Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinet

Spring Clean Your Medicine Cabinets

Out with the old and in with the new

By Sarah Aguirre, About.com

With the beginning of spring comes the end of winter’s flu, cold, and cough medicines. At the same time spring means sun, insects, and lots of outdoor activities. It’s a great time to add a few necessary components to ensure that you have the right supplies for spring’s medicinal needs. De-cluttering this one tiny section of your home will get rid of dangerous and outdated items, while getting you ready for spring.

What To Throw Away:

• Expired medicines lose their effectiveness and in some instances can become dangerous. Check expiration dates thoroughly.

• Nearly empty bottles create clutter and may not even have enough medicine left for a full dose.

• Improperly stored items can partially evaporate, leaving them more concentrated and dangerous. Get rid of items that were not sealed or stored properly.

• Duplicates of items that are not used often only create clutter. If you do want to keep duplicates, move them out of the medicine cabinet and into a larger area to store. Try a large bathroom cabinet, or your pantry.

• Old prescriptions or partially used prescriptions should not be saved.

Check with your physician if you have questions about saving prescriptions.                                    

What To Add:

• Sunscreen with the right amount of SPF protection.

• Aloe Vera to treat burns.

• Insect Repellant to keep spring’s bugs at bay.

• Insect bite relief for when they bite you anyway.

• Heating and cooling packs for sprains and strains during outdoor fun.

• Allergy medications for allergy sufferers.

• Updated First Aid Kit including band-aids, antiseptic wash, and ointment for spring scrapes.

Take the time to free up your medicine cabinet for the items your family will need this spring.