Hi friends! Happy Friday, although lately every day feels like Friday so not sure that it matters. Today’s post is pretty topical given the pandemic going on but also, it’s National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day! Oh yea, that’s a real thing. So in honor of this, um, holiday of sorts, I thought I would share my tips and tricks for how to organize the medicine cabinet. An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but so can an organized cabinet with medicines that aren’t expired.
Now, organizing this space will vary depending on whether you actually have a medicine cabinet (anyone still have the cabinets hidden behind a mirror? I miss those. They were so practical!), or if you keep them in the kitchen (so many people do this which I personally could never wrap my head around but listen, you do you!), or if you store them in a closet.
So let’s get to it! Here are some of my best tips and favorite tidying hacks for how to organize the medicine cabinet.
Note: This post does use affiliate links so if you purchase from my link I make a small commission.
GO THROUGH THE MEDS
The first step in how to organize the medicine cabinet is to go through each medication and toss what is expired, empty, etc. I’m always amazed at how many expired medications I have.
Pro Tip: Don’t flush them! It really is best to contact your pharmacy and see how to properly dispose of them. Now, have I been known to throw out some expired Tylenol a time or two? Yes. But don’t flush medications and no matter what, if they are a narcotic definitely contact your pharmacy. I once knew someone who thought you could just throw away narcotics and opioids in the trash!
After you’ve gone through the medications, ointments, band aids, etc. and you know what is going back, then you can…..
WIPE DOWN
Simply wipe down the shelves or containers with vinegar water or whatever disinfecting all-purpose cleaner you use. You’ll be amazed at how much dust and grime accumulates. If you have glass shelves, take them out and wash them or use glass cleaner.
PUT EVERYTHING BACK / ORGANIZE
Now comes the fun part! How to organize the medicine cabinet will depend on where your medicine cabinet is. They say you don’t want to store medications and prescriptions directly in the bathroom because the steam can impact their effectiveness. I, personally, have always stored medications in a bathroom and never had an issue. But this could explain why so many people keep them in the kitchen. That, and I think because they are easier to grab quickly since we are in the kitchen more often.
Either way, the same rules apply. Sort like with like. If using a shelf in a cabinet you could also organize by height, but sometimes you have to choose whether you want to sort by height or category. I tend to go by category, so my pain relievers are all together, ointments together, anti-itch things together, and so on. Now, if you take several prescriptions each day then you might just want to group by order that you take them. Just come up with some system that is functional but looks tidy.
THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY
Truly, functional and practical is best. For Leyton’s bathroom I organize all the kid medications in a bin with sections and store it in his closet.
For our medications, because we really don’t use them that often or have too many, I simply keep them all together in a bin with a lid and label it. You can always keep things like band aids or sample packets of products in separate containers so they aren’t sliding all around the bin.
COOL, DRY AND HARD TO REACH
This is an old rule we all know but an important reminder none the less. No matter where you store your medications, keep them in a cool, dry place and out of reach of little ones.
CONSIDER BINS OR TRAYS
Not every space will need bins or trays but if storing medications on a closet shelf I find they come in hand. Turn tables are another good option. Here are some of my favorite bins to use. As always The Container Store has everything you would need. Click each picture below to shop.
Alright friends, that does it! Just some simple tips and tricks for how to organize the medicine cabinet. I like to do this every 6 months or so just to keep up with the expired ones. There’s nothing worse then needing a med only to realize it’s expired and less effective. When you organize this space often you avoid that from happening and don’t have things taking up space that shouldn’t be there.
If you like this post be sure to pin it so you always have it on hand and follow me on Pinterest for more organizing and cleaning tips and tricks, while you’re there.
Have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here next week!
