One of the biggest areas many people skim over when cleaning is their medicine cabinet. It easily becomes a catch-all for out of date medications, near-empty lotions, and old cosmetics. Not to mention, you never can quite find what you’re looking for when you need it most. Read on for some Hive tips on what to toss, what to save and what to store elsewhere.
For prescription medications it is important to follow the expiration dates: children's medicine, liquid gels, and medications especially should be tossed once the expiration date hits. For all others, some simply won’t be as effective if taken past the expiration date (allergy meds, pain relievers, fever reducers) but they won’t do any harm. Use your best judgment when deciding what to keep and take the rest to your nearest pharmacy to responsibly dispose of (flushing or tossing out prescriptions is particularly harmful to the environment and water supply).
Cosmetics and body products should be tossed after a year or so. Similar to medicines - liquid foundations and lotions go bad much quicker than powders. This is especially important when considering makeup: while brushes should be cleaned and reused many times, products like lipstick and mascara have a much shorter shelf-life - here is a great guide for what to replace, and when.
Depending on where you keep your medicines and cosmetics, we find it helpful to organize that space after it’s been emptied so it’s easier to keep clean! How many times have you bought an extra something at the drugstore that you then later discover you had all along (insert face-palm emoji here). We love clear lidded containers and shallow baskets where everything is in plain view.