Aaah, I want to move to NY. :)

I like those little squeeze bottles. Where can I find those?

I did this a couple of months ago. and it felt really good.

I organized mine last week and I've pulled out all the little hand cream samples I had tucked away to start using up.

What an attractive pharmacist! So well put together - love his hair! Paperkite's comment echoes my sentiment and explains why I love the videos so much - they are like a little slice of regular people in NYC life...

On another note - I'm a bit of a road warrior and my toiletries fit into two small cosmetic bags (one clear, and one cute). As much as I tell myself to throw away everything that I don't travel with - it is sooooo hard!

ellenronnie, maybe the container store?? also I'm really excited about this day... here we go!

OK, this is a little off topic--but while I was watching the squeeze bottle portion, I got obsessed with the orange throw pillows behind him. Does anyone know where they're from?

Max,
You live in the best neighborhood! You are so lucky- Love the pharmacy. Thanks for the tour

Noooooo, we only have two days left! I'm going to miss watching your videos every morning...
By the way, since you were lying on the carpet of your living room, I just happened to notice the texture of your pillow tops over the sofa, where did you bought them? They look so natural and soft...I love them.
Medicine cabinet, here I go!

Please do something about that sound. I've a headache--I hope the asprin isn't expired!

He says you are supposed to put the medication in an air tight container surrounded by dirt or coffee grounds? I have never heard that! You should have asked him why, Maxwell.

My medicine cabinet is organized it's my bathroom that desperately needs help. The last week! but it feels like I've just begun. Maxwell, I will miss these friendly visits from you.

I'm absolutely appalled with today's video. Any type of medication should NEVER hit toilet, sink, nor garbage bins. If you concern about our planet and living creatures, please take expired medication back to pharmacy for correct disposal.

Yikes! Day 18; the Cure is almost over!? I am going to miss you, Maxwell. I plan to continue with the rhythm of the Cure--clean, add flowers, hoe out, dream, fix, organize, repeat. This is a good plan to follow. Now, if only my apartment dwelling sons would do likewise.

Ellenronnie, try art supply stores. They usually carry squeeze bottles.

Though I would personally advise against buying them and use your old shampoo bottles instead. Better for the environment...

That pharmacist is indeed handsome, he should play one on Mad Men. :)

Really going to miss these videos!! I know I'm a little late, but I did two projects yesterday that combined into one: making a landing strip and fixing one thing myself. It made a huge difference. Thanks for the inspiration! And now I'm off to see what's lurking in my medicine cabinets....

The advice I always heard was the take your old medications back to the pharmacy. Throwing them out is still going to end up contaminating the water table or soil. But who knows how the pharmacy disposes of them!

@EllenRonnie: Restaurant supply stores are another good source of cheap squeeze bottles.

iori9 the advice given on the video is correct. The pills should be taken out of recognisable packaging, mixed with undesirable refuse such as coffee grounds, cat litter, etc, and put in either a sealed bag or container before throwing out. OR you can take it to a pharmacy. But never throw down sink or toilet of course.
I loved this video! Definitely makes me want to go to NY asap. Not sure about putting the shampoo in smaller bottles though, I am happy with our big pump bottles in the shower. But this video has reminded me to get some nice containers for storage of bathroom items under the sink. Thanks Maxwell..you rock.

I also was a bit shocked by the pharmacist advising to throw away old medication. I guess it's a European measure to get thoses old chemicals back to the pharmacist for proper recycling.
Doesn't that sound so much more obvious than mixing it with coffee grinds, or do Americans get the jitters from such rules?

@KimWT--those pillows look like they're from Judy Ross Textiles: http://www.judyrosstextiles.com/

as for cosmetics, many have a little symbol on the back or bottom that looks like a little open jar with a label that says something like 24M, which means that they should be disposed of 24 months after opening.

I have all our medicine in a pullout with dividers in my Ikea kitchen, along with vitamins and basic first aid items. Since we usually take vitamins with meals, and medicine with something to drink, it seemed logical. And because I open it everyday and there's a limit to the space, it's always up to date.

I try to keep all bathroom items close to where they get used, as well. So, shampoo, and whatever else I need when showering, is in the shower, on a caddy. Cosmetics are in the top drawer or in my little cosmetic bag in my purse. Hair dryer, straight iron and anything for my hair is in the next drawer. And, toothpaste, lotion, face wash,etc. are in the "medicine" cabinet right by the sink. Everything else that is not needed daily, is under the sink in labeled containers. So, easy and organized this way!

In response to Iori9 who was appalled by what the pharmacist had outlined as proper disposal of expired meds (mixing meds into coffee grounds/ cat litter or dirt). This is currently the recommended disposal by federal and state guidelines. He is absolutely correct.. These guidelines should be posted at your local pharmacy as well. Has it dawned on Iori9 how many chemicals we dump daily into landfills from daily household use items.. you don't have to look very far to find toxins ... the medications you dispose of are the least of your problems.

Are these video's aimed at people who don't know how to clean?

For cosmetics, powders last for about 2 years, and liquids last for about 6 months. Be extra careful with the ones you use around the eyes. Toss mascara and eyeliner every 3-6 months.
I keep a Sharpie in the bathroom to write down the dates on cosmetics when I open a new one.

One more thought on the old medications - the US just had its first ever "Take Back Day" on September 25th sponsored by the Dept of Justice/DEA - there were sites all over the country where anyone could bring in old/expired meds and the DEA disposed of them properly (not landfill or water supply). Please watch for it next year!

When I had extra birth control pills that I didn't need anymore (and weren't expired yet), I asked my pharmacist what to do with them.

She said to pop all the pills into a bowl, crush them, add a little water, then soak it up with a tissue and throw that away in the trash.

:/

I'm afraid, my only reaction to the "declutter your medicine cabinet" day is Done, Done and Done.

I am a medicine cabinet aficionado, and all of Maxwell tips are already in play in my house. In the medicine cabinet is just the stuff I use everyday: toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant and stuff like aspirin, contact lenses and lens cleaner. The linen closet right outside the bathroom is stocked with ample supplies of soap, shampoo, lotion; also hair haircare tools like blow dryer, curling iron and that stuff. In my bedroom I have a little shelved caddy with trays and bins of the stuff you don't use all the time, but that you need to have: make-up and make-up brushes, tweezers and manicure supplies, a variety of hair ties and pins, witch hazel, first aid supplies ... like that.

In the medicine cabinet arena, I am a pro.

I'm sorry Kavabean, but I have to disagree with you. It is extremely harmful to the environment to irresponsibly dispose of your unused or expired medications. Medication is designed in such a way that the chemicals can easily and quickly be absorbed in the blood stream to elicit their myriad effects. When these chemicals enter the water circulation, they are also easily and quickly taken up by organisms living in the exposed environment. Which can (and has) disrupt(ed) ecosystems.
Also, think about all those chemicals entering the water supply and having to drink that water!

Maybe this is a European thing, but throwing your medication down the toilet or in the trashcan rather than taking it back to the pharmacy, is considered something like throwing batteries or unused/old cans of paint out with regular trash. In other words: something you just don't do. Period.

Why do you keep shampoos in the medicine cabinet? I keep them on the windowsill next to my bathtub.

@atliz, that IS a European thing; in the U.S. it is not permitted to re-use medications, so we cannot take them back to the pharmacy.

You're right; it's wasteful.

Done, but took about an hour. I don't have a medicine cabinet. I have two drawers next to the sink that haven't been cleaned out in, oh, years--since a previous Cure. Pretty dirty, now clean. So happy to finally get this done.

I've never heard of the coffee grounds method for disposing of Rxs, doesn't sound good to me (although I haven't googled it). I've taken expired prescriptions back to the pharmacy for disposal and they've taken it back.

I've actually over the last two years taken a different tact and stopped using most 'products' so my medicine cabinet has become less cluttered by default. Most of the things we use are filled with chemicals whose long term effects are not known, and really hard to track and pinpoint anyway. For me, it started with reading about the no-'poo (as in no-shampoo) method of hair cleaning - and I found it worked so well I haven't used shampoo in almost 2 years now. (Diluted baking soda and diluted apple cider vinegar are the substitutes instead.) I've started using olive oil for lotion, the Crystal for deodorant, one basic soap for all types of washing, and a wash cloth as exfoliant.

Just recently a study hit the news where the major brands of lipsticks were tested for lead - and 100% of them came back positive. Our skin absorbs chemicals like our digestive system, and I'm re-thinking the whole need for this stuff. My hair actually looks better without it. And I swear I'm not some hippy chick living in the woods - rather a NYC artist who has been taught for years, due to the nature of my career and education, to take chemicals seriously.

@olderworker
Europeans don't re-use expired medicine. We bring it back to the pharmacist for recycling not for re-using.

Yes, here in the states we need medicine take-back laws! I think the reason many people don't throw out expired medication is that they don't know what to do with it.

That day is no-homework day for me ! The medicine cabinet is up to date, as we just finished a long streak of typical winter illnesses. Bringing back the medicine to our pharmacist was the greatest medicine ever (I'm in France where, as a lot of commenter noticed, that's just what you do). I don't need medicine, I'm not sick anymore. Ok, maybe I'll still use tissues.

As for cosmetics... I have a 18 months old son, so I have around 5 minutes to take a shower and get dressed in the morning. I'm clean, and that's about it...

I feel so sad that this cure is coming to an end...

LOL. I just did this Monday so I guess I'm done!

After my stepfather died, I had a lot of medications to dispose of, so I asked our local pharmacist. He said the same thing as the delightful, well-informed guy on the video. I put mine in an empty milk carton along with some kitty litter. That way they were contained; and if someone did happen to pull it out of the garbage, no harm done.

My medicine cabinet is pretty organized. I don't have a "under the sink" area because it's a pedestal sink. So, underneath that I have a basket and a big clear bag of cosmetics- which desperately needs some tending to.

Everything is cluttered in my bathrooms - medicine chests and under-the-sink. Sigh. But about those little squeeze bottles - the look like the kind hairdressers use for hair dyes and developers. If you have a costmetic supply house in your area like Sally's, that sells to both salons and individuals, you should be able to find them there. Your hairdresser may even sell you a couple, if you ask.

Again I am at an advantage on this one, having moved fairly recently. I always purge a lot when I move and it's the perfect opportunity to clean out the medicine cabinet.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm101653.htm
This is what the FDA has to say about disposing of old medications. It basically says that if there is no program in your area for taking old medications to dispose of safely, then do what the pharmacist said in the video.

Also, for donating old soaps, shampoos, etc. to a worthy cause: http://www.cleantheworld.org/default.asp

I'm so plugged into The Cure, I organized my medicine cabinet within the last week.

I actually have a bathroom closet that serves as both a linen closet and medicine cabinet. If I don't keep the shelves orderly, I buy too much.

Case in point, I found six new toothbrushes, and four tubes of toothpaste. I change my toothbrush with every tube, so I'm really two short!

I did this over the summer. Check out my makeover. http://thebigapplemove.blogspot.com/2011/07/medicine-cabinet-makeover.html

Who even needs medicine cabinets anymore

Swoon, that Pharmacist is a silver fox!

1. Soon I will celebrate my 42nd wedding anniversary. I "surrendered" the medicine chest to my husband a long, long time ago. It's good, all good. Just sacrifice on this one. Really.

2. We became nomads about twelve years ago---not intentionally! Keeping up with our assorted prescriptions and OTCs was a huge problem. I finally hit upon tall(ish) tubs with lids. I labeled them "inside the body" and "outside the body." I keep the thermometers in the "inside" box and ACE bandages in the "outside" box. Get them deep enough to store bottles of alcohol, peroxide, and NyQuil :)

3. Yes---to smaller, squeezable bottles that you refill from the large bottles.

4. If you are wealthy, and have a huge bathroom, you can afford to be stylish. All others need lots of towel racks and hooks. You can stick a hook almost anywhere. I have often installed a second shower curtain rod on the inside wall of the shower. It works very well for wet wash cloths and towels, if you mount it high enough. Try it.

Actually I don't have a medicine cabinet. I have a medicine drawer that my parents used. They just moved out and I literally dumped three grocery bags worth of pills and band-aids of it. Washed it out and put about four things back in two days ago.
So, I guess my next to do is to buy a beautiful cabinet and give my kitchen drawers a break from the nonsense. :) It's a great excuse to go shopping for home improvement supplies!

Just a quick tip from an AT loving nurse, ironically the medicine cabinet in ones bathroom, not the best place to keep medication... With the heat and humidity created by the shower/bath, not a happy place for your drugs. Keep them "high and dry" (cough... love that song...) from children and humidity.

The Cure can't stop, it's too early, we have just started... I need more!

Lots of good advice, and I agree, please do not put medications into the sink or toilet. BAD for the ecosystem and you.

I keep my medications in the kitchen for two reasons. It's not so humid there, and I am more likely to remember to take them. Oh wait, three reason. My bathroom is REALLY small.

I love the cure. I already read the book, but it's fun seeing it.

As a low-maintenance type of gal, I'm always astounded by the amount of toiletries people accumulate. My problem is paperwork - I have problems deciding what's important, and as a result, I keep everything, but can never find important documents when I need them!

@rach23 -- Absolutely! I stopped keeping my prescription and OTC medications in my bathroom years ago. I keep them in a cabinet in the kitchen (far from the stove and sink). While it can still be warm during the summer, it's never as humid. Also my bathroom is TINY, so there was really no room anyway!

In a half hour, I found and removed four expired meds, nothing major since as a lifelong asthmatic I check my stock 2-4 times a year. Question: I understand wanting to keep pills out of the the environment by not flushing them, but why not discard them alone in coffee cans? Are the expired pills put in coffee cans with disgusting stuff like cat litter to repel people who otherwise would take them from a closed coffee can in the garbage and eat them? Did I misunderstand the pharmacist?