5 Bathroom Items You Need to Replace Way More Often, Organizing Pros Say

How often do you actually go through your bathroom and evaluate the products and accessories you have on hand? If you’re overdue for a good cleanout and restock, take some time to sort through all of the makeup, toiletry products, and linens that you’ve accumulated over the past several months (or years).

While doing so, keep in mind that there are plenty of bathroom products that you should be replacing more often than you might think. Below, professional organizers share five types of bathroom items that you should be refreshing frequently.

Shower Curtains and Liners

It may not be in your best interest to shell out major cash for a special shower curtain or liner. Believe it or not, you should actually be replacing your shower curtain and liner every six to 12 months, Sarah Anthony, who is a professional organizer and the founder of Organize & Design, shares.

Anthony notes that liners are the most crucial to replace, given that they can easily accumulate soap scum and mildew. She suggests washing your liner every now and then to maintain its lifespan, but once it’s discolored or smells moldy, it’s time to part ways with it completely.

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Bath Towels

By no means are your bathroom linens meant to last forever, specifically when it comes to towels, which you’re likely using at least once every day.

“Even with regular washing, towels lose absorbency and can harbor bacteria over time,” Anthony says.

She recommends saying goodbye to towels when they either feel rough or constantly smell musty, no matter how often you clean them.

Another sign that your towels are on their way out? Their strings are loose, they feel threadbare, or they contain a few holes, Perri Kersh, a professional organizer and founder of NeatFreak, says.

Of course, there are many ways to repurpose towels around the house, which is far more sustainable than getting rid of them entirely. Use them as tarps when spray painting or cut them into smaller pieces and turn them into rags that you can reach for while cleaning or washing the car.

Sunscreen

It’s better to use up bottles of sunscreen and repurchase them as you go rather than accumulating a large supply that you’ll inevitably have to whittle down.

As Laura Gutowski, who is a professional organizer and the founder of Everything In Its Space shares, the main ingredients in sunscreen will break down over time therefore making the product less effective.

“My clients often find it particularly difficult to let go of face sunscreens that were very expensive, even more so when they have no expiration date,” the professional organizer says.

To remedy this in the future, she encourages clients to keep bottles of sunscreen for no more than three years and to write the date they purchased each bottle on the back of it using a permanent marker.

Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer is another product that people often purchase with the best of intentions but do not end up using in full.

“The one item that I find expired in nearly every client’s bathroom is hand sanitizer,” Gutowski says.

She explains that hand sanitizers have a pretty short shelf life and will lose their effectiveness quickly, so there is no point in holding onto bottles you’ve had on hand for years.

Loofahs

Given that you’re using a loofah to clean your body, you’ll want to make sure that it’s up to par. Kersh suggests replacing both plastic and natural loofahs once every two months.

“Showers and tubs often remain damp or even wet, and it’s important to freshen up your loofah with a new one every few months to keep it from growing bacteria,” she says.

In between replacements, you can still clean your loofah once a week, Kersh adds. She recommends soaking it in a very diluted cup of bleach and water.