5 Tips to Organize Your Medicine Cabinet

You’ve seen the commercials or skits where the nosy guest opens the medicine cabinet, only to have all of the medications and shelves come crashing down on them. Is that your experience  every time you go to get something out of your medicine cabinet? Even if it’s not that bad, you can still improve how your organize your medicine cabinet. Here are some tips to help you maximize space and organize your items:

1. Use the Refrigerator

Some medicines must be refrigerated immediately after opening. You probably already have some of those, and have dedicated shelf space in your refrigerator to medicines. If you have extra room, add some items that you usually store in your medicine cabinet there as well. These don’t have to be refrigerated, but nothing would be wrong with keeping it cool. It might be better for the effectiveness of the medications, because they won’t be subject to the humidity in your bathroom. You’ll also create more space in the medicine cabinet to store more things.

2. Buy Plastic Tubs

If you stock prescriptions and over the counter medicines for emergencies, or because you want to take advantage of great sale prices, then stock the extra items in plastic tubs. Don’t clutter your medicine cabinet with the extra items. You can store the plastic tubs in your closet. Keep it well out of reach of your children and pets.

3. Only Shelve Medicines

Remove items from the medicine cabinet before you begin to organize. It’s the not the place to store your makeup, combs and brushes, coins and anything else that’s not medicine. Watch the space in your medicine cabinet “expand” as you clear out misplaced items that should be stored under the bathroom sink, in bathroom cabinet drawers or somewhere else in your apartment. This tip runs contrary to the advice given by some out there, but when you’re dealing with small spaces, it’s best to put everything in its proper place.

4. Group Like-Items

Group medicines that “go together” on the shelves. How you do this is up to you and what you have. For example, if you use medications daily, you might want to dedicate a shelve just to those items. You might group cold and flu medications on one shelf, pain relief medications on the second and first aid supplies on the third. Another option is to group items by family members. Each family member gets half of a shelf for their medications, or an entire shelf.

5. Holders

Laying bandages, ointments and creams on your shelves is not the best way to store those items in your medicine cabinet. Purchase holders to store small items so that they don’t fall out every time you open the cabinet, or take up space. You can use small plastic cups or buy ceramic or metal ones that are made for bathroom storage. Group like items in the holders as well.

A well organized medicine cabinet is a great way to start your day. Use these tips and you can have the peace of mind knowing that you can find what you need for medicine and first aid in an emergency.