Clutter Busting, Part II: Tackling the Medicine Cabinet

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The Tylenol Recall and Disposing of Old Meds

If you read my April 19, 2010 post, you may recall that I am working on clearing out all the clutter in my home. 

Since all Tylenol infant's and children's medications are being recalled, I decided that today I would weed through all of my over-the-counter meds to dispose of any that were either recalled or expired. I did have quite a few Tylenol products, so I went to the company website to see what to do about the recall.  

What I found out is that the company name is McNeil, and that the products involved also included Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl (all for children/infants). I also found out that I can get a product coupon or full refund, and that I don't have to send the products in or bring them anywhere -- just contact the company.  

I like the sound of cha-ching, so I went with the money.  (Always go with the money, folks.) Now I'll just buy the more-cost-effective-anyway generics, which as of yet, have thankfully not been recalled!

Getting Your Cha-Ching. If you have any of these products, don't throw them out just yet. You will need to gather them, line them up in front of your computer, and click this direct link to start your refund process:  McNeil Product Recall (Tylenol/Motrin/Zyrtec/Benadryl).

In the FAQs section of McNeil's website, they also advise that we need to take precautions about how we dispose of their products, linking us to a site called Smart Disposal. Here is a quick rundown, taken directly from their website, of what you need to do:

Disposing of Your Meds: 

DO NOT FLUSH unused medications and DO NOT POUR them down a sink or drain. *

Be Proactive and DISPOSE OF UNUSED MEDICATION IN Household TRASH. When discarding unused medications, ensure you protect children and pets from potentially negative effects:

1. Pour medication into a sealable plastic bag. If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), add water to dissolve it.
2. Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds (or any material that mixes with the medication and makes it less appealing for pets and children to eat) to the plastic bag.
3. Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash. 
4. Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them away.

I like the idea of  a and b, but I'm thinking I'll just throw away the bottle in the plastic bag and mark it "Do Not Use" with a sharpie, then seal it. I recommend that you don't ignore step d. above, in any case, to avoid even the remotest chance that someone could use the info to steal your identity. Besides, do you really want all those criminals and other trash pickers to know all your medical secrets?? ("Heck, Why not? "you say, "After all, our medical files are already being placed online for computer hackers and unethical medical staff to visit."  But hey, I say, let's just not make things easier for all these folks than it already is.) 


For more information on Smart Disposal, visit: www.smarxtdisposal.net. 


The image in this posting is borrowed from: De-Clutter Mind Map by Paul Foreman from The Mind Map Inspiration Blog.


Update May 19, 2010 -- WOW -- just checked my mail and found two refund checks! I can't believe how fast they responded.  I received $44 for about 6 items.  Not bad, I think.