Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet and first aid kit is essential for taking care of yourself and your family’s health. However, over time, these spaces can become cluttered with expired or unused medications and supplies. In this blog post, we’ll provide a comprehensive guide on how to declutter medicines and first aid supplies, so you can keep your health essentials organized and up-to-date.

Welcome to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series! We will be starting in the kitchen this month. Each day is dedicated to spending only 30 minutes decluttering your specific daily task. We will be working 5 days a week, so you can take 2 days to enjoy time with your loved ones. Today, we will Declutter Medicines and First Aid Supplies.

Ignore the dates within this post. Each year we do the declutter series, so the dates won’t coincide from year to year. If you wish to subscribe and join us as we Declutter a Room in 30 minutes a Day, leave a comment below. You can also find the video below and subscribe via youtube. Follow me as we explore How to Declutter Medicines today.

How to Declutter Medicines and First Aid Supplies: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Check Expiration Dates: The first step in decluttering your medicines and first aid supplies is to check expiration dates. Expired medications can be ineffective or even dangerous, so it’s important to dispose of them properly. Check the expiration dates on all of your medications and supplies, and set aside anything that has expired.
2. Sort Items into Categories: Once you’ve checked expiration dates, sort your medicines and first aid supplies into categories. This will help you see what you have and what you need. Create piles for items that you want to keep, donate, or throw away.
3. Dispose of Expired Medications: To dispose of expired medications safely, follow the FDA’s guidelines. You can usually find a drug take-back program in your community or contact your local government for disposal instructions. If you can’t find a take-back program, mix the medication with an unpalatable substance, such as coffee grounds, and place it in the trash.
4. Update First Aid Supplies: Once you’ve decluttered your medicines and first aid supplies, it’s time to update your first aid kit. Make a list of the supplies you need and purchase them. Some essential supplies to include in your first aid kit are bandages, antiseptics, pain relievers, and gloves.
5. Organize Your Medicine Cabinet: With your first aid kit updated, it’s time to organize your medicine cabinet. Use small containers or baskets to keep similar items together, and label everything clearly. Keep the items you use most often at eye level and store less frequently used items on higher or lower shelves.
6. Maintain Your Supplies: To keep your medicines and first aid supplies organized, make a habit of regularly going through your supplies and getting rid of anything that has expired or is no longer needed. It’s also a good idea to check your first aid kit every six months and replace any items that have been used or are expired.

Decluttering your medicines and first aid supplies is an important task that can help keep you and your family healthy and safe. By checking expiration dates, sorting items into categories, disposing of expired medications properly, updating your first aid supplies, organizing your medicine cabinet, and maintaining your supplies, you can ensure that your health essentials are always up-to-date and easy to find. Follow this comprehensive guide on how to declutter medicines and first aid supplies and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a well-organized and well-stocked medicine cabinet and first aid kit.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home.

Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores and wondering: What Housework Should Be Done Daily? Grab my free ebook to walk you through the process. What Does a Deep Clean Include? One of my best Deep Cleaning Home Tips is to use a House Cleaning Planner. Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price. Better yet… get it FREE when you subscribe to my site. Also, you can find my room by room Declutter Guide at the end of this post designed to help you learn tips and Decluttering Ideas For Your Home, and specifically how to Declutter Medicine today.

Maybe your house is clean but cluttered. If so, you need to know a few Declutter Tips and Ideas before you start using the Step By Step Decluttering plan I use. Does a Cluttered House Cause Stress? You Bet! Let’s look at a reputable, mental health site to answer that question and see exactly How Clutter Affects You. Then you can learn Why and How To Start to Purge Your Entire Home.They have given us 8 ways mess leads to stress and exactly How Clutter Affects You. According to Psychology Today:

How Clutter Affects You: Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, our workplaces, and ourselves. Can a Messy House Affect Your Mood? You bet! How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Yet, rarely is clutter recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives. (source) But, unnecessary stress is one aspect of How Clutter Affects You.

How Clutter Affects You Mentally can help provide the motivation you need to know How to Clear Clutter and Get Organized. Why does mess lead to so much stress? (source)Getting rid of all of that stress can be one of the best declutter motivation tips you need for some instant Declutter Inspiration.

1. Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important. (source)
2. Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. (source)
3. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.(source)
4. Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.(source)
5. Clutter makes us anxious because we’re never sure what it’s going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile. (source)
6. Clutter creates feelings of guilt (“I should be more organized”) and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or work spaces. (source)
7. Clutter inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brainstorm, and problem solve.(source)
8. Clutter frustrates us by preventing us from locating what we need quickly (e.g. files and paperwork lost in the “pile” or keys swallowed up by the clutter). (source) So, experiencing constant frustration is another aspect to How Clutter Affects You.

Overwhelmed by a Messy House? It can really affect you negatively. How Do You Deal With a Cluttered Mess? One way is to have a plan, set aside a specific time, and learn the steps to declutter your home. What Cleaning Should Be Done Daily? I have a room by room specific Printable House Cleaning Checklist linked above. Also, you can find my room by room Declutter Guide at the end of this post.

For a clean, simplistic look, one of the best Deep Cleaning Home Tips is to declutter a room before cleaning and then use an Easy House Cleaning Schedule to maintain it. Declutter Checklists can help you learn How to begin to Purge Your Entire Home.

How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? As you can already see, there are at least 8 ways we become negatively affected by clutter. Also, I though it might be thought provoking to look at some statistics on clutter to learn more about How Clutter Affects You.

1. US consumers buy 40% of the world’s toys, but bear only 3% of the world’s children.
2. Most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. (source )
3. 9.4% of U.S. households rent a storage unit. (source)
4. People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep.(source)
5. The average American house is double the size it was in the 1950s–and getting bigger. (source.)

• The U.S. Department of Energy reports that one-quarter of people with two-car garages have so much stuff in there that they can’t park a car. (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/)
• According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home.(https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/) Wouldn’t eliminating a lot of housework provide some declutter inspiration? Read on for more Decluttering Ideas For Your Home.

Today, we’ll lay out the solutions for the steps to Declutter Medicines and every space in your home using my tips on Why and How to Declutter a House. Plus, we’ll look at a few ways to answer the concern of How Clutter Affects You and what you can do about it.

A few guidelines to keep you on task: 

1.Only spend time on your specific daily task. 

2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted. 

3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina. 

4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. Recruit help if you are stuck in the decision process. 

5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later.

Your task today for August 29th is to: Declutter your medicines and first aid supplies.

Tips as you Declutter Medicines

• Declutter any medicines that are expired.
• Declutter any medicines you can’t identify.
• Get rid of anything that doesn’t have original packaging.
• Get rid of anything you never use.

You can find my detailed blog post on How to Organize Your Medicine Cabinet here.

Here are my BEFORE photos:

Here are my AFTER Photos:

Below is Everything I Decluttered:

Supplies Needed:

1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Declutter Tips and Ideas: Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)

2. sturdy trash bags

3. marker/pen to label boxes

5 Easy Minimalist Organization Hacks to Declutter Medicines & First Aid Supplies:

1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag

2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have

3.For First Aid Supplies…Get rid of duplicate items, broken items, outdated products, anything you’ll never use again.

4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest

5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option. Obviously, DON’T donate medicines, but DO dispose of them properly.

Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Use these general declutter questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.

A quick recap for the last two days: I am bundling my last two days of decluttering together as other priorities were necessary. My father-in-law was scheduled for total knee surgery, so I took him to the hospital and cared for him the last couple of days. 

The task for Tuesday, August 27th was to declutter all silverware and knives. The task for Wednesday, August 28th was to declutter all serving and cooking utensils.

Remember, as you are decluttering to take a few simples steps to determine how to organize your space.

1. Pull everything out and place it on the countertop.

2.Group similar items together.

3.Purge any duplicates or items that are damaged or rusted beyond repair.

4.Put everything away by category. Pull in other trays and small drawer-size containers to hold smaller items.

I hope you are enjoying this series, and I hope you feel excited about your progress!

If you are just now joining us, I welcome you to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Subscribe by email to receive your daily task and encouragement and motivation to help you to keep going strong. We started on August 12th, so feel free to jump in where we are now, or read through my previous blog posts to catch up.

Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Housekeeping Schedule Printable.

Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.

Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home.

How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.

Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home.

Happy Decluttering!

To Subscribe to this Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time.

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3:   How do you remove clutter? How Do You Declutter Your Home?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered. 

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.

Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com: 

14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered

How to Do A 1 Day Declutter

How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule

How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter

What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?

Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.

For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and kitchen decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.

I hope you have benefitted from my post on ways to Declutter Medicines and First Aid Supplies. Leave a comment below to subscribe to my daily declutter task email series.