One of the best ways to organize medicine is to create a separate medicine cabinet. This way, you can keep common medications on lower shelves, out of children’s reach. You can also use a small drawer organizer to store unused medicines. By sorting medicines into compartments, you’ll be able to access them easily. It’s also helpful to label each drawer so that family members can easily find the right medicine.
Dispose of expired medications
It is extremely important to properly dispose of expired medications. Some of them can be harmful to your health and those of your family. First of all, you must check the expiration date of each medication. Also, you must know how to safely store them. For example, don’t crush pills or capsules. Instead, put them in a sealed plastic bag or container. You should also remove any personal information from the bottle. You can either write over the information or use a permanent marker.
A survey showed that more than half of respondents said that they didn’t know how to properly dispose of expired medications. One-third of them said they simply threw them in the garbage. Another third said they donated or returned the medications to the hospital. The study also found that 80% of respondents were in favor of developing a prototype application to guide proper medication disposal.
When disposing of expired medications, you must take them to an authorized DEA disposal site. Make sure that you keep them in a cool place, out of sunlight and moisture. Keeping them in a cool, dry place will help to maintain the potency of the medication until the expiration date.
Besides affecting the environment, expired medicines can become dangerous for your health. They may be contaminated with bacteria and can no longer provide the desired effects. Additionally, expired medicines contain chemicals that degrade and lose their effectiveness over time. This makes them a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. It’s always better to dispose of them properly to protect your family’s health.
Drug take-back sites are available at many pharmacies. These drug take-back sites accept prescription medications and offer free disposal bags. You can also mail back expired medications to the DEA. The DEA also maintains a website where you can find a local take-back location.
Use clear plastic bins
If you’re searching for a way to organize your medicine cabinet without sacrificing cabinet space, consider using clear plastic bins. This way, you can see what’s inside each container without compromising visibility. They also protect your medicines from dust and other unfriendly elements. Plus, they free up cabinet space. To keep your organization system going, you can label each container to make it easy to find what you’re looking for.
When organizing your medicine supplies, consider the different types and sizes of containers available. Clear plastic bins are ideal for storing tall items, such as bottles, boxes, and medicines. You can easily pull out the bin to find the item you’re looking for, and they’re also easy to clean. You can also get larger units if you have a larger collection of supplies.
You can also use a lazy Susan to rotate through your medicine supplies. While medicine should not be stored on a lazy Susan, it’s still useful for storing items like cotton balls, band aids, and wraps. To help keep your medicine organized, use labels on the containers to make it easy to identify what’s what.
Add storage solutions to cabinet door
If your medicine cabinet is a disaster, you can easily organize it by adding a small storage solution to the door. You can place a toothbrush holder, for example, or magnetic strips to hold other small metal items. These solutions can keep your medicine cabinet organized and make finding what you need easier.
If you’re struggling to find space for bulky, taller items, you can try adding adjustable shelves to the door. This will give you more room for bulky essentials and also give you a better idea of how much space you have. However, you should keep in mind that the bulkier items are better stored in a closet than in a medicine cabinet. Moreover, place the items that you use most often on the shelves that are easily accessible.