It is a comforting feeling when your ostomy supplies delivery arrives on your doorstep. After your door shuts, how do you go about organising your ostomy supplies? Do you store them all in one place or have some in different rooms? Are you super organised and label where everything is or do you put them in a drawer and hope for the best? However your organisation style may be, we are going to give you 5 ways to store your ostomy supplies below.
Want to share your organisational hacks? Please leave us a comment at the end of this post!
Things to bear in mind when storing ostomy supplies
It is always a good idea to store your supplies in a fairly cool/cool room temperature environment where you are able to. This is because hot temperatures can affect the adhesive and cause it to start to breakdown, which can reduce how well your ostomy bags stick when you come to use them. Likewise, cold or damp environments can also impact the adhesive.
How you store your ostomy supplies has to be a good environment for the supplies to stay at their best but also obviously be suited to you. It's also worth bearing in mind that it's a good idea to have at least 2 weeks worth of ostomy supplies in hand when you make your next order in case deliveries are delayed are you have ostomy issues which require more bag changes or products.
Using a storage trolley
A storage trolley is a great way to separate your ostomy supplies and have to hand in a room such as a bedroom. You can also get craft trolleys, which tend to have trays in them instead of drawers. How you store your supplies is up to you, but some people prefer drawers to give them discretion by covering their ostomy supplies. You can then simply grab what you need to when you need to change, and store any surplus supplies in their delivery box or another box somewhere else. Places to store surplus supplies could be under the bed or on top of the wardrobe.
The above storage trolley is available from Argos.
Using a craft caddy case
Amy, our Social Media & Marketing Specialist, stores a week's worth of ostomy supplies in an expandable craft caddy case. She stores this in her bathroom and finds that her ostomy supplies aren't impacted by the warm and damp environment after having a shower or a bath. This is probably because it is covered so her ostomy supplies are sealed away unless she is changing her bag.
Surplus ostomy supplies that won't fit into this caddy go in a shallow tray under Amy's bed then she tops up her ostomy supplies caddy as and when needed.
Storage like this is also great to grab and go and for on-the-go and Amy usually takes her supplies in this away with her if she is going on a road trip or a night or two away.
Storing supplies on a shelf
This isn't as discreet, but if this doesn't matter to you and you want your ostomy supplies super accessible, storing them on a shelf in a room such as your bedroom can be useful.
If you lay your ostomy supplies out so that they are separated by product, you can grab what you need easily and also see really easily when you need to start restocking!
It's also handy to store a few "grab and go" kits for when you go out such as a few spare ostomy bags and wipes in a disposable bag, a little lunch box, or a travel pouch such as the 'Essentials' ostomy travel case from Beyond Definition.
Use a drawer & drawer dividers
Using a drawer is another option for storing your ostomy supplies so that you know everything is in one place. Drawer dividers like these or even using different storage tubs and trays in the drawers can help you separate your supplies out so they are easy to grab when you need them.
Use an ostomy travel bag
A lot of ostomy delivery companies supply complementary travel bags for ostomy supplies when you sign up, like the one above (from Coloplast). These can also be handy to use at home to store a kit or a few day's worth in one place if you want to keep your "go-to" kit small and discreet and easy to move from one room to another.
Bear in mind though that kits like this frequently need topping up with supplies, so it is a good idea to have the rest of your supplies in an easily accessible place such as the bottom of your wardrobe or in a box under your bed.
Have any tips to share?
Comment below & we will get back to you. You never know who your comment may help!
Disclaimer: As always, this post is from our Social Media & Marketing Specialist, Amy's, experience of living with a permanent ileostomy, Crohn's Disease and from what she has researched. Nothing in our blog posts should be taken as medical advice. It's always best to consult a medical professional if you have queries or concerns.
Other educational reads
- How long should an ostomy bag stay on?
- What are the stickers for that come with ostomy bags?
- Is it okay to fly with a stoma?
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Anna, that’s fantastic! Organised, for sure!
At home I have a suitcase with my urostomy supplies in. When I am out and about I have a small bag with compartments in which I carry in my handbag and I have a small hold all in my car with supplies in also.
Following on from a previous post regarding storage cubes, another product I use is a ‘stoma caddy’ it’s a silicone storage unit (approx 6" X 8") with hooks and pockets fitted. The unit adheres to my bathroom mirror (without adhesive) giving me a pocket for a can of adhesive remover and stoma powder and a hook for my new ostomy bag and another for the disposal bag. It makes Ostomy bag changes so easy (especially if tight for space).
I use IKEA Kallax storage cubes (Homebase, Argos and other suppliers sell similar) with 4 drawers fitted, 2 cupboard doors and several fabric box inserts. Each drawer can store 4 boxes of bags (40 total) I also use the drawers to store cans of adhesive remover, barrier wipes and bags + anything else (including my Comfizz underwear and support belts/stoma guard collection). The cupboards and boxes are great for storing extra bags and the non woven cloth wipes. Everything is all in one place and easily accessible (The unit is just outside my bathroom door) I rotate my stock in expiry date order so I know anything in the top drawer is the oldest working down the drawers to new stock. New stock is in the cupboards. Kallax is available in 2, 4, 8 or more. Some variants can be wall mounted and come in a range of colours. On the move I use a cross shoulder sling bag which is just big enough for a couple of bags, wipes, adhesive remover non woven swabs and disposal bags. I also keep a public toilet radar key in the front pouch for emergencies. The sling bags are available in several colours and are unisex (I’m a bloke) I Have several of these bags secreted in different cars and places. It pays to plan ahead in case of emergencies and when you have a Stoma life is so much easier if everything is organised.
Andrew – this is such a good idea! A “grab and go” bag! So handy.
Adrienne – amazing! Thank you for sharing your organisation tips. This sounds like a great idea!
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