Expiration dates are important, and we need to make sure we don’t hold stuff past the printed date. We very obviously need to be aware of food items, but what about the other things in your life that “go bad?” Well be aware of certain bathroom products because they, too, reach a point of expiration.

There’s a good chance that each of us has at least one bathroom item that’s outlived its clean life. Bathroom products do go bad, and they can start growing bacteria if kept too long. Below is a list of the products to keep in mind:

Mascara

The packaging usually says 6 to 8 weeks, but most keep their mascara for about 3 months. Throw out this product if it starts to dry out and/or the mascara is starting to make your eyes itch. You could easily get pink eye or a different eye infection from using expired mascara, according to a Huffington Post article.

Eyeliner

Liquid eyeliner can be kept for about 6 months, and pencil eyeliner can be kept for about 2 years. The liquid stuff starts gathering bacteria gradually because it’s just sitting there, whereas pencil eyeliner gets sharpened, lessening the growth. Look out for a white or gray tip on your eyeliner because that could suggest mold.

Loofah

Dermatologists suggest your throw out your loofah every 3 to 4 weeks, which seems crazy. Bacteria grows easily on loofahs and bath sponges, and the exfoliating properties are lost with more uses. If you don’t feel like buying a new loofah every month, you can try a mesh bath pouf, which is more resistant to bacteria and needs to be replaced about every 2 months.

Hydrogen peroxide

Have you ever poured hydrogren peroxide on a cut and none of the typical fizzy stuff happened? Well that’s because your solution basically turned into a bottle of water. An unopened bottle of hydrogen peroxide lasts about a year, but an opened bottle only holds its effectiveness for 30 to 45 days after the seal is broken.

Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/11/bathroom-items-you-should-throw-away_n_2450633.html; http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/time-to-toss-172145; http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/07/09/hydrogen-peroxide-shelf-life.htm