How Often You Should Replace These 4 Things In Your Home

I think most of us are of the mindset that we use things until they have holes or fall apart. But there are a lot of things in our homes that need to be replaced for a good reason. I honestly used to never think about it. But when you really start to understand the reasons, you will be running to the store to replace them! So today we are talking about how often you should replace these 4 things in your home!

I think growing up we had the same bath towels my entire life. And I somehow survived! But that was before they started to test for bacteria and really tell us what was living in them. And back then we really didn’t care if they were soft on our skin. Speaking of cleaning, I did a blog post a while back, The 5 Most Forgotten Areas When Cleaning Your Home. You can read that here. It is worth the read!

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1. How often should you replace your bed sheets?

How often do you wash your sheets and pillowcases? Experts recommend every week and 2 weeks at the maximum. Our sheets harbor all kinds of dirt, bacteria, and dead skin cells. Most people go to bed dirty. With the days “dirt” on them. It’s kind of gross when you think about it!

Washing our sheets breaks down the fabric and elastic in the fitted sheet. Experts recommend that you replace your sheets and pillowcases every 18-24 months. If you rotate your sheet sets often then you can go longer.

I know what you are thinking, you wash them so why do you have to get rid of them? The problem is to remove all that dirt, bacteria, and dead skin cells you need to use hot water and dry them on high heat. Most manufacturers do not recommend this. So, we don’t do it. You probably aren’t removing all the dirt, bacteria, and dead skin cells. And if you are like me and go against the manufacturer’s directions and use hot water and high heat to dry then we are breaking down the fabric and elastic faster.

2. When should you replace your pillows?

Do you wash your pillows regularly? I know when we were kids we never did. I don’t think it was a thing back then. Experts recommend that you wash your pillow every 3 months and wash your pillowcase every time you wash your sheets. I will put instructions below on how to wash your pillows!

Pillows accumulate dirt, bacteria, and dust mites. Washing regularly helps to remove these things. But it doesn’t remove them all. Washing and daily use of the pillow breaks down the material in the pillow.

Also, a dirty pillowcase can cause breakouts. If you are having them and aren’t sure of the cause try washing your pillowcase more frequently and see if that helps. You can also read the blog post I wrote; 5 Reasons You Might Be Breaking Out. You can read that here.

How to wash your pillow

• First, read the directions on your pillowcase. Just in case it has specific things to do or avoid doing.
• Typically wash 2 at the same time to balance the washing machine out.
• Use a cool water setting and a mild detergent.
• Set to gentle cycle.
• Put in the dryer on a low to medium heat setting.
• Make sure they are completely dry. If you don’t mold can grow in there.
• I like to use dryer balls because they help to “fluff” the pillows back up.

3. How often should you replace your smoke detectors?

This one is important, and most people don’t know this. My husband and I didn’t find this out until we moved into our SC house. Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years. Dust builds up in them and they do not work as well. Each smoke detector has a label on it saying when and where it was manufactured. If yours doesn’t that means it needs to be replaced. This goes for hard-wired and battery-operated.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you replace your smoke detector batteries every 6 months. A lot of people will choose a holiday to do it like Memorial Day. But I would recommend putting a reminder on your phone to alert you when it is time to change them.

4. When should you replace your bath towels?

As I mentioned before I don’t think we ever got new towels when we were kids. We had the same towels the entire time I lived at home. But we know more now. Unfortunately, towels are a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and mildew. It’s recommended that you wash bath towels every 3-4 days. And swap those kitchen towels out daily.

It’s recommended that we replace our bath towels generally every 2 years. If you rotate your towels or guest towels you can go longer. They lose their ability to absorb over time. The fibers also break down with frequent washing. That’s why towels don’t seem as soft as they did when you first got them. And if you have a smell in a towel and just can’t seem to get rid of it, that’s your sign to toss it.

Did any of these things surprise you or are you already on top of these things in your house? The smoke detectors surprised me when we found out about them. I always figured that if they were working, they were good. I would love to hear your thoughts below in the comments.