Household items with expiry date

Pillows

– 2-3 years

Pillows are used pretty much every night. Over time, pillows lose their bounce which can cause problems for your neck. 

Slippers

– 6 years

Slippers are like heaven on your feet but to be fair, 6 years is a long time to have the same slippers anyway!

Sponge

– 2 weeks

Sponges absorb all the bacteria when cleaning. After two weeks of using, throw it away and buy a new one to avoid re-spreading bacteria. 

Shower pouf

– 6 months

Similar to a sponge but does not absorb as quickly. Anything that you use to clean yourself should be changed regularly. 

Towel

– 1-3 years

Did you know that one of the most germ infested products in your house could be your towels? Swap your towels within 1-3 years when washing your towels, use a higher heat setting to kill bacteria. 

Toothbrush

– 3 months

A typical human mouth contains billions of bacteria, and if you haven’t brushed your teeth lately, you might have more bacteria in your mouth right now than there are people living on planet Earth! All that bacteria also lives on your toothbrush! Every 3 months, swap your toothbrush or the head to the electrical toothbrush for a new one. 

Hydrogen Peroxide

– 3 months

After opening, hydrogen peroxide becomes ineffective after 3 months. 

Hair brush

– 1 year

Notice the trend where there is a build up of bacteria? Well, like your body, your hair gets dirty too. Which can get built up in your hairbrush. Swap after 1 year. 

Perfume

– 1-3 years

Perfume scent goes off after 3 years. So within 1-3 years if your perfume smells different it means it has expired. 

Dummy

– 2-5 weeks

Keeping your babies safe is one of the most important things in the world. Like toothbrushes, dummies can absorb bacteria so throw away after 5 weeks. 

Child car seats

– 6-10 years

‘Hand me downs’ are great! But if a car seat is over 10 years old, this could be unsafe for your child and also uncomfortable. Rules and regulations also tend to change over the years. 

Bra

– 1-2 years

Another item that is used daily and the underwire can become loose and break free meaning breasts will not be supported correctly. 

Running shoes

– 1 year

Anyone who runs regularly knows that the wrong running shoes can cause problems for your knees and shins. Trainers can wear quickly depending on how often you use them. 

Spices

– 3 years

All good food comes to an end. Spices last longer than fresh food but expires after 3 years. 

Flour

– 11 months

Opened flour expires after 11 months. If you have any hiding at the back of your cupboard from 2001, throw it away now!!😁

Fire extinguishers

– 15 years

For safety reasons (hopefully you will never be in the position to use this) but if you have had it for over 15 years, there’s a chance it may not be as effective. 

Power strips

– 1-2 years

Anything electric ends up breaking. But power cables can be the source for power for multiple different items which can put a strain on it. To prevent putting yourself at risk, throw away after 2 years. 

Disinfectants

– 3 months

 

 Disinfectant becomes ineffective after 3 months after opening. To maintain a clean home, use within 3 months. 

I hope this helps. Please check out the rest of BeautyBlossom blog for other tips!