Why You Should Think Twice Before Storing Your Vitamins In The Bathroom

While it's a staple in almost every bathroom now, the modern medicine cabinet as we know it today wasn't introduced to the space until the early 20th century, notes Cabinet. Most medicines and therapeutic tools were kept in the kitchen until the advent of indoor plumbing and the subsequent revolution in bathroom design.

Nowadays, it's typical to stock everything from perfumes, toothpaste, skincare products, medicines, and vitamins in your medicine cabinet. They also double as a mirror above your sink, adding extra hidden storage, which is especially helpful in small bathrooms. However, just because it's called a medicine cabinet doesn't mean it's necessarily capable of storing your vitamins. Improperly storing your vitamins won't lead to any adverse health effects, but it can result in them losing their effectiveness and potency, warns Healthline. And while you may think it's ideal to store your vitamins and supplements in the medicine cabinet in your bathroom, it's actually one of the worst places to keep them.

Healthline explains that the best way to store vitamins is anywhere that is both cool and dry and away from excessive or direct sunlight. While most vitamin bottles are designed to block out light and moisture, they can only do so much. If you have a bathroom window that sees lots of sunlight, you should keep your vitamins away, preferably tucked somewhere dark. Vitamins A and D, for instance, are particularly vulnerable to prolonged light exposure and can lose their effectiveness after a set period.

However, even darker areas in your bathroom, like medicine cabinets or linen closets, are likely not enough. The excess moisture and heat in your bathroom produced during showers or baths are already enough to damage your vitamins. Impacx notes that since bathrooms are so small, humidity sticks around longer than in other rooms. Plus, there are a lot of potential bacteria and germs growing in your bathroom that could compromise your vitamins and supplements.

If you can't store your vitamins in the bathroom, then where should you? While your kitchen may seem like the next best option, Impacx warns against it for the same reason you should avoid the bathroom — excess heat and humidity. That is, assuming you're storing them in cabinets or drawers.

Healthline says one of the best places to store your vitamin bottles is in the fridge — especially fish oil, flaxseed, vitamin E, and probiotics. Not only is it cool, dry, and dark, but a lot of vitamins can benefit from being kept below room temperature. If you don't have space in your fridge, your linen closet is a good alternative, as long as it's outside your bathroom. If you want someplace that's a little more convenient or easy to reach in the mornings and evenings, Impacx recommends your bedroom nightstand. Not only does this meet all temperature and light standards, but it's convenient and accessible and out of reach of children or pets.