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When you first moved into your home, your medicine cabinet was probably in the best of health uncluttered and sparkling clean. Today, its health has probably declined to the point that when you open the door, all you see is clutter and disorganization. If your medicine cabinet has the blues, it’s probably in need of a good specialist to get it back in tip-top shape and write a prescription to cure the “medicine cabinet blues."
Symptoms of “medicine cabinet blues" are being so full of clutter that you have to dig to find the things you need things falling out when the door is open, and being full of out-dated prescriptions and things you haven’t used for months. Don’t despair. This is not the end for your medicine cabinet. Instead it is only the beginning. Help is on the way.
Take three medium sized totes with you into the bathroom. Clear everything out of your medicine chest, sorting them into three categories. The first is “necessary items" that are used daily or weekly. The second is for “frequently used" stuff. The third is for outdated medicines, sprays, nail polish etc., plus items that haven’t been used in the last three months.
When everything is out of the medicine cabinet, remove shelves, if possible. Clean these immediately and set them aside, out of your way, until they are ready to be replaced. Now, gather all the cleaning tools that you will need to perform the operation. This includes, but may not be limited to, rubber gloves, clean rags, anti-bacterial spray and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ®.
Scrub your medicine chest from top to bottom with the anti-bacterial spray and a clean rag. Don’t forget the top, sides and bottom of the cabinet. For ground-in dirt, use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ®. Before you know it, your medicine chest will be sparkling clean. If it still looks shabby, give it a coat of paint. Let dry for twenty-four hours before replacing anything.
The next step is to take the tote containing the out-of-date items and empty into a garbage bag. Clean all items “necessary" and “frequently used" totes. Once these things are sparkling clean, complete the rest of the operation.
Replace shelves. If your medicine cabinet is shared with other members of your family, either give each person their own space, or put all similar items together. (Example: nail clippers, fingernail polish, fingernail polish remover, cuticle tools, emery boards etc.) Only put items into the cabinet that you use daily or weekly. If possible, store extra bars of soap, tubes of toothpaste and other surplus supplies under the sink, or in another storage cupboard. This will free up a lot of space.
If you have a lot of small items in the totes that are necessary but not used frequently, place them in small, clear, plastic totes and stack them in the cupboard under the sink.
Put all medicines on the highest shelf, out of the reach of children. Never put old prescriptions or half used medications that you don’t use back into the medicine cabinet. They should have been in the outdated tote that was emptied into the garbage.
Continue with the operation, only putting things into the medicine cabinet that are absolutely necessary. When finished, stand back and admire the fine surgery that you have performed. The operation has been a success!
Before you head to the recovery room for a cup of tea or your favorite beverage, make a mental note to give your medicine cabinet a check-up at least every three months for optimum health.
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» left by Celinda Scott from North East, PA (3 years 204 days ago.)
Great article about medicine cabinet and shelves, but what if your glass
shelves went missing during a cleanout? Where can you get replacement
shelves? --Thanks, C.S. Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (2 years 161 days ago.)
Good question. Why is it so hard to find replacement shelves? Respond to this comment
» left by D. Smith from Naperville, IL (2 years 47 days ago.)
After an afternoon of removing, scrubbing, and determining keep / toss, it was apparent to me the plastic shelves in my 30 year old medicine cabinet were never going to look nice again. Where can I find replacement shelves? Respond to this comment
» left by Rick Laubenstein from Hanover, MA (1 year 231 days ago.)
can someone please tell me where to get replacement shelves for my medicine cabinet. Respond to this comment
» left by L Tye from chicago (1 year 119 days ago.)
Is there an answer to the many questions about where to find replacement shelves? One of my plastic shelfs cracked and I would like a new one. Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (1 year 69 days ago.)
I ended up getting 'custom cut' glass to replace the shelves, expensive though. Respond to this comment
This may help with the shelves. I found them there. azpartsmaster has them in stock. Respond to this comment
» left by Louise McGuire from San Francisco Bay Area (251 days 3 hours ago.)
Thanks,folks. When I bought my house (foreclosure) all the shelves in the medicine cabinet and kitchen cabinets had been swiped--so glad to know of this source for the bathroom. I do wish they had glass, but plastic is a lot better than nothing. Any ideas about the kitchen cabinets? Someone suggested getting wire mesh shelves cut to fit, but don't know if this would work or be strong enough. Respond to this comment
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 View other articles written by Helpful Home Ideas(4,096)
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