You didn’t think there was gonna be a part 2, did ya (click here for part 1)? Well, I picked up another little – but BIG – tidbit from Major Joanne Bollhofer-White, RPh during the February meeting at the Air Force Officers’ Wives’ Club (Bolling AFB). But, before I share, tell me, what do you do with your expired meds? Do you throw them in the toilet, down the drain, or right in the trash?
Did you know that there’s a SPECIFIC way to get rid of your old medicines? Well, to be honest, I actually did know this. I heard a local DC Fox 5 news report a while back that when you flush your old meds or put them down the drain, traces of those meds can end up in our water supply. So, that means anyone – children and pets included – can get a little dose of old pain killers and prescription drugs, too. Definitely not water the way nature intended.
So, what should you do? You should put them in the trash. But, there’s more. This is where that little – but BIG – tidbit from Major Bollhofer-White comes in. Before you put the meds in the trash, pour in some water and add some cayenne pepper or kitty litter. Sounds like a strange recipe, but the water will destroy the meds and the pepper and kitty litter will deter children and pets from ingesting it should they accidentally find it. You should wait until the meds absorb the water and then put the whole thing (sealed) directly in the trash.
Unfortunately, there’s a downside. The medicine bottles will end up in landfills. There’s no way to reuse and recycle in this situation. It’s unfortunate that we have to choose between environmental safety and personal well being.
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I’ve had a great couple of weeks and I even learned something new along the way. That’s always a good thing, right? So, what was my big epiphany? Here’s a little background info…
On February 17th (seems like ages ago), I had the pleasure of giving a presentation on how to stay organized to the Air Force Officers’ Wives’ Club at Bolling Air Force Base. The other speaker that day was the pharmacist on base, Major Joanne Bollhofer-White, RPh. She gave us the run down on medicines, reading labels, and storing them. Now, normally, I tell my clients to chuck anything that has expired, but Major Bollhofer-White shared some information that I didn’t know about at all.
Did you know that you SHOULD NOT keep your meds in kitchen or bathroom cabinets? Guess where my meds are? Yep, in the kitchen cabinet (perfume in the bathroom cabinet). It turns out that keeping your meds in kitchen and bathroom cabinets is not such a good idea because it can get pretty humid in those spots…AND high heat and humidity can make medicines less effective. Major Bollhofer-White suggests keeping all your meds out in the open, but definitely not within reach of your children or pets. The organizer in me is cringing at the thought of medicine bottles strewn about for all to see. But, safety does come first and I’m sure there’s a way to neatly arrange all those bottles.
Anyway, this is not the kind “bad medicine” that Bon Jovi used to sing about, so go check out your medicine cabinet. That’s an order! =)
The DC area got hit with a “huge” snow storm last night that continued until this morning. Well, it was huge by DC standards but sorta small compared to the storms we used to get in New York when I was a kid. I heard that the Boston area got up to 2 feet of snow last night. Now, that’s a storm.
Still, the blanket of snow we got here was a beautiful sight and I thought I’d share some pictures with you…just for fun…
Beautiful trees in my backyard
My backyard...a winter wonderland!
My dog having fun in the snow =)
Snow capped trees line the street
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