Things You Should Be Changing More Often Than You Are

Here's something that may have never crossed your mind before: Did you know that toothpaste actually expires? If you look really closely at its packaging, you should see an expiration date on it somewhere because, according to Healthline, both the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and ADA (American Dental Association) require it. And just how long should you keep your toothpaste before getting another tube? Two years (even though it's not necessarily "harmful" if you use it a few extra months beyond that time).

It's these kinds of pearls of wisdom that will be explored in this piece because, the reality is, there are a ton of household (and beauty-related) items that you own that also have a time of expiration — whether you realize it or not. So, if this coming weekend, you're planning on doing a little bit of spring cleaning, here are several items that you may need to toss out in the process.

Even though you may think that your washcloth and towel are relatively clean (due to all of the soap that you use or that you're drying off a clean body), it's actually a really good idea to wash your towels no less than once a week and your washcloths no less than a couple of times a week — mostly for the same reason that was stated about bedding. The reality is, no matter how much you may rinse out your washcloth, there's still going to be some debris that's left behind.

And when should you replace both of these things? POPSUGAR interviewed Leanne Stapf, chief operating officer at The Cleaning Authority. She said, "Because towels are used daily and washed frequently, they tend to fray and tear after a couple of years ... They typically lose their absorbency around the two-year mark, which is a good indicator that it's time to replace them." You probably have some towels that have been around for double or triple this amount of time. Here's your sign that it's time to let them go!

Your panties. It's not abnormal to have a huge collection of them. At the same time, according to Healthline, for the literal sake of your health and well-being, you should be getting a whole new set, every 12 months. A big part of the reason is that, even when underwear is clean, it can hold up to 10,000 living bacteria. Not to mention that when you go to wash your underwear, it can have up to one-tenth of a gram of fecal matter in it too (via ABC News).

Since panties are specifically designed to protect your clothing from bodily fluids and to keep your outer clothing from irritating your private parts, you want to make sure that if nothing else is in great condition, your panties are.

While we're here, this goes for your lingerie too. You want to make sure that what looks sexy on you feels sexy (because it's clean and fresh) as well.

Speaking of things that go on your feet, something else that Health says you should replace (probably way sooner than you would've ever considered) are sneakers; especially if you run in them on a consistent basis. Miguel Cunha, DPM, podiatrist and founder of Gotham Foot Care in New York City, told the site, "If you're running in them, your shoes need to be replaced approximately every six months." He also said that if your heels are worn out or it feels like your sneakers are leaning to one side when you attempt to walk in them, those too are dead ringers that they are about to expire.

Remember that sneakers are supposed to offer your feet and ankles a great amount of support as you are moving about. There's no point in keeping them if your feet are sore, your ankles ache and your toes feel like they are feeling a lot of friction. All of these point to a new pair of sneakers that need to be purchased as soon as possible.

If you happen to have a clear bottle of foundation in your bedroom or bathroom, pull it out and look at it for a couple of seconds — does there seem to be some liquid that's floating above the rest of the color? If so, that's a telltale sign that your foundation has definitely seen some better days. According to Health, foundation shouldn't separate, clump up or give you a hard time as you're trying to apply it. If it does, it's not going to give you the natural-looking end result that you're probably after.

That's why it's best to replace your foundation every 12 months. If it's in a non-glass container, you can probably get a few more months out of it. Also, Allure says that you can keep a new unopened container of foundation for up to two years. Bottom line here, if the foundation isn't going on effortlessly whenever you apply it, something is wrong. Buying a new bottle should correct the problem.

We all have a favorite tube of lipstick or lip gloss. It might be because of the brand. It might be because of the color. But until we can get every last bit of use out of it, we will keep it hanging around. Better Homes & Gardens did an article on make-up and its shelf life that totally challenges this resolve.

When it comes to lip color specifically, it says that it shouldn't hang around in your make-up drawer for any longer than half a year (six months). The reason why makes a lot of sense too. Rita Linkner, M.D., of Spring Street Dermatology in New York City, stated that if your lips tend to get chapped or irritated a lot, that could result in bacteria spreading and, "The lip makeup can harbor those microorganisms and reinfect the skin if you're not careful." You want healthy lips underneath your favorite hue so, six months it is.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the two main reasons why everyone needs sunscreen are it helps to protect skin from damaging skin rays and it can slow down the aging process of the skin. As far as the kind that you should use, if you don't tend to spend a lot of time in the sun, an SPF of 15 or more is fine; however, if you're planning on spending a couple of hours outdoors, go for a bottle that has an SPF of 30 and is water-resistant too.

And when is it time to get more sunscreen? Does the bottle that you kept from last summer suffice? According to Mayo Clinic, the answer actually would be "yes" because sunscreen is able to maintain its potency for about three years or so. Just make sure that you keep yours stored in a cool dry place when you're indoors and wrapped up in a towel when you're outside. Ironically, the less heat and light that sunscreen comes into direct contact with, the better.

Without a doubt, toothbrushes are necessary — not just when it comes to maintaining your oral health but your health overall (via WebMD). That's why, if there is anything that you should take both seriously and literally when it comes to this list of items that need to be replaced when experts say so, it should definitely be your toothbrush!

Just think about it. It's the tool that you use to remove food, plaque, and all other sorts of gunk from your teeth. And just how often should you peruse your local grocery or drugstore to get another toothbrush? Healthline says that if you brush your teeth twice a day (and hopefully you do), your toothbrush will be showing clear signs of wear and tear after about the third month (the same goes for the head on your electronic toothbrush, by the way).

In the meantime, take care of your toothbrush by not sharing it, rinsing it in tap water (using a sanitizer that others in the house use can spread germs), and putting it in a closed container. Otherwise, tiny particles can get on the brush — which kind of defeats the point of using it.