While we enjoy kicking off the warm weather season with some spring cleaning, we also love saying good-bye to hot temps with a little pre-winter purge. Here are 5 things you need to get rid of (or replace) before fall:
Old Sunscreen
Sunscreen has a shelf life of three years, so check to see if the bottles you have been using have reached their peak or will reach their peak by next summer. Not sure of the expiration date? When in doubt, toss it out—old sunscreen loses its effectiveness.
Expired Medicine & Makeup
The change of season is a great time to go through your medicine cabinet and get rid of products that have expired. You can use some of the great tips we shared for organizing your medicine cabinet for summer, but replace warm weather medicines with those you will be using during fall and winter (i.e. cough and cold medicines).
Air Conditioner Filter
Cooler weather means you can give your air conditioner a break. Use this time to check and replace you’re filters—not only prepping your furnace for the cold, but keeping your A/C in good shape for next summer.
Dish Sponge
According to PopSugar, a University of Arizona study found that a kitchen sponge can be up to 200,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat—yikes! While periodically tossing your sponge in the dishwasher is a great way to keep it clean, replace your sponge every 2-3 months.
Toothbrush
Your favorite toothbrush probably accompanied you on many a summer adventure (at least we hope it did!) and now it is time for it to be retired. Even if you were careful to not expose your brush to additional travel germs and dirt, the American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush once every three months, making September the perfect time to find a new one.
Talk to us: What type of “end-of-summer” organization and cleaning do you do?
image courtesy of flickr CC/Anderson Mancini