Medicines accumulate quicker than you think. While you are reading this, your medicine cabinet is probably full of medications that you didn’t even know you had. Given how important medicines are, you don’t really think about decluttering them. You assume that every medicine that you own right now is important and might be needed in future.
But I’m here to remind you that your medicine cabinet needs to be decluttered right now. Given that medicines are nothing but salts and chemical compositions, they are prone to get expired over time and can be hazardous for your health if accidentally consumed.
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Remember all the medications you bought when you caught a flu 2 years ago? What did you do with the leftover medicine strips? And those bottles of cough syrup that are almost empty? Are you holding on to medicines that are probably contaminated because of being stored improperly?
Your medicine cabinet is one of those places that are likely to get overlooked while decluttering but that doesn’t make it less important than any other place in your house. And if you’re looking for the right way to declutter it, here’s some tips that can help:
1. Empty Out The Cabinet
It always helps to start with a clean slate which is why you must pull everything out of the medicine cabinet and gather all the items in a single place. You can use the floor or a table as your workstation, but make sure that there’s nothing inside the cabinet once you’ve emptied it out.
2. Check The Expiration Dates
Before you start sorting through the medicines to figure out what stays and what goes, grab every single item and check the expiry date. Don’t leave out the eye drops, cough syrups and nasal sprays. Every strip/tube/bottle of expired medicine should go straight into the box labelled as ‘Trash’. Don’t throw the expired medications in the garbage yet because they need to be disposed of as per the stated guidelines.
3. Look For Contaminated or Discoloured Medicines
Given that medicines are nothing but chemical compounds that break down over time, you may find some that smell a bit odd or are discoloured or contaminated. You’ll also find syrups that have dried out making them unfit for consumption. There may be strips of tablets and injections that are contaminated because of being stored improperly and some others that might have fallen out of their original containers. Any of these medications that you believe aren’t in their original state should be tossed in the box labelled as ‘Trash’.
4. Set Aside The Leftover Medications From A Previous Illness
If you had caught a flu or an illness some months ago and have some leftover pills from it sitting in your medicine cabinet, it’s time to deal with them. Assuming that most of these leftover strips and syrups are prescription drugs, make sure that you toss them into the ‘Donate’ box right away.
5. Sort Through The Remaining Medicines
Now that you’ve gotten rid of the expired medications and the leftovers from a previous illness, it’s time to sort through the remaining items.
Make sure that you only hold on to prescription drugs that are currently being taken by someone in your family or generic medicines like pain relief tablets (headache, stomach-ache, etc.) or cough syrups. Any medicine apart from the ones mentioned should go straight to the ‘Donate’ box.
You may also find supplements that you don’t plan on consuming in future and some others that you want to replace with natural or better options. Toss them in the ‘Donate’ box and put the remaining ones in the ‘Keep’ box.
6. Put The Remaining Medicines Back
Now that you’ve sorted through the entire pile of medicines, it’s time to organize them back inside the cabinet. Make sure that you clean and sanitize the inside of your medicine cabinet before putting the medications back into it. Ideally, you should have separate medicine storage containers for every of the family to make sure that no one consumes the medicine prescribed for someone else accidentally.
You can use plastic storage containers and weekly pill organizers for storing the medicines. Carry pill pouch bags and pill cases while travelling. For storing the supplements, you can use a supplement organizer with compartments.
7. Discard The Expired Medicines
It’s time to grab that ‘Trash’ box and dispose of the medicines that are unfit for consumption. Do not make the mistake of throwing the expired strips and empty bottles straight into the trash or flushing them down the drain.
Prescription drugs can be dangerous if accidentally consumed which is why you must always take them out of their original packaging, crush them up into pieces and put them into a ziploc bag. Also add some soil/sand/salt or any other powdered substance that makes the bag look undesirable for consumption and toss it in the trash.
The empty syrup bottles, since they are made of glass, can be dropped at a recycling centre. If there is any leftover syrup inside the expired bottle, empty it out before dropping it for recycling.
8. Where To Donate The Usable Medicines?
Medicine strips or bottles that are unopened or unused can be dropped at a charity organization or a donation centre near you. Many charity organizations also accept the medications sent over in mail. You can also ask your local pharmacy if they are willing to buy the unused medicines for some cash or for free.
Many charities and communities organize collection drives for turning in unused medicines and first-aid supplies. You can also visit a nearby hospital and ask them if they accept leftover medications and first-aid supplies.
Now that you’ve decluttered your medicine cabinet, make sure that you keep sifting through it every six months. Not only will it help keep you and your family safe but will also ensure that you stay on top of clutter and do not let it get out of control.