Again --Cleaning Out

After taking a respite from cleaning out Mom's house in Wooster and doing some pitching work in our cabinets and shelves before Thanksgiving, we tackled a few spots at The Farm today.

Gary went through the hutch in the living room.  Dishes, glasses, trophies, knick-knacks, pictures, Lions items.

Rather than stand and watch him or put things he pulled out into boxes, I focused on a couple of areas in the kitchen.

First, above the range hood were bottles of various spices and seasonings that Agnes had used for cooking.  My first intent was to check them for expiration dates and smell them to see how potent they still were.  My first touch to the sticky surfaces changed my mind.  They were covered with grease that had drifted there from cooking on the stove, so obviously they had not been used for several years.  Into the trash bag they went.

The next stop was the cabinet above the microwave where the family knew Dad and Mom stored their medications.  The bottom two shelves were a mix of OTC bottles of Motrin and Exedrin and other similar items plus bottles of prescribed medications that had all expired, of course.   The prescription meds were dumped into the toilet to flush away; the rest pitched in the trash bag.  I also found bottles of test strips, various glucose meters, Lions pins, slips of papers with messages, directions and warranty books for appliances which were no longer used, empty weekly pill containers, a glassful of pens (none of which worked), and some nice sharp knives!  Everything except the Lions pins and the knives were tossed in the trash bags.

The medicine chest above the sink by the laundry room door was full of similar items. A few prescription drugs, but mostly little bottles of iodine or mercurochrome and other similar medicine cabinet residents.  Tubes of ointments and denture cream.  Toothbrushes. Random bandaids.  All of that went into the trash bag too.

Next were the two drawers under the sink.  Combs, brushes, bobby pins, more bandaids.  Cover Girl face powder compacts.  All in the trash bag.

Gary said there was more of the same thing in the dishwasher next to the sink.  And there was!  Most of it was pitched also ---gauze pads. Empty boxes for glucose meters.  Wrist type blood pressure cuffs.  More empty boxes with instructions and warranty information.  All in the trash.

My job today was easy.  There were not too many emotional ties to empty bottles and boxes and medications.  I also had no memories of any of the items that I decided to toss in the bags.

As I looked, checked dates, and tossed, mental notes were made that I need to do similar clean outs with our bathroom cabinets. Expired OTC.  Old combs and brushes.   Nearly empty bottles of creams and lotions.  All of those things can be pitched easily.

On my list to do when we return home from the Florida trip.

Again...still...cleaning out.