If you have ever rummaged through your medicine cabinet searching for relief from a runny nose or an aching head, only to find half-empty prescription bottles and expired bottles of cough syrup- you very well realize how important it is to keep your medicine space organized.
Well-organized and well-stocked medicine cabinets offer you a convenient place to store and access your medications along with first-aid supplied when you need them. Most people keep their medicine cabinets in the bathroom. However, you can install it anywhere you want. Always remember to locate it in the area where your children can’t access them, when you keep all your medical items in one area, as it is easier to find them and order refills whenever required.
Here are some tips to help you organize your medicine cabinet.
Store All Your Medical Supplies at One Place
People are taking pills today more than ever in recent history. Whether it is prescription medicine or over-the-counter drugs such as rashes, allergies, scrapes, headaches, or more, when all of your medication is available and accounted for, then there is no need to search far and wide when you require them. Store all your medical items in the medicine cabinet. When all the medicines are gathered in one spot, you find the perfect space to keep them organized.
Keep the Space Clean
It is imperative to store the medications along with other medical items in a hygienic and clean space. You might keep items like cotton swabs, gauze, and bandages along with your other medical items. Make sure that these medical supplies remain clean. Liquid medications such as cough syrup may leak sometimes. So, ensure to keep the cabinet shelves clean before you place your supplies. Besides, you can use easy-to-wipe paper to line your shelves as it offers a more sanitized and sterile surface.
Look for the Ideal Location
While looking for a space for your medical supplies and medicines, selecting a dry and cool space is vital. This is the reason behind some people might not select to store their medicines in the bathroom. The moisture and heat that fill the space when you shower can damage the medicines. Some prefer to designate a shelf of the pantry or a closet for medical items. But, be careful if you have kids at home. Perhaps you can buy a chest with special locking to keep your medicines secure and safe and away from the reach of the children.
Remove and Discard Expired Medications
Surprisingly, many items end up in your medicine cabinet when they don’t even belong there. You might find several misplaced items there, such as buttons, earring backs, or hair bands. In order to make sure that your medicine cabinet remains fully functional space, remove all the unwanted items from there and discard the expired medications. Keep track and check your medical items and get rid of all the expired ones from time to time. Besides, before you add any medications to your medicine cabinet, review their expiration dates. It would help if you discarded all unused and old prescriptions, medicated creams, ointments, and over-the-counter drugs. If the container lacks the expiration date, take a look at the container and if it appears damaged or old, discard it. Mark the date of purchase on the containers without expiration dates.
Organization
Organizing the medicine cabinet varies from individual to individual. For example, if you have to take medication on a daily basis, you may like to group these as such and not on the types of the drugs. Some people want to organize their medications by categories, such as anti-fungal creams, cold remedies, allergy medications, and so on. If you don’t want to organize your pills by your schedule or categories, you can arrange them alphabetically, making it easier for you or anyone in your house can retrieve the medicines easily when required.
Use Pill Organizers
For those who take medications daily or weekly, pill organizers are ideal. You have an option to organize your doses in a convenient pill organizer, have markings for all the days of a week and store them in your medicine cabinet. They are labelled by day, which is helpful for those who might forget whether they have taken their medicines for the day or not. Besides, it is quite helpful when you are taking multiple medications because, in this case, it is quite easy to forget to take them or miss out on anyone’s dose. Pill organizers are available in several variable sizes. If you are sharing the pill organizer with another member of your house, ensure to mark your names on them to avoid confusion.
Use the Medicine Cabinet Door Tactfully
The medicine cabinet door may have shelves that help you to organize items. You can use the door shelves tactfully to store the item you reach for regularly or daily. Such items can be nail clippers, tweezers, daily prescription medicines, or vitamins. It would help if you did not overload the door’s shelves with the extra mess or become cumbersome to search your items.
Hang a List on the Cabinet Door
You can hang a list or a dry erase board on the inside of your cabinet door with a message reminding members to throw away empty medicine packaging and bottles. It can also be used to note down the list of items in need of replenishment and reminders to take medication. Besides, you can mention all the items in the medicine cabinet, so it is to know whether you have the medicine for the particular concern or need to call the pharmacy.
Conclusion- Keep Regular Track of the Medication
The best cure for a helter-skelter medicine cabinet is to avoid being caught unprepared. Therefore, be sure to keep regular track of all the medical items in your cabinet. It would be helpful to check every three to six months to get rid of empty medicine bottles and expired medications. Besides, order the refills as required. Always keep your medicine cabinet well-stocked to be able to fulfill the needs of your household. An organized and stocked-up medicine cabinet makes sure that you can access the medications immediately at the time of need.