Emergency
112European emergency 117Police 118Fire brigade 144Ambulance 1414Rega (air rescue) 145Tox Info (poisoning)
Local time
Guide · GUIDE 27

Assembling a home medicine cabinet: contents, storage, stock

Last reviewed on 04.07.2026

A home cabinet contains bandaging materials (plasters, sterile gauze, bandages, scissors, tweezers, disposable gloves), wound disinfectant, a thermometer, over-the-counter pain and fever medicines, plus your personal ongoing medications. Store everything cool, dry, and away from light, out of children's reach – never in the bathroom. Check expiry dates at least once yearly and replace expired items.

A home medicine cabinet treats minor injuries and ailments at home and bridges the time until medical help is available. The federal government (Federal Office for Economic Supply, 'Smart Choice – Emergency Supplies') recommends every household maintain a readily accessible, complete basic supply – supplemented with your personal ongoing medications. This guide shows what belongs in it, how to store and rotate items correctly, and which mistakes to avoid. It does not replace medical advice: medication dosage and use always follow the package insert or consultation with a doctor or pharmacist.

Why a home medicine cabinet?

A home medicine cabinet covers two areas: treating minor injuries (wounds, scrapes, sprains) and easing acute symptoms (fever, pain, vomiting, diarrhea). It is meant for first self-aid – not as a doctor substitute.

In a crisis – power outage, storm, pandemic – the pharmacy may be unreachable or the health system heavily strained. This is why maintaining a complete, shelf-stable home cabinet and keeping personal ongoing medications on supply is worthwhile.

The home medicine cabinet is part of emergency supplies, but a separate 'component': the checklist appears in our pharmacy checklist; this guide explains assembly, storage, and maintenance.

What belongs in a home medicine cabinet?

  1. Plasters in various sizes and sterile wound dressings/gauze pads
  2. Gauze bandages and elastic (compression) bandages, adhesive tape
  3. Bandage scissors and tweezers
  4. Wound disinfectant
  5. Disposable gloves
  6. Triangular cloth (immobilization/pressure bandage) and safety pins
  7. Tick tweezers or tick card (useful in forested regions)
  8. Cold pack (contusions, sprains)

Recommended products

Dressing set / First-aid kit

Bandages & materials

A complete set bundles plasters, sterile pads, bandages, scissors, and gloves – so basic supplies are complete at a glance.

  • Complete basic supply (plasters, gauze pads, bandages, scissors, gloves, triangular cloth)
  • Neatly sorted and refillable
  • Sturdy, dust- and splash-resistant box or bag
  • Contents list with expiry dates for restocking

Tick tweezers / tick card

Bandages & materials

Removes ticks completely and gently – important in forested and grassland regions of Switzerland.

  • Grasps tick as close to skin as possible without squeezing the body
  • Handy, fits in home cabinet and go-bag
  • Easy to clean and reusable
  • Optional magnifier for small (nymph) ticks

Basic supply: medicines & monitoring

A home cabinet needs a thermometer and over-the-counter medicines for acute symptoms. For pain and fever, paracetamol and ibuprofen are common active ingredients; for adults, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is also available – but unsuitable for children and teens (see 'Common mistakes'). Dosage and use always follow the package insert or consultation with a doctor or pharmacist.

Your personal ongoing medications also belong here – best stored separately and clearly, with a current medication and allergy list.

  1. Thermometer
  2. Pain and fever medicine (e.g., paracetamol, ibuprofen) – use per package insert
  3. Diarrhea and nausea/vomiting relief
  4. Electrolytes / rehydration salts
  5. Cold/cough remedies, nasal spray
  6. Personal ongoing medications plus current medication and allergy list

Recommended products

Thermometer

Monitoring

Reliably measures fever and helps assess whether medical care is needed. Digital and contactless models are easy to use.

  • Quick, clearly readable measurement
  • Suitable for the whole family (including children)
  • Hygienic to clean, with protective cover
  • Replaceable battery or spare included

Proper storage

Store your home cabinet cool, dry, and protected from light. The bathroom is unsuitable: humidity and temperature swings (from showers) can damage medicines. Better locations are cooler, dry rooms like bedrooms, hallways, or a cabinet.

Keep everything out of children's reach – ideally in a lockable cabinet or drawer. Leave medicines in original packaging with instructions; this keeps active ingredient, dose, and expiry date clear.

Check expiry dates at least once a year (many guides recommend twice yearly), replace expired items, and restock used items.

How do I build a medication supply for crises?

If you rely on regular medicines, you should stock a supply and store it separately from the main cabinet. The federal government deliberately sets no fixed weekly or monthly target for personal ongoing medications – general emergency supplies are planned for roughly one week. How much reserve makes sense for you is best discussed with your doctor or pharmacist; they also know the rules on repeat/ongoing prescriptions, whose validity is time-limited (varying by canton).

Rotate stock like emergency supplies using 'first in, first out': use older items first, add new ones at the back. Nothing expires.

Expired or unneeded medicines go back to the pharmacy or drugstore (mandatory return since 2001, household amounts usually free). Never dispose of them in household trash or down toilets or sinks – they burden water and drinking supplies.

  1. Stock ongoing medications and store separately
  2. Clarify quantity and restocking with doctor or pharmacist (repeat/ongoing prescription)
  3. Rotate by 'first in, first out' and monitor expiry dates
  4. Return expired items to pharmacy/drugstore – never in trash, toilet, or sink

Hygiene & pandemic supplement

For situations like a pandemic, the federal government recommends stocking hygiene items: roughly 50 masks per person, hand sanitizer and soap, plus disposable gloves. These items supplement the home cabinet and emergency supplies.

  1. Approx. 50 hygiene masks per person
  2. Hand sanitizer and soap
  3. Disposable gloves
  4. Disposal bags for used bandages and hygiene items

Emergency numbers at hand

Write key numbers in your home cabinet and on your phone: for suspected poisoning (e.g., swallowed medicines or household products), Tox Info Switzerland is available 24/7 at 145. For life-threatening emergencies – unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, seizure – call ambulance 144 immediately.

Common mistakes

  1. Keeping expired medicines: effectiveness can decline – check at least yearly and replace
  2. Hoarding remnants: opened packages, loose or unlabeled tablets, and antibiotic leftovers don't belong in stock – return them to the pharmacy
  3. Storing in the bathroom: humidity and heat damage medicines
  4. Not child-safe: unlocked and within reach of children
  5. Giving acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) to children and teens with febrile (viral) infections: avoid due to rare but dangerous Reye syndrome – use paracetamol or ibuprofen per package insert or doctor's advice
  6. Forgetting personal ongoing medications: they are absent from emergency supplies fastest and hardest to replace
  7. Never checking expiry dates: once assembled and forgotten – without rotation, the cabinet is useless in an emergency

Frequently asked questions

Where should you store the home medicine cabinet?

Cool, dry, protected from light, and out of children's reach – ideally in a lockable cabinet. The bathroom is unsuitable because humidity and temperature swings damage medicines. Keep medicines in original packaging with instructions.

How often should you check the home cabinet?

At least once yearly – check expiry dates, remove expired items, and restock used ones. If you use it actively, check twice yearly. Rotate by 'first in, first out'.

How much medication stock for an emergency?

For personal ongoing medications, stock a supply and store separately. The federal government sets no fixed weekly target; general emergency supplies are planned for roughly one week. Discuss how much reserve makes sense for you with your doctor or pharmacist (they also know repeat/ongoing prescription rules).

How do you dispose of expired medicines in Switzerland?

Return expired or unneeded medicines to a pharmacy or drugstore – mandatory return applies; household amounts are usually free. Never dispose in household trash, toilets, or sinks, to avoid burdening water and drinking supplies.

What emergency number for poisoning?

For suspected poisoning – e.g., swallowed medicines or household products – Tox Info Switzerland advises 24/7 at 145. For life-threatening symptoms like unconsciousness or difficulty breathing, call ambulance 144 immediately.

Why can't I give aspirin to children and teenagers?

Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is available for adults, but is unsuitable for children and teenagers with febrile viral infections – because of the rare but serious Reye's syndrome. For children, paracetamol or ibuprofen are suitable according to the package insert or medical advice. This note does not replace medical consultation.

What additional hygiene products do I need for a pandemic?

For situations like a pandemic, the federal government recommends around 50 hygiene masks per person, hand disinfectant and soap as well as disposable gloves. A disposal bag for used bandaging and hygiene materials should be included. These items supplement the medicine cabinet and the rest of your emergency supply.

Official sources