It’s a good idea at the beginning of a new  year to take stock of the items that you’ve had for some time that ought to be checked for their efficacy or replaced. You may not think about it daily, but certain items you rely on reach their shelf life, even though the look just fine. At the beginning of each year, look through some of these items and see what needs to be replaced.

Pillows: Since pillows spend so much time near your face absorbing oils, saliva, and other bodily secretions, these items really ought to be replaced four times a year, but you may as well throw out the ones you’re still sleeping on to kick off the year.

Dried Spices and Herbs: Though these items don’t necessarily go “bad,” dried spices and herbs begin to lose their flavor after a year or so, so you should replace these every year.

Wet Makeup: As long as you care for it properly, your wet makeup, including moisturizers, should last about a year. The big concerns for these substances are their hosting bacteria and their own chemical decomposition. Although good makeup can be expensive, making sure the substances are on your face are safe is tantamount.

Sunscreen: Same general concept. After too long, the chemicals in sunscreen that keep you safe from the sun’s harmful rays start to break down, so applying the lotion is a useless endeavor in the prevention of skin cancer. Since it’s wintertime anyways, throw out the old stuff and stock up on new sunscreen for the spring.

Smoke Detector Batteries: Statistics suggest that three out of five home fire deaths occur because of battery problems in smoke detectors. Testing your smoke detectors every year may be annoyingly tedious, but it could keep you and your loved ones safe. Making this a new year’s tradition, the Testing of the Smoke Detector Batteries, may help you keep the habit up.

Non-stick Cookware: Teflon has been proven to have carcinogenic effects if ingested, so producers of the item suggest replacing the cookware every two years or whenever the non-stick coating start to show tear or scratches.

Over the Counter Medicine: Painkillers, cold meds, and stomach soothers do have limited shelf lives, but if they’re not used frequently, you may not realize just how long you’ve been reaching into the same old box. Use the new year as a time to check on all your medicines’ expiration dates.