So you’ve put out a little cash to treat yourself to a little something or spent the last hour clipping, scrubbing and polishing a mani/pedi in your favorite spring color. Here are the top 5 ways to put a dent or scratch in your flawless do:

Hand sanitizer – that’s right, unless your little germ fighter is alcohol-free, applying hand sanitizer on the regular erodes the topcoat and makes nails appear duller.

Folding laundry – a great excuse to pass the task on to your significant other, or just wait for the clothes to cool down. The heat from recently dried clothes softens the nail polish and fades the color.

Texting- back away from the phone! Tapping away on your phone is like tiny torture on your recently manicured tips, causing chips in the paint and weakening your nails.

Drying shortcuts – before you dip your tips in that icy water think again! Icy temperatures cause the nails to flare, creating tiny cracks in the polish.

Scrubs – body or facial scrubs slough off the outer layer of skin, which means they will do the very same to your nail polish. Best advice, do that DIY or at-home scrub before you head out to the salon or swap out your polish.