How Often Should You Change Your Underwear, Bath Towel, and Toothbrush?

We all have personal items we use every day and we cannot live without them. From the bed sheets to our pajamas to our toothbrushes to our towels and even to our underwear, we use these things daily. But most of us neglect the fact that these things also harbor bacteria and we need to change them as frequently as possible.

Perhaps you have heard about the above information, but the question is: when do you really have to change these items to avoid getting sick?
Underwear

Here’s a disgusting fact: about seven percent of women and 25% of men don’t change their underwear for two days straight. Unfortunately, this can cause urinary tract infections, blood infections, and even pneumonia due to the microbes the underwear contains. There are no exceptions; you have to change your underwear DAILY. Make sure you also replace them annually.
Pajamas

According to a survey, a lot of men who are 18 to 30 years old wear their pajamas for 13 nights. Surprisingly, women wear theirs for 17 nights straight. You need to change after you have worn yours twice. Or you can simply change and wash them at least once a week because:

    People naturally shed skin cells and since we wear pajamas next to the skin, microorganisms fill them vastly and at high speed.
    The microorganisms are generally harmless, but they can cause problems if they reach wrong places in the body.
    Dirty pajamas can cause UTI and E. coli when bacteria enter the body.
    In some cases, UTI due to bacteria can lead to cystitis.






Towels

You probably haven’t washed your bath towels, but this is a bad practice that you should get rid of. These towels absorb your skin cells that you have shed, along with the natural bacteria from your body. Because of the warm and damp environment, bacteria easily thrive, so make sure you change towels after EVERY THREE USES. Sharing towels is also a big no-no because this can lead to:

    Cold sores
    Athlete’s foot
    Staphylococcus aureus that can cause infections of the skin

Bed Sheets

According to a recent poll, less than 35% of us leave the bed sheets unwashed for two weeks. Sadly, this is a bad practice since beds contain the human cells that we have discarded, along with our sweat and bacteria. So how often should you change your sheets? Experts say you should do this every week. Also, every morning, open your window after pulling back the duvet. This can help remove the trapped humidity and moisture.
Toothbrushes

There are about 10 million germs in your toothbrush on average. These germs can be anything from flu virus to bacteria and may even harbor fatal viruses like Hepatitis C. It is wise to change your toothbrush every three months or immediately after you get sick.




source : http://www.stethnews.com