1) Read the care label. If the duvet is dry clean only, take it to your dry cleaners! Washing a dry clean-only duvet can result in shrinkage, and it will no longer fit over your existing comforter.

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2) Pre-treat any stains if the duvet cover is washable. Spray the stain with stain remover and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. This will allow the stain remover to soak into the fabric. Let it sit for a longer period of time if the area is badly stained, but do not allow the pre-treatment spray to dry.

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Most of us forget to clean household beauty items we use every day, but a little extra elbow grease goes a long way in ensuring better hygiene and clearer skin. Read on to discover the why, how, and how often of getting your beauty tools up to code—and treat yourself to less breakouts and allergies.

1. Your toothbrush

Why: If you’ve been sick recently, it’s time to disinfect your toothbrush in order to bid adieu to any illness-related germs. Likewise if you share toothpaste in your household, which, if your and others’ brush touches the toothpaste tube, is like playing tonsil hockey with whoever used the paste last. Gross!

How: Toss your brush, throw it in the dishwasher, or boil it for five minutes. Or, if you’re using a more pricey electric brush, pop the head in the microwave for 10 seconds to zap bacteria.

How often: Sanitize your toothbrush every few weeks and completely replace your brush about every three months, or as soon as the bristles have begun to fray or remain bent as a result of use.

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2. Your Hairbrush

Why: You know all that oil, dandruff, and hair product that you wash out of your hair every (or every other) day? Well, all that debris stays on your hairbrush unless you clean it. If you don’t, every time you use your hairbrush you are depositing all that grime right back onto your clean hair, making your hair dirtier faster.

How: Remove hair from the brush with a comb and dispose of it in the trash, or get crazy and use that bundle of hair as an all natural bump-it. Once the hair’s been recycled or tossed, load your hairbrush into the flatware tray in your dishwasher. Fill with dishes, start the cycle, walk away, and come back to unload a like-new hair-care tool!

How often: Wash it once a month or whenever the collection of stray hair becomes noticeable and distracting.

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