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4 Things to Check for the Expiration Date

    2 minute read

    With life’s busy hustle, sometimes it is easy to forget when your different food items expire; furthermore, it is even more cumbersome to remember when various household items expire. Make-up, cleaning supplies, medicine and toothbrushes are just a few items that have a straightforward expiration date to adhere to, and AIS has the scoop on when to replace these items.

    Make-up

    Make-up is part of your everyday life; however, applying expired make-up to your face can cause numerous problems such as infection and clogged pores. Foundation and concealer should only be kept 6 months, while powder, blush, eye shadow, and lipstick can be kept up to one year. Also, you should clean your make-up brushes with warm, soapy water twice a month.

    Expiration Date - checking your make up

    Cleaning Products

    While fabric softener and laundry detergent can be kept up to a year after opening, other cleaning items such as Lysol Disinfectant, multi-surface cleaners, and metal polish can have a shelf life up to two years. In order to make it easier to keep track of your cleaning supplies, label each one when you purchased them; furthermore, it is best to discard any product that has an abnormal consistency or odor.

    Expiration Date - cleaning products

    Medication

    For legal reasons, all drug manufacturers always label their product to indicate full potency; however, a common question is if it is safe to take expired medications. According to Drugs.com, solid dosage forms, such as tablets and capsules, appear to be most stable past their expiration date. Medications that exist in solution or as a reconstituted suspension, and that require refrigeration, may not have the required potency if used when outdated. It is definitely one of those “better safe than sorry” instances, since the whole purpose of medication is to get the full effect!

     

    Toothbrush

    Dentists recommend that you replace your toothbrush every three to six months; however, you should also replace your toothbrush after you are ill just to be sure you get rid of the bacteria and remove the possibility of reintroducing bacteria and germs back into your system. Also, it is important to pay attention to your toothpaste’s shelf life because of the fluoride ingredient, which may be less effective once the toothpaste has gone beyond its expiration date.

    expiration date - toothbrush

    It may seem tiresome to remember all of the household item’s shelf life; however, manufactures place these dates so you are able to receive the full potency of each product. It only takes a few moments to check the expiration dates, which may mean getting extra clean teeth or rid of that headache!

    The information in this article was obtained from various sources. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and the language contained therein will govern such policy. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.