If you are one of those people who stash your pills and potions in your bathroom medicine cabinet, consider making some changes. The heat and humidity that shaving, showering and bathing create in the room make it one of the worst places to store prescriptions, supplements and over the counter remedies of any kind.

For example, uncoated tablets, like aspirin and vitamins, tend to absorb moisture that weakens their effect. The alcohol in nighttime cough medicine, herbal tinctures or any liquid remedy can evaporate under hot and steamy conditions if the lid isn't sealed tight. Getting rid of the alcohol may be a good thing but the downside is that it concentrates the medicine. Contact lens enzyme tablets can disintegrate and lose their effectiveness.

A better storage spot is the shelf in a cool dry closet or inside a dresser drawer. But beware. Since one-third of all children's accidental prescription drug poisonings occur when they take their grandparent's too easy to find medications, it is important to be sure the location isn't easy to reach. If you expect young children in your home at any time, add the security of a child safety cap despite any inconvenience it may be for you to struggle when you have to open the bottle later.

And, while you are cleaning out that medicine cabinet be sure to have a "dump it in the toilet, then flush" party for any expired pills or liquids or medications you no longer use. It may seem like a thrifty decision to keep an expensive drug around in case you need it again but you risk turning a safe remedy into a harmful one.

This Smart Pharmacist cares.