How to Secure Medications During Home Renovations or Moves

When you’re tearing down walls or packing up your life for a new home, your medications shouldn’t be an afterthought. A bottle of painkillers left on a dusty shelf, insulin sitting in a hot car, or a child finding a pill bottle in a moving box-these aren’t just risks. They’re preventable emergencies.

Why Medications Are at Risk During Moves and Renovations

Most people don’t think about their meds until they’re packing boxes or cleaning out cabinets. But here’s the truth: 55% of Australian households have prescription medications on hand, and nearly 70% of those aren’t stored properly-even when nothing’s changing. During renovations or moves, those already shaky habits get worse. Heat, humidity, and chaos turn your medicine cabinet into a hazard zone.

Medications don’t handle temperature swings well. Insulin, thyroid pills, and even common antibiotics can lose effectiveness if they freeze or overheat. Moisture from steamy bathrooms or damp basements breaks down pills faster than you’d think. And if your meds are sitting out in the open while workers come and go? That’s a recipe for accidental poisoning, especially with kids or pets around.

Step 1: Sort and Clean Out Before You Start

Don’t just pack everything. Take time-before the dust flies or the movers arrive-to go through every pill bottle, patch, and liquid vial.

• Check expiration dates. If it’s old, toss it. No exceptions.
• Look for pills that are discoloured, cracked, or smell strange. Throw those out too.
• Separate controlled substances: opioids like oxycodone, fentanyl patches, or benzodiazepines like Xanax. These need special handling.

For disposal, don’t flush pills down the toilet unless the label says to. Most meds should be mixed with cat litter, coffee grounds, or dirt in a sealed plastic bag before tossing in the trash. This stops kids or animals from digging them out. For fentanyl patches or other high-risk drugs, flush them immediately-this is the only safe method according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) guidelines.

Use a medication take-back program if you can. Pharmacies like Chemist Warehouse or your local GP clinic often have drop-off bins. Some councils in Sydney run biannual collection days. Call your local council to check.

Step 2: Pick a Secure, Stable Storage Spot

You need a place that’s cool, dry, locked, and out of reach. That’s the golden rule.

During renovations, avoid these spots:

• Bathrooms (too humid)
• Kitchen cabinets above the stove (too hot)
• Garages or sheds (temperature swings)
• Anywhere near construction dust or paint fumes

Instead, pick one room that won’t be touched-like a bedroom closet or a locked cabinet in the laundry. If you’re moving, pack meds in a small, labelled bin and keep it with you in the car, not the moving truck.

Use a locked box. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A gun safe, a locked tool box, or even a small safe from a hardware store works. If you don’t have one, use a ziplock bag inside a locked drawer. Just make sure it’s not accessible to kids or visitors.

Step 3: Protect Temperature-Sensitive Medications

Some meds need fridge temps (2°C-8°C). Others must stay between 15°C and 25°C. If you’re moving in summer, this is critical.

For insulin, epinephrine pens, or certain biologics:

• Use a small insulated cooler with a cold pack (not frozen)
• Keep it with you in the car, never in the trunk
• Check the temperature with a small thermometer if you can
• Never let it freeze-frozen insulin is useless and dangerous

For pills that just need to stay cool (like antibiotics or heart meds), keep them away from direct sunlight. A dark, sealed box inside a cool room is fine. Don’t leave them on a windowsill-even for an hour.

Step 4: Keep Everything Labelled and Organised

Never transfer pills to a different container. Ever. Why? Because if your child finds a random bottle with no label, they won’t know what it is. Same if you’re in a hurry at your new place and need your blood pressure pill.

Keep everything in original bottles. If the label is fading, write the name, dose, and instructions on a sticky note and tape it to the bottle. Don’t rely on memory.

Create a simple list:

• Medication name
• Dose (e.g., 10mg once daily)
• Why you take it (e.g., “for high blood pressure”)
• Pharmacy and contact info

Keep this list with your meds. If something goes wrong, emergency responders can act fast.

Step 5: Talk to Your Pharmacist or Doctor

Don’t guess. If you’re unsure about a medication’s storage needs, call your pharmacist. They know the exact temperature range, stability limits, and disposal rules for every drug they dispense.

Ask:

• “Does this need refrigeration?”
• “Is it safe to transport in heat?”
• “Can I switch to a different form if it’s hard to store?”

Some meds can be switched to liquid form, patches, or extended-release versions that are easier to manage during moves. Your doctor might have options you didn’t know about.

What to Do After You Move

Once you’re settled, don’t just toss your meds into the new cabinet. Do a quick reset:

• Check all bottles for damage or moisture
• Confirm temperatures in your new storage spot
• Reorganise everything so it’s still locked and out of reach
• Update your list if you’ve refilled anything

And if you’re moving into a new home with kids or elderly relatives living with you, make sure they know where the meds are stored-and that they’re off-limits.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Putting meds in the moving truck-too risky for heat, cold, or theft
• Leaving them in the bathroom during renovations-moisture ruins pills
• Throwing old meds in the trash without mixing them with dirt or coffee grounds
• Assuming “it’s still good” because it looks fine-meds degrade invisibly
• Not telling your pharmacist you’re moving-some meds need special handling

What to Do If You Find a Lost or Unlabelled Pill

If you find a pill you don’t recognise during a move or renovation:

• Don’t take it
• Don’t throw it in the trash
• Take it to your nearest pharmacy-they can identify it
• Call Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 (Australia-wide)

They’ll tell you if it’s safe and what to do next. Better safe than sorry.

Final Tip: Make This a Habit

Medication safety isn’t just for moves or renovations. It’s part of everyday health. Lock your meds. Keep them cool. Dispose of them right. Check them regularly. These aren’t just rules-they’re lifesavers.

If you’re planning a move or renovation this year, do this now: grab your meds, sort them, lock them, and call your pharmacist. It takes an hour. It could save a life.