Is Your Cluttered Medicine Cabinet Making You Sick?

If so, the best medicine is prevention, so let’s get busy with this quick but essential task.

An organized medicine cabinet is important for four reasons:
1) You will easily and quickly locate medicines when you need them!
2) You will save money by not purchasing items you already have!
3) Nosy people who just can’t resist looking! It's like using the toilet while you’re on the phone (many do it, few will admit it!)
4) To eliminate expired medicine that is either no longer effective or can cause serious harm to you and your family.

If you don’t have a medicine cabinet, but use a bathroom drawer, linen closet, or kitchen cabinet – the same principals apply.

Purge:
Start by emptying your medicine cabinet. (and if you have medicine in several rooms throughout the house – go get those too!)

* Toss: Expired prescriptions and nonprescription medicines. For new
prescriptions or other medications without expiration dates, mark
the date of purchase on the containers and access after one year.
* Toss: Rusty or dull razors
* Toss: Frayed toothbrushes
* Toss: Products you don’t use. (don’t like, doesn’t work, don’t need
any longer)

After you have purged, take inventory and make a note of anything you need to buy.

Check with your local county authorities on the proper disposal of medicines. Putting in the landfill or water supply is a big no-no for most areas.

Determine Functionality:
The most common use for the medicine cabinet is for health-care and first-aid essentials. Determine if there are personal toiletries; such as shampoo, shaving cream, perfumes, make-up or toothpaste that might be stored elsewhere in the bathroom; such as baskets under the sink, in a drawer or on a shelf to free up valuable space in the medicine cabinet.

Organize:
* Group by category:Pain/Colds/Rashes/Allergies/FirstAid/Digestion/
Tools etc.
* Adjust shelf height if possible and necessary
* Place the most frequently used items to the front
* If you purchase in bulk or have multiples, and space is tight, keep
just ONE in the cabinet and designate a separate area for “excess” to
pull from before you shop.

Contain:
* Place sticky bottles and ointments in a container. Choose clear
containers to keep labels and other supplies in view.
* Place loose items in a container or ziplock bag – keeping like items
together.
* Place a magnetic strip inside the door to hang clippers, tweezers etc.
* Keep medicines out of reach of small children. Also, consider
separating or locking up prescription and/or medicines that can cause
serious harm or are common candidates for abuse, or.. you would like to
keep private :)

Maintain:
* Hang an erasable marker board on the inside of the door. The board can
be used to keep a shopping list of items, refill date reminders,
reminders to take a particular medicine, and finally a reminder to use
up an item before you open another, or to toss out expired or item no
longer needed!
* Leave at least 10% free space to allow for room to add seasonal or new
products.
* Clean out and organize your medicine cabinet at least once a year.