1. Toothbrushes
Think your toothbrush has to look ragged before it’s time to get a new one?
“Most people do not clean their toothbrushes as often as they should, and they harbor germs” explains Tom Klimaszewski, a certified infectious disease prevention expert with the Chicago-based cleaning service, Bee Line Support. Klimaszewski recommends keeping toothbrushes covered or storing them inside a drawer since toilet flushes “can spread microscopic bacteria, including E.coli, up to six feet.”
2. Hand Towels
If you’re not replacing your hand towels every two years or so, they could be harboring dangerous bacteria. That’s why it’s important to wash them as often as possible. “Especially now, paper towels are a safer bet, if you’re not laundering your towels regularly,” says Klimaszewski.
3. Bath Mats
Since they are typically kept in moist environments and are in frequent contact with germs from your body, hanging on to that bath mat for too long could mean you’re creating a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Washing them regularly between replacements.
4. Mops
If you’re not replacing your mop cloth frequently, you could be making your home dirtier than if you didn’t mop at all.
5. Cleaning Rags
Sure, you may use them to get your house clean, but those cloths aren’t exactly germ-free.
You only using rags once, then throwing them in the laundry machine instead of letting them stay damp under your sink or in a closet. You should also completely replace rags every two years. Not only will frequent cleaning and replacement help reduce the spread of bacteria, “the new cloths will absorb more solution and allow you to finish your tasks in a reasonable amount of time” explains Carpenter.
6. Toilet Brushes
If you’ve been holding onto that toilet brush for a long time, you’re probably overdue for a replacement.
“The toilet brush is used to clean one of the dirtiest places in your home, therefore it hosts a lot of bacteria and germs,” says Carpenter, who recommends replacing yours every six months
7. Kitchen Sponges
If you want to prevent the spread of potentially dangerous germs around your home, you should be replacing your kitchen sponge frequently.
8. Air Conditioner Filter
Your air conditioner filter is keeping dirt and other debris from entering your home—but if you’re not changing it frequently, it’s simply adding those contaminants to your household air.
9. Pillow Cases
Since pillow cases can harbor dust mites, they should be washed at least once a week, and they should be replaced every few years.
10. Bath Towels
Are you getting your body dry with that towel, or just adding bacteria to it? If you’re not replacing those towels every two or three years, it’s probably the latter.
11. Sheets
Fido may love sleeping in your bed with you, but his presence might mean you need to replace those sheets more often than you think. Washed sheets can last up to a decade, she also notes that they can harbor the same bacteria as towels—and the bacterial count (and frequency with which you need to replace them) only increases if your pets sleep in the bed with you.
12. Vacuum Cleaner Filters
Its purpose is to suck dirt and debris up off your floors—so make no mistake, your vacuum cleaner is positively filthy.
source: bestlifeonline
