91PORNY

The other day, I reminded my husband that since wildfire season was approaching (we live in the Pacific Northwest), we needed to change our HVAC air filter. His response? "I already did this year." 

Yeah, so here's the thing. If you're like most people (including me), you probably aren't replacing some important things in your home and life often enough (like your HVAC air filter), and that puts your health and safety at risk. And you're not alone. Life is busy, and you don't always think about replacing things that seem, on the surface, still perfectly good. Same. 

So here's a list of helpful reminders about things you probably don't even know you need to replace, and how often you need to do it. 

If you've ever smelled a sponge as it starts to turn, you probably know that you need to replace sponges with some sort of regularity. But if you're waiting for the stink to trigger you to replace your sponge, you've probably waited far too long.

Let me lay some gross facts on you from a that was conducted in 2017:

• Kitchen environments actually host higher concentrations of harmful microbes than toilets, mainly due to the contribution of kitchen sponges. 
• Kitchen sponges typically serve as the largest reservoir of bacteria in the entire home.
• Regardless of the method used to sanitize a kitchen sponge, only 60% of the harmful bacteria are removed. 
• Cross-contamination from kitchen sponges is considered one of the main culprits in spreading foodborne bacteria. 

So yeah — not so great. Which means sanitizing sponges doesn't really work. But what does work is replacing them — often. Experts recommend replacing sponges weekly to bi-weekly. 

Worried about filling up landfills with sponges? I get it! That's why I like these . 

You know how you have that one spice jar you pull out once a year to make that one dish that you only make annually? After a year or two, that dish probably won't taste quite as yummy as it did when you first started. Good news! It's probably not your cooking — it's that spice you only use once a year.

Dried spices aren't typically dangerous (unless, say, you've cross-contaminated them with a sponge). But they do tend to lose flavor over time. Whole spices tend to degrade more slowly than ground herbs and spices. So if you want your cooking to have the best flavors and aromas, you'll want to replace whole spices every 3 years and dried spices every 1 to 3 years.

Want to keep track easily? These can help (plus, they're cute)!

If you have a favorite cutting board you've used for years, it's probably time to replace it. As soon as cutting boards (whether wood, plastic, or some other material) get grooves and cracks in them — as things do when you regularly run a knife across them — they create more and more places to harbor potentially harmful bacteria.

With wooden cutting boards, you may be able to sand them down so the grooves are gone, sanitize them, and re-oil them so they last a little longer, but the plastic cutting boards need to go. And eventually, so will the wooden ones. Plastic cutting boards should be replaced every 1-3 years, as soon as wear starts to show, and wooden cutting boards should be replaced or reconditioned at about the same interval. 

Want to stop having to replace cutting boards? . 

It's probably no surprise that toilet brushes are nasty. You should deep clean and sanitize them after every use, which can help them last longer and keep your toilet cleaner. But even with a stringent cleaning protocol, everything has its limits. For a toilet brush, it's about six months. If you're still using one from years ago, it's definitely time for a new toilet brush. This ought to hold you for a while. 

I think even the most diligent of us has been guilty of letting a toothbrush get a little long in the tooth from time to time. But look at it this way: your mouth is a hotbed of bacteria, and unless you're using a every day, some of that is going to hang out on your brush (not to mention any bacteria that come from your cats licking the brush when you're not looking). Plus, as the bristles wear, they become less effective at getting your teeth clean. So you should change your toothbrush (or brush heads on electric toothbrushes) every 3-4 months. And if you've been sick? Change it as soon as you aren't sick anymore, so you don't reinfect yourself.

I love that this super- has sustainable . 

When was the last time you replaced your hairbrush? If you can't remember, then it's probably time to replace it. Experts recommend replacing hairbrushes (even when you clean them regularly) about every six months. The brushes can hold all sorts of icky gunk you probably don't want to be running through your hair or spreading on your scalp. 

If it's time to replace yours, I absolutely love this . 

Related: 5 Steps to Clean a Hairbrush

With all the moisture and products you use in your shower, it's probably no surprise that you need to replace the shower curtain liner from time to time, even when you clean it regularly. But what may be a surprise is how often you should actually do this — about every six months. Otherwise, it could be dumping harmful stuff into the air of your bathroom that you breathe in every time your shower steams up. Yuck!

Worried about throwing away all that plastic? This

If you're a daily walker/runner like me, then your running shoes do a lot for your body, from making your feet comfortable to stabilizing your knees and hips. And the natural wear and tear of miles breaks them down so they no longer provide the traction, support, and stability you need. To avoid risking injury, you need to replace your running or walking shoes every 500 miles or so — possibly more frequently if you run or walk on rough terrain or have mechanical issues like pronation or supination. Go by how you feel. If you're a few hundred miles into your shoes and your feet, knees, lower back, or hips start to hurt, it may be time for new shoes.

I'm currently obsessed with how well my have been holding up (and how great they feel). 

Yoga mats provide stability, padding, and a non-skid surface, and they serve as a barrier between you and a dirty floor. And after about 1 to 3 years of regular use, they stop doing those things well, risking your safety and comfort during your workout. Plan to replace a yoga mat every one to three years. You'll know it's time when they start to get thin, the material tears or pills, they get slippery, or they start to stink.

This is a great option. 

Can you remember when you last changed your HVAC air filter? Been a while? It's probably time! Filters that do what they're supposed to get clogged up with all the gunk they filter from the air — go figure. How often to replace them depends on type and how hard they're working. A fiberglass air filter needs to be changed every 30 days or so, while a pleated air filter should be changed every three to six months on average. If the air filter is working especially hard — like during wildfire season — you'll probably want to change it more frequently. 

Have old plastic food storage containers from years ago? Same! And apparently, that's not a good thing even though it feels like an accomplishment that you managed to keep a matching container and lid for all that time. Turns out, the frequency of losing matching lids and containers may be nature's way of protecting you because the plastic degrades and gets scratched, making them havens for bacteria. You should replace them every six months to a year — and sooner if they get scratched, stained, or misshapen. Or better yet, grab ceramic or , which last a lot longer. 

I am suuuper addicted to my pillow. When I travel, it goes with me unless it's absolutely impossible to take it. So I get how easy it is to be attached to that perfect comfy pillow that you've had for years. But even with pillowcases, you sleep on your pillow every night. You sweat on it. You drool on it. Sure, washing helps, but after a while, your pillow starts to hold onto odors, break down, and get less comfortable. So, no matter how much you love it, it needs replacing. How often depends on the type of pillows — anywhere from about one year for down, down alternative, or feather pillows to four to five years for memory foam and latex pillows. If it's stained, smells weird even after washing, or just isn't as comfortable as it used to be, it's time to let it go. 

Ready for a replacement? Our Editorial Director, Carrie, swears by . 

There are lots of things we don't even think about replacing unless they break. But just because some things aren't broken doesn't mean you don't need to replace them. Make sure you're switching out these items regularly so your family stays safe and healthy.