Suffering from allergies? Here's a simple solution that might really please you: Don't make your bed in the morning.

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That carton of milk in your fridge is stamped with an expiration date, but what about your pillow? Prescription medications, mattresses, vitamins, contact lens solution, and other items all need to be replaced after some time. It's important to replace these items to preserve your health -- in time allergens can build up or the efficacy of the product can wear off. But how do you know what needs to be replaced... and when?

• Smoke alarms. Change detectors after 10 years.
• Pillows. Replace bedroom pillows once a year.
• Mattresses. Replace after 5-10 years.
• Vitamins. Replace after two years.
• Fire extinguishers. Replace after 10 years.
  

Knowing when to replace items as they wear out can help keep your family safe and healthy.

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Here's an important hygiene issue that many of us don't think about too often: our pillows. If you've had the same pillow for over two years, who knows what could be lurking on it. Mold, mites and a plethora of germs can all be lurking where you rest your head at night -- yuck!

Experts recommend that you buy new pillows every 2 years, but if that's not possibly, pillow protectors can help keep out the bad stuff. And according to Fitsugar, you can 'clean' your pillows every few weeks by putting them in the dryer on high heat for 20-minutes or so.

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Children seem to pick up lice at school no matter what you do to keep them washed and groomed. Lice can be spread by hanging coats, scarves, and caps together or using someone else's comb, brush, etc. They live on the clothing (especially in the seams), travel to the skin once a day for a meal, then back onto the clothing. So even if you properly bath every day, you still can get lice from being exposed to clothing where is is taking refuge. Lice live about 30 days, and the female lays about ten eggs a day. The tiny eggs (nits) are laid at the base of a hair shaft. As the hair grows, the nits are carried upward and can be seen. They look like tiny black or rust-colored spots at, or near, the base of the hair. They can even be found on the chest, beard, and eyelashes.

Here are some natural ways to get rid of lice without putting harsh chemicals on their heads, hair, or bodies. Heat combs and brushes to 151o F. for 5-10 minutes and then soak them for an hour in 2% Lysol solution. Launder clothing and bedding in hot water. Things that you cannot wash like pillows, put in a plastic bag or sack for 10 days. Soak the place on the body for 30 minutes in very warm, soapy, water. Hot vinegar or a 50-50 vinegar/water mixture applied to the scalp will loosen eggs, so they can be vigorously combed out of the hair with a fine-toothed comb. Garlic compresses can be placed on the scalp for 2 hours and then thoroughly comb hair. Mayonnaise smothered on the hair and wrapped in plastic can smother the lice and then you shampoo them out. And don't forget to vacuum carpets frequently and properly dispose of the vacuum bags or dirt from the canister so that the lice and eggs do not get back into the house. Whatever method you use, keep in mind that there is a 14-day cycle for lice and their eggs so you must work intensely for a little over 2 weeks on your body, clothing, and home if you are to have success.

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