Forward this Issue
|
|
|
Sign up for our Email Newsletters
|
|
|
|
Walk Your Talk Tuesday
|
July 2010
| |
Aloha,
I looked at my own home last month and admitted that I needed to walk my talk and take the time to maintain my own organization. I'll be the first to admit that although I love to organize and de-clutter, my challenge has always been in the day-to-day maintenance of that organization. I've lived much of my life with the attitude that putting things back, or clearing my desk/counters at the end of each day took too much time away from the fun things I wanted to do. But maintenance is a critical step in staying organized and really can be fun and energizing.
So with that reminder, I've scheduled in an hour each week of what I call home organizing and my husband calls walk your talk Tuesdays. Or, if your maintenance time is on another day, it can be maintain it Mondays or weed it out Wednesdays or some other title that gets you involved and connected with creating and maintaining the organized space that you want.
One of my first projects was my medicine and cosmetics. I hadn't gone through those for well over a year and it was long overdue.
|
Expiration Dates in your Medicine Cabinet
|
| Keep or Toss Expired Medication?
Expiration dates may not necessarily mean that you need to toss it. Check out this article from the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide to see more details, but here are a few rules of thumb: - If your life depends on it, toss expired medication.
- If it has changed color, consistency or odor, toss it regardless of expiration.
- Store your medication in a cool, dry environment (your bathroom medicine cabinet is rarely a good place).
When to Toss Makeup?The goal here is to prevention infection, like pink eye or skin breakouts. Check out this article from CBS News to see more details, but here are a few rules of thumb for when to toss: - If you haven't used it in several years
- Mascara, 3 months (and don't pump the wand)
- Foundation, 6 months
- Lip gloss & lipstick, 1 year
- Eye/lip pencils, 1 year (sharpen them often)
- Pressed powder, eye-shadows, blush, 1 year
- If it has changed color, texture, consistency or odor
|
|
Disposal of Medication
|
| Disposing of your medicine properly
- Do NOT flush your expired or unused medication down the toilet unless specifically instructed to do so by the drug label or patient information provided. Only a small number of drugs carry instructions for flushing.
- Most drugs can be thrown in the household trash, but make sure that it is less appealing to children & pets. Place the medication to be thrown away in a leak proof container such as a sealable bag or empty laundry detergent bottle. Add coffee grounds or used kitty litter, seal and toss.
- Any labels on the empty prescription bottles should be removed to protect your identity and information, and recycled or thrown away. (Note: Though these bottles might come in handy someday, how many do you really need? Maybe just 2 or 3, not every single one, so don't save these for a someday maybe reason.)
- Call your pharmacist.
- And some states, like California, Colorado, Ohio and Washington have community drug take-back programs in certain places to collect and dispose unused medications. Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Carolina do not. Click The Drug Take-Back Network to check out events & programs in your area.
|
|
| Whether you clear out one shelf or the whole medicine cabinet, enjoy the journey. |
 Sincerely,
Shawndra
808.969.3800
www.dhucks.com
|
I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.
Abraham Lincoln
|
|
|
|
|
Let us help you get your 