At Home with GCH – How Clean is Your Purse?

Did you know your purse may be harboring a dangerous cocktail of viruses and bacteria such as e-coli, salmonella, staph, and others I don’t even want to say? Think about the places you put your purse: on the floor of the car, in the child’s seat of a shopping cart, on the bathroom floor or counter, on the counter at the checkout register, on the floor at the restaurant, on the floor at the movie theatre… all of which are dirty, germy places. Then what do you do? You pick it up and carry it around with you, setting it on tables, your kitchen counter, your couch, and your bed, transferring all of the creepy crawlies you’ve picked up along the way right into your home. It’s a recipe for trouble.

Today, I am issuing a challenge to you: Clean your purse, inside & out. (For extra credit, clean all of your purses.)

To clean your purse:

1. Empty the contents of your purse and wallet. Throw away old receipts, shopping lists, wrappers, pens that don’t work, and anything else you no longer need.
2. Check the website of your purse’s manufacturer to educate yourself on any special care instructions. When cleaning my Miche purse, I went to www.michebag.com, and learned to wipe it down with a damp cloth. I use a baby wipe to clean mine. Whatever I’ve picked up along the way will then go right in the trash, rather than in my laundry room.
3. Sanitize it, especially the bottom and handles. I use a disinfecting wipe for this. (Keep special care instructions in mind so you don’t damage it.) In a pinch, I have put hand sanitizer on a paper towel and wiped the handles, then the bottom of the purse.
4. Turn your purse upside down and shake it out. To pick up any debris that may still be inside, wrap tape around your fingers, sticky side up, and press your fingers onto the fabric.
5. To clean the fabric on the inside of your purse, mix warm water with a little bit of vinegar (or a couple drops of baby wash or mild dish soap) and wipe the fabric with a rag dampened with the water/vinegar mixture. Once the fabric dries, the vinegar smell goes away.
6. Using the same method you used to clean the outside of your purse, clean your wallet.
7. Now you can start putting things back into your purse and wallet, wiping down every item as you go with a baby wipe or damp rag. I even wipe down my credit/debit cards. Over the top? Not really. Think about how many germy hands touch those, and they’re never cleaned! Be selective in what you put back, and try to organize everything. A place for everything, and everything in its place. A purse organizer works well for this!

A few extra tips:

• Buy a purse hanger to keep your purse off the floor when at restaurants, or for when there’s not a hook on the door in public restrooms.
• Take 2 seconds to wipe the bottom of your purse with a disinfecting wipe any time you’ve had to put it somewhere germy. I always keep hand sanitizer and a baggie of disinfecting or baby wipes in my purse.
• Take care to store your purses the proper way. Do not hang them. Instead, stuff each one with tissue paper, and store them upright.
• Apply what you’ve learned here and protect your children by cleaning their backpacks or school bags. Same thing for briefcases and carry-on luggage.

How many purses do you have? Do you clean at least the bottom of your purse on a daily basis, or have you never really given it much thought? Share with the class and leave a comment below!

Love & Blessings,

Shandy

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Be sure to visit Shandy’s personal blog Aprons ‘n Pearls for crafts, recipes, homekeeping tips & more!

If you have any questions, just ask in the comment section, or send me an email at:

shandy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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