Organize Your Purse Using These Simple Tips

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At times, it feels as though you carry a good chunk of your life in your purse.  Just try forgetting something. Or, not being able to find something! Perhaps you’ve had the experience of frantically looking for your debit card or one of your credit cards, while the cashier’s patience wears thin?  The impact of this can resonate for a while. 

So, organizing your purse just makes good sense. 

Interestingly enough, in a Mentos survey, 33% of female respondents admitted to not cleaning out their purses.  Unfortunately, this can lead to lost items, ruined interiors, and in some cases, bacteria.

Also, in a separate study, it was found that women’s purses have more bacteria than toilets.

Wow, that alone is motivation.  

Where do you start when it comes to cleaning out and organizing your purse?

Take a look at this step-by-step process to get your purse in order.

How to Clean Your Purse

1. Dump everything out of your purse. The first step is to remove everything from your bag onto a flat surface. Shake it out and remember to check the nooks and crannies, especially the hidden pockets for any loose change, hair ties, old receipts, etc. Who knows, you might even find your favorite lip gloss hidden in there.
2. Clean the interior and exterior. Now that your purse is empty, clean the exterior and interior. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions regarding cleaning your purse. A weekly wipe down of the exterior with warm water and mild liquid soap can make a huge difference, particularly since soap and water are great for killing germs. Once again, be sure to look at the manufacturer’s instructions.  If you’ve got crumbs in the interior of your purse, it’s a good idea to use a hand vacuum to remove them. And, to clean the interior on a regular basis.   Here are a few other tips on the best way to clean the inside of your handbag.
3. Get rid of the trash. Go back to the flat surface and pick through the pile of items to remove the trash – you know it’s there.  Whether it’s gum wrappers, old lip balm, expired gift cards.  Time to throw it all out. You might be surprised by the sheer volume of garbage you discover in your purse.
4. Divide all your belongings into categories. It’s helpful to categorize your items so that you have an idea of where everything will go when you’re organizing your purse. There are so many ways to split your items into different categories. How to categorize is completely up to you. Here are some examples.d
   1. Group by type or use. This is distinguishing your medicine from your make-up, your stationery from your technology.
   2. Group by frequency of use. Especially now that face masks and hand sanitizer are a must for going out, you might want to place the frequently used items in a prominent pocket of your purse.
   3. Group by size. Maybe it’s better to stack your facial spritz and your mini-umbrella together because they are roughly the same size? It will help you figure out how to balance the parts of your purse later on.

Purse Organization:

Now that you have categorized your items, it’s time to return your purse contents in an organized way.   You want to think about what system you will use to keep everything together in your purse and return each item to a specific place after using it.

After all, once you’ve cleaned it out, throwing your items into the bottom of your purse will defeat the purpose!

Similar to decluttering your living space, you want every item in your purse to have a home.

So, if you have a large size purse with compartments, a great way to keep it organized is to designate each compartment for particular items.  And, as previously outlined, ensure that the most frequently used items, such as cell phones are accessible and within easy reach.

However, if you prefer small bags or tote bags, you’ll need another solution.

Here are some purse organization solutions:

1. A purse organizer insert is basically a separate pouch and is one of the easy ways to contain your items. You can place it in different purses, while keeping your items intact.  This is good news if you’re running out to the grocery store, for example, and want to bring one of your smaller bags with you.  You simply transfer the insert into the smaller purse and you’re ready to go.
   
   The best thing to do when looking for a purse organizer insert is to measure the interior of the purses you use most frequently to ensure that you purchase one that can fit all of them.
2. Makeup Bags. Instead of the purse insert, consider housing your items in a few small makeup bags, instead. You can label them and even use one for your loose change.
3. Cord Ties. Dealing with cords that often end up tangled at the bottom of your bag, is another challenge. Using cord ties is the best way to manage this. They range anywhere from practical Velcro strips to leather tacos.  Regardless of what you use, now, you don’t have to spend time untangling the cord of your phone charger!
   
   
   Cord tie on Amazon
   
4. Essential Items.  The best way to keep your purse organized is to carry essential items. While it is tempting to carry around more than necessary, paring things down is easier to manage and less strain on your body.

Determine your essentials AKA the must-haves.

Clearly, essential items will vary from person to person.

For some, essentials will look like this:

• Wallet
• Cell phone
• Pen
• Hand lotion
• Face mask
• Hand sanitizer
• Small notebook

Recap

At the end of the day, your purse organization system must be one that works for you and one that you can easily keep up with.  If it’s too complex, you won’t maintain it.

So, remember to keep the interior and exterior clean. Check the manufacturer’s information for any special instructions.

And, then decide how you will categorize your purse contents, whether by frequency of use, or, by type, etc. 

Carrying around essential items will provide easier access to the contents of your purse and reduce the strain on your body.

Finally, whether you use the purse compartments or a purse organizer insert, or, even makeup bags, have a system to keep your contents intact, organized and easily accessible.