354. Overhaul Your Medicine Cabinet
Who knows what mysterious bottles lurk on the shelves of your bathroom medicine cabinet! If it’s been more than a year since you last cleaned out your cabinet, it’s certainly time to take inventory. Here’s how:
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•Take out the entire contents of the medicine cabinet and get some clear idea of what you really need to keep.
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•Check expiration dates. Throw out all outdated medicine. If you’re uncertain about a particular item, call your pharmacist and ask what the shelf life is.
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•Are all medications in original containers and labeled clearly? If not, into the trash they go. It’s dangerous to store medicines in anything but their original containers. Some medicines come in tinted glass, for example, because exposure to light may cause them to deteriorate.
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•Discard old tubes of cream that have become hardened or cracked. Throw out any liquid medicines that now appear cloudy or filmy.
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•If there are children in the house, every medication is a potential poison. Keep all medications locked in a high cabinet, well out of their reach. Discard all unnecessary medications. Crush pills and dissolve them in water. Mix this with used coffee grounds or kitty litter and put it in the garbage in a sealed bag.
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•In case of accidental poisoning, call a Poison Control Center (e.g., 1.800.222.1222).
