Best Results Organizing

Remember old-fashioned medicine cabinets? They were metal boxes set between two studs in the bathroom wall, with two shelves forming three compartments and a hinged mirror to hide the messy contents from prying eyes.

Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash

Most people don’t use actual medicine cabinets anymore, as stylish modern bathroom mirrors tend to cover more real estate, laying flatter and extending wider and higher. Chances are good that instead of a real medicine cabinet, you’re probably using a shelf or two in a wooden bathroom cabinet or linen closet. The location is different, but the clutter is the same.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH A KEEPING A MEDICINE CABINET IN THE BATHROOM?

The bathroom is actually a terrible place to keep both prescription and over-the-counter drugs, because heat, direct sunlight, air, and moisture all lessen the efficacy of medications. It’s far better to store them in cool, dry locations out of direct sunlight but in an area lit well enough so you can properly read the labels on the bottles and boxes.

Instead, a chest-high shelf in a hallway linen closet or the kitchen, or a secure drawer or shelf in an adult’s bedroom or closet, is a safer approach. When necessary, consider a child-proof latch or lock to prevent children, adults with cognitive deficits, and seniors with dementia from accessing medications.

HOW TO CLEAN OUT THE MEDICINE CABINET

1)  Take everything out of your medicine cabinet.

2)  Wipe down the interior with a disinfecting wipe or a towel moistened with a disinfectant designed for use in bathrooms.

3)  Examine your medications one by one and identify the expiration dates. 

4)  Seal expired medications in a zip-lock bag and put it in a safe place (out of reach of pets, children, and seniors with cognitive decline) in preparation for disposing of them safely.

Call your local pharmacy to see if they accept expired medications for disposal, or take them to a DisposeRX safe Medication disposal kiosk at participating Walgreen’s. (They’ll accept expired prescription medications, lotions, ointments and patches, as well as OTC medications, pet medications, inhalers, and vitamins.) Alternatively, participate in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Days in October and April or use the DEA’s Controlled Substance Disposal Locations search box year-round to find a drop-off location near you.

5) Don’t toss or flush expired meds; if you must get rid of them, mix them with coffee grounds or kitty litter before placing the mixture in a sealed plastic bag and putting it in a secure trash bin. Also get rid of any medications that have changed odor or color or can’t be identified.

6) Determine what all remaining medications do. If you don’t know what a medication is for and it’s not clear from the label, call your pharmacist for assistance. You can also use the Pill Identifier from Drugs.com to enter the color, shape, and imprint of any pill to identify a medication. (From now on, always keep your medications in their original containers, with labels affixed.)

7) Group your prescription medications by person to whom they are prescribed. Group non– prescription medications and products by user (kids, adults, pets) and/or by category (cold medicine, allergy medicine, tummy-settling meds, topical lotions/ointments, bandages, etc.). Store each category on separate shelves or in separate mini-drawers or flat-bottomed containers. Label each shelf or drawer by person or category.

8) Keep non-medication items (razors, beauty products, etc.) in their own containers on separate shelves, away from meds, to prevent clutter and keep the important things front-and-center. For more on what items you should keep in your medicine cabinet, see Declutter Colds and Flu.

9) Put a reminder on your phone or a note on your calendar to clean out the medicine cabinet every six months.

10) If you ever have concerns about proper storage of a medication, call any pharmacy and direct your question to a trained, accredited pharmacist. 

The third Friday in April is National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day, but you don’t have to wait. Organize your home’s healthcare center whenever someone has just gotten over a bout with a bug, or maybe just get it done today. It’ll make you feel so much better!

Copyright © 2017-2020 Julie Bestry and Best Results Organizing. All rights reserved.

About the Author:   Julie Bestry is a professional organizer, speaker, and author, who helps individuals and businesses save time and money, reduce stress and increase productivity through new organizational skills and systems. Her most recent book is 57 Secrets for Organizing Your Small Business. For information on how Julie can turn your chaos into serenity, visit Best Results Organizing at https://www.juliebestry.com.