I would add the caveat that it's two years for GOOD quality towels. I've come to the conclusion that it's worth it to pay $15 per towel and have it last with no fuzzies or picks for a good long while, than save $7, buy a cheapie towel, and give it dirty looks for getting fuzz on EVERYTHING.

I can understand needing to update pillows, but I have towels and bathmats that I have had for years. They are laundered regularly and look and work just fine. Tossing out perfectly good stuff just doesn't make good economic or ecologic sense.

I have to disagree with tossing your makeup brushes after two years, if you have high quality brushes and regularly clean them. It is so worth it to spend some $$$ on good makeup brushes, that will last decades. MAC, Bobbi Brown to name two.

Remember to replace your furnace/ac air intake filter at least every three months! Those things gets nasty in a hurry, but are super cheap to replace.

replace your smoke alarm batteries, sure, but replacing items in good condition is environmentally unsound, expensive, and unnecessary.

I think 2 years sounds much too fast for towels and bath mats, but I've recently come to the conclusion that I want to replace pillows once a year or more. For some reason, they seem to start smelling funky pretty fast, and I HATE to lay my head down on a funky smelling pillow for the night. Yuck. I don't know what it is, because I KNOW our heads don't smell like that--I'm tempted to blame my husband for eating too much garlic, but I don't know. I even put those dustmite covers on the pillows starting when they were new to protect them, but that didn't seem to help. Putting them in the dryer with a dryer sheet and tennis ball only helps a little, and putting them out in the sun for a day seems to work ok, but that mostly only works in the summer here--we don't have many dry, sunny days otherwise.

I don't really understand the pillow one. My husband brought to our marriage a down pillow that he had as a child and we joke has been in his family for 'generations' because the original case is kind of stained. He loves it so and bites his nails when I launder it once or twice a year, but it always comes out fresh and lovely, like you imagine a captured cloud would be.

Discarding towels and bathmats that are still serviceable is also a headscratcher for me.

Also, I wash my makeup brushes 2-3 times a week and believe it's done my complexion a lot of good. They also just work better. A couple are shedding hairs after 10 years, but I don't see any reason to replace them before they have too few hairs to do their job.

Agree with posters who say it's wasteful to replace pillows and towels that often. Who has a spare few hundred dollars to toss away every two years on pillows and towels? We use towels til they're frayed, then cut them into cleaning cloths. Pillows are aired and washed when needed and last until they are too lumpy or flat to keep using. Investing in a zippered case for your pillows, which you use underneath the regular pillow case and wash at least once a month will help.

I wouldn't put conditioner on your makeup brushes, either. Just a squirt of foam soap in your hand, lather up a brush or two and rinse.

A little hair conditioner on natural makeup brushes (as opposed to synthetic) does exactly what it does for your hair. Makes them a little softer, a little more shiny, and detangles. I use shampoo and conditioner on the Max cosmetic brushes I've had for years and it keeps them in great shape.

A lot of this stuff seems very wasteful. I wash & dry my feather pillows in super hot water ever 3-6 months (depending how often I remember).

And I don't see a reason to get rid of a towel if it is still doing its job? And when they get all frayed or thin use them as dish towels/clean up towels.

Good quality make-up brushes clean up really well with a small dab of dial soap.

Might be wasteful, but anything more then two years for pillows and towels is toooo long for me unless they are really really good towels.

We do cut them up and my husband uses them for rags around the house and garage.

Oh and tooth brushes, a new one for me every month. Jeez they are only 2 or 3 dollars.

I was just thinking today about how great my towels look for being 7 years old. Probably because I bought nice WHITE ones. White never looks faded or old.

I replace pillows every 6 months (we buy cheap ones and my husband has terrible allergies) and toothbrushes every 4 months. We've had our Wal-Mart!) towels for 3 years and they still look great! But we are redecorating our bathroom in October so they're on their way out in favor of MUCH nicer bath sheets (mmmmmm.... *drool!*).

Wow. Two years for towels? Mine get washed in hot water then tumble dried (I never use softener) and they're fine. I have some that are probably 10 years old (I don't keep track). When they wear out I'll use them as rags. I can't imagine throwing something out before it wears out. Made of money I am not.

Anyone know where those sconces are from?

"White never looks faded or old."

I just donated my white towels because they were looking dingy after about 5 years. I tried bleaching them several times, but it didn't help much. But the 8 year old white bath rugs still wash well.

Pfff. I never buy bad-quality bed linen, pillows, duvets, towels, bath mats. Have used some of them a couple of decades already and while those don't look new anymore, they definitely are clean and nice after each round in the washing machine (and yes, they get washed weekly).

There's special down shampoo for such products and then some twisting and turning, separation of feathers, during drying does the trick.

I rarely complain about AT posts, but this one was not good. Green thumb pointing towards Australia and New Zealand from Denmark.

I forgot to add that stains might be removed at lower temperatures, but for bacteria to be forced to say bye bye, stuff needs to be washed in 60 degrees, whatever that is in Fahrenheit.

I'm with the others - replacing towels and pillows every two years is just plain wasteful.

Pillows can go in the washer and either sun dry or in the dryer w/ tennis balls to fluff the feathers & down.

Towels & bathmats will last for 5 years or more easily - I personally don't care if they fray a bit around the edges, as they still work just fine...
...and as others have said, you can cut them up for use as cleaning/dust cloths or even to wash/dry the car/dog/etc.

Dried Herbs & Spices: Keep them in airtight containers out of the light and they too will keep for quite a long time - but those cute earthenware pots and glass jars in racks on the counter are the worst places you can keep these items.

Another thing I do with dried herbs is to whirl them in a coffee grinder that I use specifically for herbs & spices to grind them up and help release their oils.

It's unnecessary to toss them after 2 years if they are still in good shape. Tossing a $30 brush because it hit some arbitrary time period is silly. Quality brushes that are properly cleaned and maintained will last a long time.

I agree with other posters. Several of the recs in this article seem wasteful.

I guess i'm happy that some people believe they must get rid of towels after only two years because then i can get perfectly good towels at the thrift store for next to nothing.

I can get that toothbrushes, make-up stuff, and pillows should be replaced regularly for reasons of hygiene, but textiles? seems really wasteful and consumerist in my book. Like KayinKMCO, I use such items until they utterly wear out.

Wasteful post is wasteful

I'm sorry but I have to comment on the "If your sleep's been fitful, your back's been hurting or you feel like you've been suffering from more allergies than usual, the culprit could be right under your nose. I put a 2 year time limit on pillows." part; if you buy new pillows every two years and you keep throwing them away because your back hurts or something... try a different pillow of better quality and it will last you for years! Ask an expert for advise!

Should I also throw away my mattress after two years? because that thing sees more action than my pillow does.

I don't throw things out until they look worn. That means two years is way too soon to replace pillows and towels.

About donating old towels to animal shelters: don't donate towels with longer hooked pile. Kittens especially can get their claws caught in the loops and can get hurt struggling to break free of them. =^..^=

Wow, I've never had a bathmat last 2 years, 8 months tops.

Two years does seem a bit short for towels though. I guess it depends on the quality. I recently replaced my towels. They were 4 years old and still looked and felt good. I guess that makes me wasteful, but I wanted a change :)

Well here's one post that will NEVER be cross-posted on Re-Nest! I think it's kind of nutty to replace things like towels that frequently. The towels I bought for college over 27 years ago are just living out their last days at my sister's lake house. They are good quality towels and they have held up really well. I've had my current towels for at least 10 years and they still look great (no fraying) and work beautifully. I won't be replacing them any time soon.

Oh, and my pillows get thrown in the wash every six months or so and I certainly them to last a lot longer than 2 years.

I agree with everyone here.

However, I'd draw the line at my husbands childhood down pillow. Barf.

I do buy new towels sometimes, but I've had the same towels since I moved away from home, and that was 9 years ago. Maybe it's because I live alone, but the towels are not worn out.

Ooo I have a question, since I don't like down pillows, can you wash poly filled ones with success? When I still lived at home I would wash my pillows and they always got lumpy. I didn't know about the tenis ball trick though (I have tennis balls now).

thorndale--hilarious!

I've had my towels for seven years, and I have to say that until reading this post, it never once crossed my mind to replace them. Now I'm feeling self-conscious about them. I feel like I'm thirteen years old all over again...

But really--I don't get it. Is everything supposed to look sparkling new?

The arbitrary reasoning people use for discarding things is both baffling and disappointing. I often regret reading some AT posts for this very reason. Sometimes I prefer to be in the dark about unnecessarily wasteful habits.

Um, the author suggests donating the old stuff or repurposing it, not throwing it away. So, i don't consider this wasteful, unless you're talking about money.

I also have never, ever had a towel or a bath mat last more than two years and I neither spend a pittance nor a fortune on towels so I don't think that's unreasonable. Also the toothbrushes themselves suggest being replaced often, hence the bristles that change colors, etc. And again, you can repurpose those too, into grout cleaning tools and such things.

I finally just consigned the towels I bought for college to my rag bin. And that was 11 years ago. Quality does count. I bought a towel at Target and didn't get much more than a couple years before fabric started feeling rough. The Hotel brand towels that TJ Maxx carries seem to hold their softness longer.

On the question of replacing toothbrushes: Preserve toothbrushes are sold at Trader Joe's, made from recycled #5 plastic and you can send them in to get recycled once you're done with them: http://www.preserveproducts.com/recycling/recyclepreserveproducts.html

Very wasteful, in my mind. Especially in a time when we're trying so hard to be "green". Get rid of them when they're worn or falling apart....other than that, try to use them for as long as possible! I can understand replacing food items and even toothbrushes, but things that can be washed and sterilized.... why????

@ejbrammer If most people followed the 2-year time limit of the writer, it seems there would be an over-abundance of donated and repurposed towels.

I don't know, I'm not a mathematician, but I'm just imagining the number of towels that would be discarded every year if that were a common rule. Seems there would be too many discarded towels hanging around the world.

My bath towels are all 14 years old because we got them as wedding gifts. The cheapest set just turned to rags. Another two sets are getting close, and the last set is still soft and plush and nowhere near used up. I think it's a better idea just to get better-quality towels.

Good quality make-up brushes should last years and years, especially if you wash them every month or so. I have had brushes for 15 years and they are still going strong!

@puella: My thoughts exactly. What's so horrible about a little wear and tear? I have towels that are over 5 years old that show little-to-no wear, but should they fray a little around the edges, I just fold them with the edges in.

I do replace pillows every couple years--I haven't found a way to keep non-down pillows clean and comfortable. Any suggestions? @pinkandfluffy, where have you found these pillow experts?

My good quality feather-and-down pillows (http://www.warmthingsonline.com) are lasting hands down way better than the poly ones I bought in a hurry when I moved here ten years ago:
One of my favorite towels is over twenty years old, worn a little thin but intact (though I tend to use my tough Coyuchi):
I have a homespun, handwoven rough linen pillowcase made by my great-grandmother, still in perfect condition!
Nasty cheap poly-cotton will be grubby and lumpy very soon. I confidently expect my linen bedding to last way longer than I will! http://roughlinen.com

Great idea, @ Adelia! I have some old towels that I've been hanging onto because it seems wasteful to get rid of them. But I am going to take them to the Humane Society for their Trap, Neuter, and Release program for feral cats. Thanks!!

I buy high quality items, and they last for at least ten years. Really good non-down pillow that stands up to washing: look for ones with lyocell stuffing.

I'm feeling slightly nauseated now at the thought of the population of North America deciding to get new towels every 2 years. A vision of landfills chock full of cotton loop springs to mind. Please, buy good-quality linens and towels, take good care of them, and use them as long as you can.

I don't think any average household can afford to replace these items every 2 years. O_O
Unless you scrub your floor with your towels everyday for 2 years, I doubt your towels will look old in 2 years.

Aside from toothbrushes and spices, this is ridiculous and wasteful. The item I agree should get replaced every few years is a pillow, although many pillows can be laundered and covers can be replaced.

count me amongst those who just avoid using a bathmat altogether. the concept is pretty gross to me. anyone else remember the simpsons episode where lisa remarked that marge's heart is like their bathmat, absorbing everything that touches it? exactly. it's the same issue i have with people who don't squeeze out their kitchen sponges after use... ewwwwww.

most bathroom floors are designed to get wet, and then they dry off.

I can't stand it when people use allergies as an excuse to be wasteful. I have severe allergies and a compromised immune system yet I don't throw things away. Invest in a high quality air purifier, vacuum and dust your home on a regular basis and for extra measure invest in some allergy covers for your pillows, mattress, duvet, and box spring. They make nice ones that don't feel like plastic and they prevent dust mites from making a home in your bedding.

I agree with everyone else, replace most things as needed unless it could pose a safety risk (smoke detector batteries and the like).

I think that spices last longer if stored away from heat.

I dry myself before stepping out of the shower, so I don't use a bath mat. I wrap dry my hair in a towel before air drying it, and don't use a hair dryer. A bath cloth is plenty to dry the rest of me. My husband dries himself after stepping out and prefers to use a bath mat. Some towels get softer and more absorbent over time, maybe because I don't use fabric softener. How bath linens are used and cleaned affects how long they last.

Like the rest, I find this post utterly ridiculous. I have bath towels that still work great after a decade. When they get frayed we switch them to the rag bin and use in place of paper towels for wiping dogs feet, cleaning, etc. I also agree about those who mentioned fabric softener - it will make towels less absorbent and I found once I stopped using it my textiles looked newer longer.

And cosmetic brushes, I have some high quality MAC and Trish McEvoy ones that are 15 years old and still great condition. I wash with a gentle shampoo, dry flat and there is no reason to ever toss them purely on purchase date.

Pathetic post as many have stated. I'd like to add that if your towels already look old after 2 years you are also probably washing them after every 1st or 2nd use, which is also wasteful of water and energy. And furthermore, just because the author suggests repurposing or donating, it doesn't mean she is being green because you are still going to be consuming a brand new product, and that requires things which often include pesticides, energy for production, petroleum for shipping, and materials for packaging. So it's still not green.

use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

Absolutely, Jdad!

I really want to replace the towels my mother gave me a few years ago because they clash with the walls in my new bathroom, but they are just in such good condition I can't justify it. I also have towels that I bought ten years ago that I still use and would still display if they hadn't gotten ink stains when I accidentally ran them through the wash with a ballpoint.

I wonder if some higher-end towels may actually wear less well than middle-of-the-pack towels in some cases - longer, more luxurious loops can be more susceptible to catching and pulling, and softer fibers don't always wear as well as tougher scratchier ones (not that my towels are scratchy! they're lovely!).

I was just thinking about the makeup brush thing recently. I've been using a mineral powder for over a year now; the brush is connected to the jar containing the powder and I don't think there's an easy way to separate it. There's still a lot of powder left so I don't want to toss it yet. Should I try to clean it, and how?

re: spice storage
I always cringe when I look through design magazines and see people putting built-in spice racks next to their ovens, or who line their spices up above the range. HELLO!? The heat is bad for them! Keep spices cool and they'll last longer!

I've had some cardamon sealed tightly in a jar in a cool spot of my kitchen, and it's just as powerful now as it was when I bought it three years ago.

Ridiculous!!!! I have some towels from 25 years ago that look almost new. Yes they were good towels and no I don't treat them specially they get thrown in the machine in warm water.

I also have bed sheets from 30 years ago. They wash up nicer than my sheets from the last few years, and never wrinkle.

Are we talking about bath mats that are just thicker towels?? I've had those for 20 years too, with no sign of much wear.

I'd much rather spend money on something else than needlessly replacing towels etc.

Am I using my towels wrong or something? Maybe I'm not drying my self vigorously enough. My towels are 5 and 12 years old.

hyzen...why do your pillows smell??? I have pillows still from my mom that I took to college.....long time ago:) And they don't smell. Do you keep a hypo cover on them? Perhaps invest in natural fiber pillows rather than poly fill? Weird buddy:)

enginerrgirl....keep the makeup but buy a separate brush. If you try and wash that one it will get all moldy since its attached and won't air out all the way

Getting rid of towels that often is very wasteful. I have very old towels that are a bit raggedy but they are clean, and they do the job. I have "new" ones for my guests that I never use. That way they stay looking new.

Makeup brushes don't need to be thrown out as long as they aren't shedding too much. I have many quality makeup brushes that are at least 3 years old. I wash my brushes every week with my skin cleanser and set them out to dry on their sides. If you let them dry upright, water could seep into the ferrule and cause the glue to weaken.

I do buy new pillows often though. The thought that after two years half of the weight of the pillow could be dust mites and dust mite feces is too gross.

Better towel strategy: Buy towels that are good quality in nice colors that will give pleasure for years to come. My current towels: purchased in 2000 or 2001, Garnet Hill house brand, 100% cotton, neither the cheapest nor ridiculously pricey. They look great. They fluff up nicely.

My towels from 1995? I use them for yoga class, road trips (in case the place I stay runs out of towels), beauty treatments, beach house, homemade rags and washcloths, to protect a mirror or a painting when I am rearranging the household.... Old towels have a million uses and if you travel with them, you don't worry about losing them.

However, this post DID inspire me to wash my pillows, so all is not lost! My pillows are good quality, and I don't want to throw them out. I've never washed a pillow before but I think it is time. In fact, I would love to see a post here that shows us how to wash a pillow. Maybe discuss the different kinds of fillings.

Do I really need to buy a tennis ball? Can I roll up a bunch of old clean gym socks into a hard ball and use that instead?

Please consider this instead: "How to make your stuff feel new."

And I am glad I save my clothes. If you don't wear something for awhile, you may come to love it later. It happens to me a LOT.