Cold and flu season is a great time to declutter your medicine cabinet and first aid supplies… here are a few practical tips to help you start and complete this project today!
When was the last time you dug through your entire medicine cabinet and first aid supplies to declutter, organize, and restock?
Do you even know what you have on hand? Do you know if things are expired? Or what you might need more of when sickness strikes?
If not, it’s time to tackle this project.
The tips I share below will hopefully help the process go smoothly… and since there aren’t many emotional decisions when it comes to expired medication, this should be a “quick win” for you to cross off your list!
But first, in case you’re wondering why our “medicine cabinet” is built into our hallway wall, I should share that it was actually a doorway that led into our office (see the renovation here).
When we renovated our main floor in 2011, we closed off this doorway from the office side but framed in part of the opening on the hallway side as a large, out-of-the-way storage spot for medical supplies and first aid items.
It’s the perfect spot as it’s right off our master bathroom and hidden from general viewing. Plus, it was otherwise unused space. All these years (and children) later, it continues to meet our needs well.
Note: our home was built in 1890, and our walls are very thick (about 8″). This idea might not work in more modern homes with 2×4 walls.
Practical Tips to Organize Your Medicine Cabinet
As with almost every project I tackle (big or small), I implement “4 Ps” — Pull it out, Purge, Prioritize, and Put away.
Here’s how that might look for your medicine cabinet project.
1. Pull Everything Out
Pull out all your medical and first aid supplies from wherever you store them.
You can lay things out on your bathroom counter, the kitchen table, or even the floor.
2. Purge
Make quick decisions, purging anything expired first, followed by empty boxes and bottles next.
Then, weed through what’s left and determine if it’s anything you’re actually going to use again in the near future. If not, trash or donate it.
3. Prioritize / Categorize
As you declutter your items, start categorizing them into groups that make sense for YOU (there is no “right way” to do this).
Here are a few categories you might consider:
- bandages/gauze/tape
- creams/ointments
- children’s meds
- over-the-counter pain meds
- prescription meds
- cold and flu meds
- vitamins and supplements
- backstock toiletries
- misc.
4. Put Things Away
Again, there isn’t a “right way” or a “right place” to put your first aid items, medicine, and toiletries… whatever feels like it could work best for you, your family, and your home right now (you are allowed to change this in the future!)
I simply use small shoe boxes from when my kids had tiny feet, nothing fancy, expensive, or super pretty — but it’s practical and it works for us.
A Few More Tips:
1. Combine like items in one box.
Have you ever noticed that bandages, cough drops, and similar items come in boxes and bags that are only half full?
I combine these items to save lots of space in our cabinet.
And… while I know not everyone would agree with me, I also combine like-medicines if they have the same (or close to the same) expiration date.
2. Write expiration dates on each box/bottle.
I can’t ever seem to find the tiny-print expiration dates, so I’ve gotten in the habit of writing them on the box or bottle with a big black Sharpie so I don’t need to search so hard.
It only takes a few seconds when I’m putting new items away but saves me lots of searching throughout the year.
Plus, it makes it really easy to notice when something is expired or needs to be tossed out.
3. Use your space for whatever works for you.
Don’t get hung up on the idea that you must only store medical supplies or first aid supplies in your medicine cabinet area.
We actually use our medicine cabinet to store most of our hair products as I sometimes do a child’s hair while someone else is in the bathroom.
This is sort of strange, but it has worked for us for over 10 years now!
4. Keep a list of things you need to buy.
As you purge and organize your items, take note of things you are tossing due to it being empty or expired, and make a plan to repurchase those items the next time you’re at the store (or just quickly order them on Amazon).
That way, you won’t be out of a certain item the next time you need it (likely in the middle of the night).
5. Rip the tops off your boxes.
This might seem insignificant, but ripping the tops off my boxes of first aid supplies has always been helpful as they are easier to access and easier to notice when we’re running low on a particular item.
Also, it’s easier to see exactly what’s inside — which is helpful for letting kids independently get their own bandages or cough drops!
I’ll be honest, this is one of those organizing projects you don’t really need to do to keep your home functioning smoothly… so I understand if it’s not high up on your priorities.
That said, it’s also one of those projects that once it’s done, you’re good to go for a long time and likely don’t need to mess with it for another year.
I challenge you to take 20-30 minutes to pull out, purge, prioritize, and put away your medicines and first aid supplies… then cross that project off your list for the next year!
Edna says
It is my understanding that the Armed Forces use medicines way past the expiration date without a problem although I do not remember where I read about it, so sometimes we have used something up to a year past if we needed something before we could get a doctor’s appointment. Some problems do return occasionally that you have medication for–like seasonal allergies or dermatological problems–but if it has been a while you might not have a new bottle on hand, and by waiting to buy new, you have at least extended the date on the new one. I think that makes sense–at least that is the way we look at it.
Andrea says
this is good to know — thanks for sharing!
Carol L Triebel says
I generally mark the containers if I buy more than one at a time if i find a good sale. Example 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc. When I open the item marked 4 of 4 I know it’s time to watch for a sale. This system also lets me know how fast I use something so if it takes me more than a year to use all four items, I really don’t need to purchase so many even though they are on sale. As you’ve said in your posts, there is a cost to storage–even if it’s something you use rather regularly.
Andrea says
great tips Carol!
Audrey says
What great timing! I just saw this post and have been putting off organizing our medicine cabinet. Thanks for the nudge!
Andrea says
haha — perfect timing! Looks like you have a great afternoon project now 🙂
Lauren Kirby says
I love this! Thanks for sharing. My medicine cabinet could use some attention for sure.
tina says
i wish this was as easy for me. as a coupon-er, i have overstock on everything. for example, of all my chewable vitamins, i have over 175 that are still new unopened unexpired packages. i would love to donate, but i dont have that luxury being single unemployed and paying something out of pocket for each one. regular medicines are even more complicated. i especially dont have that luxury living in a single room in a share house- i dont have storage space, ie closets etc.
Linda B. says
I take a fine tip Sharpie and write the name of the medication on the lid so it’s easier to find in the drawer I store mine in. It’s particularly helpful because we always buy generic over the counter medications. So instead of naproxen, I write Aleve on the lid. My husband is a biochemist and he’s the only one who knows off the top of his head what all the generic names translate to.
I’m with you on combining bottles. I get one prescription. A 90-day supply comes in three bottles. I open them up and dump them all into the bottle marked 3 of 3…and there is still room to spare! But there’s no confusion that when I start running low on that bottle, it’s time to reorder.
Time for me to clean out our medicine cabinet, too. Thanks for the reminder!
Luba @ Healthy with Luba says
Andrea,
What great tips. Of course expiration dates tend to disappear. I’ve often wondered what the logic was behind filling bottles only halfway.
We don’t have any medicine in our house, and I am going to put these tips to use right away for our bandaids and such!
ShellyL says
Great tips! I love this post. It’s little projects like this that just make your whole household run more smoothly. I’d be interested to know what people think of using medicine that is just “a little bit expired.” I’m always tempted, especially if it’s the middle of the night and ours is expired. It’s amazing how quickly those things expire and you just don’t realize it. Thanks for the tips.
Andrea says
Hi Shelly,
We definitley use medicine after it’s expired (especially just recently). I’ve even talked with nurses about it and they assure me it’s fine. The stuff I throw out is anything that is REALLy expired — like a year or so. If a bottle is almost empty and it’s almost expired (or just expired) I’ll probably just throw it out and buy new, but if it’s a completely full container, I’ll use it for a few months after the expiration date 🙂
Rhonda says
I’d agree with Andrea. Not harmful to use, just maybe not quite as effective. 6 months to a year is a good rule of thumb.
Kim says
Great post Andrea. I do all 3 of your suggestions, plus I have a Google Docs spreadsheet with all the info. It’s set up so that when something is nearing expiration, the expiration date changes color from black to red so that I can easily just glance at it and know what needs to be replaced. I usually print it out and take it to the store so I can check it off as I go.
Andrea says
wow — a spreadsheet! That’s amazing!!
Stephanie says
Great post! A couple of years ago, I cleaned, organized, and checked the dates of our medicines. I also did the same for the spice cabinet. It is surprising how fast those expiration dates come up!
Andrea says
I know — you think “i just bought that” but it’s 3 years expired already!
Joy says
I’ve taken to writing my kids names on the top of the bottles of medicine. I have one using kids and one using infants medicine and in the middle of a sleepless night I want it as easy as possible to be sure I grab the right bottle.
Katie says
Great tips! One more thing that I do is write the name of the medicine on the top of the bottle… I, also, have all our meds arranged in bins, and this makes is super easy to quickly grab what you’re looking for without taking the bottles out of the bins 🙂
Rhonda says
I’m a pharmacist and a mom…great tips Andrea, I do all 3 🙂
Also don’t forget about tubes of ointments and creams – write the expiration big on those too. They are the hardest to decipher! We do the same for our sunscreen sprays and tubes. It’s amazing how often I am at a friend or relatives house and need something…and they pull out a product that is over 10 years old!
Andrea says
oh good — glad I’m not the only one combining medicines to save space!!
And thanks for the tip about creams and sunscreens. I DO write the expiration date on creams, but I haven’t done it for sunscreen (probably because we don’t store that in our medicine cabinet so I don’t think about it).
Also, since you are a pharmacist, do you have any tips or recommendations for the “best” way to dispose of expired meds?
Rhonda says
If possible, it’s best to get your expired medications to a “med drop” location. In our county in rural Wisconsin, our sheriffs department has a continuous process for taking back any expired medications. I would suggest check with local hospitals (maybe ask to speak to one of the inpatient pharmacists), retail pharmacies, or sheriffs department (especially now that places are focusing on getting expired or unused opioids out of communities). Some cities even have a once or twice a year “med drop” location set up.
Andrea says
Thanks so much — this was super helpful!
Carol says
I have never thought about combining bottles, but I also purge mine annually in January. I also check the sunscreen and deodorant expiration dates (who knew!) from personal experience; my son got a sunburn going to a water park at the beginning of the season when he was in high school because he used left over sunscreen out of our closet and I thought my deodorant had become less effective only to find out that it was expired (over a year, I used to be big on couponing and stocking up). I have also noticed expiration dates on toothpaste! I am now much more aware of expiration dates when I am shopping and have learned not to keep quite so much stock!
As empty nesters who are watching our weight, I don’t bake too often. So this is the time of year I clean out and replace spices and baking supplies while most of it is on sale for holiday baking.
Andrea says
oh definitley combine bottles — they are always less than half full so you’ll save a BUNCH of space!!
And good tip on the sunscreen. I’ve always wondered if it really ‘expires’ or if it’s just a gimmick to get us to buy more 🙂