Streamline Your Supplies

All You Need in Your Medicine Cabinet

Children’s ibuprofen and acetaminophen (your doctor may recommend either).
Calamine lotion, for insect bites and exposure to itch-inducing plants.
Floss picks: easier for kids.
Dental floss: better for adults.
One tube of toothpaste: Stock extras where there’s more room.
Replacement toothbrushes, for forgetful overnight guests.
A digital thermometer: quicker and safer than the breakable version.
Tweezers with angled tips, for splinters.
A small nail clipper.
Chewable antacids work for kids and adults.
Shea butter, for chapped lips and cheeks.
Kids’ cough medicine, in a favorite flavor.
Hydrocortisone cream, for rashes, eczema, and skin irritation.
An antibiotic ointment, for killing bacteria and soothing cuts.
Alcohol pads (instead of a big bottle), for disinfecting.
Flexible bandages in a multipack, including some giant-size ones for big scrapes.
Acetaminophen and ibuprofen, for adult aches.
Benadryl, an oral antihistamine, for allergic reactions.
Hard-core cough syrup for grown-ups.
Saline nasal spray: a small bottle for each family member, so you don’t pass on germs.

The Experts:

Betsy Ellis, school nurse in Memphis.
Jenny Kuzjak, emergency-room nurse in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Julie Kardos and Naline Lai, pediatricians in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and founders of the blog Two Peds in a Pod.

02 of 05

An instant-read thermometer, to take the guesswork out of steaks, chops, and roasts.
A large Microplane grater, for cheese, citrus zests, ginger, chocolate, and garlic.
A straight-edge wooden spoon, for getting in the corners of saucepans.
A classic wooden spoon, for everything else.
A natural-bristle basting brush holds more liquid than silicone versions.
Nesting measuring cups conserve space.
Stainless-steel measuring spoons last longer than plastic ones.
A large slotted spoon, to scoop food out of boiling water.
A low-tech can opener that pops bottles, too.
A metal spatula, for pancakes, burgers, and cookies.
Long tongs, for tossing salads, turning chops, and plucking vegetables from a steamer. The locking kind store most easily.
A standard spoon, for sauces.
A Y-shaped peeler: more control than the standard variety.
A silicone spatula, for mixing and getting the last bits of batter from the bowl.
A palm-size vegetable scrubber offers serious leverage.
A mini offset spatula, to free frittatas, lasagnas, and brownies (and to frost cupcakes).
A whisk, to get air into eggs and batter.
A fish spatula: thin, flexible, and perfect for fragile foods, from flounder to fried eggs.
A ladle, for soups, stews, and sauces.
A potato masher: also great for breaking up canned whole tomatoes for sauce.

The Experts:

Sara Moulton, TV chef and author of Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners ($35, amazon.com).
Ilana Rosengarten, graphic designer, blogger (mommyshorts.com), and New York City resident with an impossibly small kitchen.
Jennifer Rubell, author of Real Life Entertaining ($27.50, amazon.com).
The Real Simple food department.

03 of 05

A putty knife, for removing old caulk or opening paint cans.
A standard flat-nose claw hammer (12 to 16 ounces) with a steel head.
A multihead screwdriver: Phillips-head, flathead, and Torx (six-point star shape).
A 12-volt cordless drill, for DIY work, like hanging curtains and mounting heavy art.
Assorted fasteners: a kit with nuts, bolts, washers, anchors, and nails in various sizes.
A C-clamp, for holding together glued pieces while they dry.
Duct tape, for quick fixes, like patching a torn bicycle seat.
A metal tape measure that’s at least an inch wide, so it won’t flop when extended.
WD-40, for loosening rusty hinges.
An adjustable wrench, instead of a set with different sizes.
Needle-nose pliers, for minor jewelry repairs and pulling out small nails.
Slip-joint pliers, which adjust to grip items of various sizes.
A crosscut saw, 14 to 16 inches long, for small carpentry projects.

The Experts:

Ken Brooks, owner of Northbrook Construction Management, in North Bend, Washington.
Tim Chopko, carpenter in Newark, Delaware.
Janet Rickstrew, cofounder and CEO of girl-friendly tool company Tomboy Tools (tomboytools.com).

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Forever Stamps, so you don’t have to worry about changes in the postal rate.
Personal stationery, for heartfelt notes.
A black permanent marker, for addressing packages.
A silver one, to use on dark paper.
An angle-tip highlighter.
Correction tape, to fix mistakes (similar to the liquid stuff, but without the drying time).
Mechanical pencils, so you don’t need a bulky sharpener
Titanium scissors, because they stay sharp for years.
Aesthetically pleasing paper clips cost about the same as standard ones.
Small and large sticky notes, for reminders, shopping lists, and epiphanies.
A box of your favorite pens: Use (and lose) only one at a time.
A classic stapler in a bright color that’s easy to spot, in case it escapes to another room.
A weighted tape dispenser that holds a fat roll of tape.

The Experts:

Beth Alcazar, organizing and cleaning blogger, The Neat Get Neater.
Heather McNulty, co-owner of the stationery shop Rock Paper Scissors, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Donna Smallin, author of A to Z Storage Solutions ($11, amazon.com).

05 of 05

Latex gloves that extend to the forearms, for serious coverage.
A half-height bucket fits under the faucet and holds plenty.
Distilled white vinegar, for cutting boards, coffee stains, and even sanitizing the dishwasher or washing machine.
A high-octane disinfectant, to kill bacteria in the bathroom.
A mild abrasive, for everything from stainless-steel pans to rust and lime marks.
Microfiber cloths need just a spritz of water to clean (and nothing at all to dust).
Nylon sponges with soft and scrubber sides.
Disposable wipes, for quick jobs, like fixtures and floor corners.
All-purpose cleaner in a scent you love.

The Experts:

Don Aslett, author of No Time to Clean! ($13, amazon.com).
Carolyn Barnes, creator of Clean Momma (cleanmomma.com), a regimen that merges exercise with cleaning.
Gisela Lowenstein, creator of a cleaning-and-organizing method called the Glow System (theglowsystem.com).