| It’s February: Time for a new challenge! This month we are keeping it quick and easy to accomplish! Having an organized medicine cabinet can be a real time and money saver since you will know exactly what you have! Follow these simple steps and you will be on your way! |
1. Purge
Remove all the items in your cabinet so you can easily look at each item and check for expiration dates. You can also discard items that are no longer being used. Keep a list of expired medications that need to be repurchased so you can be prepared for seasonal coughs and colds!
2. Safely Dispose of Medication
Medicines that are expired need to be disposed of carefully. Please follow FDA Guidelines to see how to safely discard them. Please check the link for a complete set of guidelines.
**Some police departments and municipalities offer medication drop off spots for safe disposal.**
3. Sort By Category
Once you sort and categorize your medicines, you can decide how many containers you will need.
You may want different containers for each category.
These can be: First Aid, Cough & Cold, Pain Relief, Muscle Ache Relief, Allergy Medicines, Upset Stomach/Digestive Medicine, Vitamins, Lotions.
If you have a few items that do not fit into one of these categories, you can also add a container for miscellaneous or infrequently used items.
**Consider making family member, or kid specific bins if applicable.**
4. Choose Containers that Fit the Storage Area
Take time to think about where you want to store all your items since this will determine the bins or containers you choose.
While it is common to keep medicines in the bathroom, the humidity from showers is not ideal for medications. It may be worthwhile to find a place that is more temperate.
It is also important to take into consideration any children or pets that are in the home to ensure these items are safely stored out of reach or are locked away!
**The next step is to pick your container type. There are many choices out there, but make sure you choose either clear bins, or bins that are easy to label, so that you can maintain your new system!**
5. Label
Using labels to organize your medicine bins is key! Labels are easy to do and help everyone know where to find what they are looking for and where to put things back after using them. Labels also ensure that things are easy to locate quickly, when necessary.
**You can also use paint markers to write directly on bins.**
Happy Organizing!
For more organizing and decorating ideas, please Click Here
