your workouts are somewhere in between, your replacement time will also fall somewhere on that spectrum. You should also pay attention to these factors: The bottom line is not to keep wearing a worn-out pair of shoes, because when your shoes stop supporting you, you risk injury — and that's never worth it. Finding your perfect sleep starts here. What size mattress are you looking for? You have not viewed any products recently. How to Buy a MattressMattress Sizes ChartMattress Names/Terms GlossaryNeed a New Mattress? Do You Need a New Mattress? Do you need a new mattress? Some signs your mattress has lost it's support - You wake up with stiffness, numbness, or aches
You get a better night's sleep anywhere but in bed (like a hotel, the couch, at a family members) Your mattress shows visible signs of wear (it's dipping, has lumps, the interior is exposed, etc.) Your mattress is more than 7 years old* *How long a mattress lasts If you decide to purchase a new mattress, don't throw the old mattress in the garbage! The best way to get rid of the old bed Email Sign Up: Receive Special Offers & Sleep Tips How to Buy A MattressMattresses have become so technological – some are even based on research from the US space agency NASA – that they now sometimes go by the name 'sleep systems'. And at up to £40,000 a throw, some even cost as much as a mid-range BMW and command the same sort of social status. But is it really necessary to fork out to get a good night's sleep? The consensus is that a cheap mattress is indeed a false economy – spending, say, less than £200 is almost certainly not going to ensure a good night's sleep unless you are very young, very light and frequently sleeping somewhere else.
Cheap mattresses also need replacing more often, perhaps as frequently as every two years. Spend a bit extra, say, more than £1,000, and you should not need to change the mattresses for 10 years, or, in the most luxurious pocket spring cases, up to 25. "Spend as much as you can afford," advises Andy Hills of And So To Bed. "The minimum should be about £700 on the mattress and bed base combined. It always strikes me as absurd that people will spend £3,000 or £4,000 on a sofa which they sit on for an hour or two some evenings, and much less than £1,000 on a bed where they will spend a crucial eight hours every night." Once you have fixed the budget, the next priority is looking for the right kind of support. "People often ask for orthopaedic mattresses, but all that means is a hard one," says Hills. "Very few people actually need a hard mattress unless they have crushed a disc. For most other people, they will simply be uncomfortable, particularly for lighter women, creating shoulder pain and pins and needles sensations."
Indeed, your body weight will largely dictate the sort of tension you require – the softer ones are better for an eight-stone woman, a firmer mattress will benefit a 16-stone rugby player type. Of course, many suppliers sell combination mattresses with different tensions on either side, catering for couples with greatly varying weights. Always remember to lie down on a mattress in the showroom and ask for professional advice Others sell two mattresses zipped together, a technique much improved on the old days, making it now almost impossible to tell that there is a divide. "We say if couples feel the zip, we'll give them their money back," says Hills. With spring mattresses, the firmness is largely dictated by the number of springs. High-quality mattresses such as Vi-Spring, such as the superb double model, will often have soft cotton and lamb's wool to enhance the springs; the very best will have horsehair filling, which breathes well and acts like more tiny springs.
Vi-Spring offer a comfort promise – try the mattress for up to 90 days, if need be, they will replace it with a softer or harder one. Tempur, a manufacturer of memory foam mattresses using material developed at NASA to relieve g-force pressures during space launches, offers a 60-night free trial. The viscoelastic foam is designed to eliminate pressure points by spreading body weight evenly. The foam cell mattresses, that start at around £1,040 for a double, reorganise themselves constantly to mould to the exact contours of a body, and because they do not harbour dust mites in the same way as more traditional mattresses, they are excellent for asthma sufferers. Although good mattresses are expensive, they are surely worth it for health and happiness, even if it means making savings elsewhere. "People often put up with wakeful nights, constant tiredness and sore backs for a long time before connecting it to the mattress," warns Lucy Benham of John Lewis. "A good test is sitting on the edge and seeing whether the whole side of the mattress collapses.
If so, the mattress needs urgent replacement. "Also, when looking at a new one, remember that quilted ones tend to be of lower quality. Tufted ones, which look like they have buttons going through them, are better as this means the filling is contained to avoid it moving around. Good stitching around the sides indicates that the springs are contained in pockets, which will be much more effective than open spring mattresses. "But always remember to lie down on a mattress in the showroom and ask for professional advice. Choosing a new mattress is a very important decision indeed." Make sure the bed base is suitable for your mattress. A poor base will make even the most expensive mattress uncomfortable. Divan or upholstered ones are best for spring mattresses as the springs in both components complement each other. Memory foam mattresses are better if you have only a wooden slatted base. To gauge the right tension for you, lie on the mattress in the showroom, and push your hand under the small of your back.
If there is a large gap, the mattress is too soft, no gap at all, then it's too firm. Just being able to pass your hand through suggests that the tension is spot on. If the mattress is too hard, your body will try to compensate by frequently tossing and turning during the night, up to 60 times. This will impair your and your partner's sleep. A good mattress will reduce turning to 17 times a night. A too-hard mattress makes the body do the work, rather than the bed. The shoulder and hips cannot sink into the mattress, so they curve towards each other, resulting in a bent and stressed spine. A too-soft mattress lets the body sink into a hammock position, causing hips and shoulders to pinch in, the spine to curve and putting pressure on joints and muscles. Numbness and tingling can follow. The best spring mattresses tend to be pocket-sprung, where each individual spring is kept separate to respond to pressure from your body. Five of the best mattresses 1. Vispring wembury superb small double mattress, £1550
Made from British fleece wool, cotton and horsehair to added breathability, this Vispring mattress is guaranteed to give you a comfortable night's sleep. 2. Tempur sensation deluxe 22 memory foam mattress, £1899 The NASA developed Tempur material works to redistribute body weight and reduce pressure points while you sleep. The supportive foam layer also cradles the body throughout the night, making sure you achieve optimum relaxation. 3. Sealy Activ Geltex 2800 box top pocket spring, £1150 Sealy combines the latest technology and eco-friendly luxury fillings to provide the ultimate in quality sleep solutions. The mattress is fitted with a gel infused foam to provide pressure relief, body support, and breathability - giving you the best environment to ensure a good night's sleep. 4. Top Dog Mattress, from £645 Loaf pride themselves on selling just five mattresses, and their 'Top Dog' model - filled with cashmere, silk and natural fabrics and boasting double-decker layers housing 2,200 individual pocket springs (for the kingsize version) - is one of the best.