Medicine Makeover

To start with, let’s tackle a relatively easy project that also won’t cost you a penny: The Medicine Cabinet. Now, this project will vary depending on the size of the cabinet, but there are certain items we can all agree on that belong in this elusive spot. Considering that the medicine cabinet is in a convenient location you will want to put the things you use most there. Other items, such as ace bandages, gauze tape, or the allergy medicine you only need 3 months out of the year can go elsewhere (think some other storage type place like a drawer or cupboard, or even under the sink). 

The point of a medicine cabinet is to create easy access to things you use frequently, such as simple first aid items (alcohol, band-aids, antibiotic cream), products surrounding oral hygiene (toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss) and then of course, the medicine itself (painkillers, prescription drugs, etc.). [Just be careful because some medications can be ruined by the humidity and changes in temperature that happens in a bathroom. Check with the doctor or pharmacist before storing certain medicines in the bathroom cabinet.] You may even have space for contact lens care, face wash, lotions, and other beauty products. This is great if you do because an emptier sink is a cleaner, nicer sink. However, if you don’t have the extra room, don’t worry- we will find a spot for everything! 

It is important to make sure that the cabinet is not overcrowded. Imagine this scenario and you’ll understand why: It’s a pleasant evening and you are cutting vegetables to go in your salad for dinner. Chop, chop, OW! You scream as the knife hits your index finger. Holding a paper towel around the bleeding finger you run to the medicine cabinet, push it open using your elbow and out comes flying creams, pills, bottles, boxes, hitting you in the face and falling into the sink. By now the paper towel has turned an eerie shade of red and a band-aid has yet to be found. 

If, however your cabinet is neatly sorted so that everything fits and you can see all that is in there, you will be able to open the door, locate the band-aid box and commence with stopping the blood flow before that nice carpet of yours gets a new red polka dotted pattern. 

So here is my tried and true step-by-step guide to cleaning out the medicine cabinet:

Step 1: Empty all the contents.

Step 2: Wipe down the counters. Cmon if you can see the dust circles from where that old bottle of Tylenol was, grab some disinfectant and a paper towel and clean this place up!

Step 3: Go through all the items that had been inside. Discard anything expired, or that follows the Cardinal Rule (hasn’t been used in 18 months, time to toss). *Side note: with creams and medications this might actually be a smaller time frame- if the tube is all gunky or sticky, it’s probably safer to just toss it. Bacteria can grow here and it’s not worth risking.

Step 4: Decide what you use on a daily or weekly basis. These things will go back into the cabinet. Everything else will find a new home. It also might be helpful to sort things out by category. Keep first-aid items together in one place, beauty products on a different shelf and so on. Some people even like to place like-items into other smaller containers or bags to help ensure their separation and prevent spills. This also could help if you find yourself “on-the-go” a lot and this way you won’t have to think much when it comes to packing. It will already be done for you! If this approach appeals to your senses, go for it. If you would rather have things free to just grab, that works too.

Step 5: Make sure there is enough space to fit everything so that you can get to it easily, without causing anything else to tumble out. If you find you cannot get it all in, revisit Step 4. 

Step 6: Enjoy your organized, neat, easy to access medicine cabinet! Open and shut the door a few times just to bask in your handiwork. 

Safety Note: If there are children in the home and the cabinet is in their reach, make sure NOT to store dangerous items such as pills, cleaning products, or nail scissors.

Welcome to Aliza's Closet!

I for one find it tough when it’s hard to spell something you love to do. For example, someone who loves playing Tennis but for whatever reason their mind has a mental block and every time they go to IM a friend to swing the old racket around it ends up coming out “tenis.” That’s frustrating. For me, it’s organizing. I find myself typing the word a lot and every time there is an “a” where it shouldn’t be, or an “I” where an “a” should be. Maybe I should come up with a different word to use instead. Like sorting, or arranging. Ordering is definitely easier to spell. But that sounds so harsh.

But I digress. The purpose of this blog is not to find new words to replace organize, but rather to pay tribute to everything that the word stands for. We all find ourselves in the midst of various messes. A closet full of shoes thrown haphazardly on the floor. A dresser drawer that refuses to shut, and now that you think of it, hasn’t been closed in five years, since you first bought the darn thing. Then there is the dreaded medicine cabinet, which is over stocked with things like your allergy medicine from 1972, along with half a bottle of sticky cough syrup, plus a handful of some loose painkillers that you keep on hand, “Just in case.”

This blog is going to tackle each of these projects one by one until we figure out how to clear the clutter for good! 

To begin, I am going to say the cardinal rule of organization, adapted to suit those of us who like to hang on to things just a little bit longer, and that is: If you haven’t used something, worn it, touched it, or even looked at it in 18 months, CHUCK IT. The only exception to this rule, and I mean ONLY is if it is of sentimental value. And that denim jacket that you wore on your first date fifteen years ago with a girl whose name you don’t remember does not count as sentimental. What you wore to your 8^th grade graduation could.

And by “chuck” I don’t necessarily mean throw away. This is a great opportunity for doing one of those good deeds you keep saying you want to do. Donate it. Places are always looking for lightly used clothes, such as the Salvation Army, synagogues and churches, or even a thrift shop. Not only will you feel great about helping those in need, your closet just got a little bit bigger to make room for those new jeans you’ve been eyeing.