Encouraging Moms at Home

Tips, Tricks and Tools for the #MomWin

10 Ways to Keep your Purse Clean

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I was out of ideas for purse posts, so I had a chat with my kids. “I need a purse post,” I said. One of my daughters came up with, “How much money women spend on purses.” She thought that would be fascinating to read. The rest of us did not. Someone suggested, “The things in a purse” but that was too generic and overdone for my taste – especially since I already wrote a post like that!

Then it came, “Mom, you should write about how to keep your purse clean. ‘Cause yours is really bad, so you need that! And if you need that, other moms do too probably.”

Really.

How exactly am I supposed to write about how to keep your purse clean when I *can’t* keep my purse clean? I asked my kids that question. They came up with a couple of suggestions to get the ideas flowing.

Ten Ways to Keep Your Purse Clean

The top answer from all kids: “Don’t keep unnecessary receipts in your purse.” Aha! Here’s my idea: Let’s put an envelope in my purse to keep *necessary* receipts since they don’t fit in my billfold. All the rest can go immediately into the trash or maybe on the floor of my car. Shhh! Don’t tell my husband I said that. I pay my daughter to clean my car out – so he never needs to know!

Another big winner: “Don’t leave opened chocolate bars in your purse.” Oh boy. My kids know me too well! Yikes. Okay, so I’m translating this one to, “Eat all the chocolate.” That’s my goal in life now! Every time I get chocolate, I have to eat it all at once. I think I can handle that.

After that, the kids kind of got bored of the topic, leaving me to come up with the rest on my own.

Put all loose change into a ziplock bag. I’ve tried to get change purses, but they just end up overflowing or breaking. A small ziplock bag is never filled completely, and is handy to find the change at parking meters. The times I’ve remembered to keep said bag in my purse, it has been a game changer!

Clean out the random trash that collects in there daily. I so wish I could make this a habit! Even if I throw all the random receipts on the floor of my car waiting for identity thieves, I still end up with stacks of gum wrappers, straw wrappers, gum, random receipts that slip through the cracks, and pieces of plastic. Plastic wrappers from who knows where. My little kids think my purse is a trash bag when we go places.

Use baby wipes to clean out the crumbs. How does my purse get crumbs in it??? I have no idea! And yet, there they are. Food crumbs. Cracker crumbs. Something. I don’t know where they come from or what they even are, but once a week at least I need to wipe out the inside of my purse with a baby wipe to catch all the crumbs. I used to carry a full pack of baby wipes (when I had babies), but now I like those little flat wipe containers you find in the checkout lanes.

Put all the things away. Somehow, my purse accumulates random things. Random things make my purse heavy and jumbled and hard to find anything. I kinda want to make this a chore for one of my kids, since I am pretty sure they are the owners of all the random things (especially the LEGOs). But then they would probably find and take random things that I actually need in my purse – like the chapstick. Someone is always taking my chapstick! So I need to put all the things away myself. To protect my chapstick. And my chocolate. (Shh!)

Keep stuff in little bags. I could have a little bag for charger cords and my portable charger. A little bag of lipstick, chapstick, and lotion. A little bag for coins. (I already said that didn’t I?) A little bag for receipts. A little bag for notes and calendar. A little bag for pens and pencils. A little bag for private toiletry type thingies. I could have fifteen little bags in my purse. Good grief. This is why I need a big purse!

Carry a refreshing spray. Socks and shoes. In my purse. Why? And when they were little it was breastmilk drops and pump parts and smelly formula bottles. Culprits are always making my purse smell! So my thought is, why not carry a little refreshing spray made of essential oils? Not only can I use it to freshen up the inside of my purse, I can use it to freshen up myself!

Keep all the shopping “bonus” cards on a keychain. Punch holes in all your rewards cards and membership cards and keep them on a keychain instead of stuffing your billfold full of them or letting them all float around in your purse. Not only does it make the dumb things easy to find, it keeps the clutter down in your purse so you can find what you need.

Carry a little empty bag for old tissues. Maybe you don’t have this issue. I have serious sinus issues that make my nose run constantly. Plus I have six kids. Dirty tissues are always floating around in my purse. So a little grocery bag or ziplock waiting to hold all the snottiness in one place is a good idea. And a lot less gross.

There you go – ten ideas to help keep your purse clean. But I’d love to hear more from you!

Tell me in the comments what you do to keep your purse clean!

 

Welcome to our Coach Purse Giveaway

Do you want a new designer purse? Together with my blogger friends we’re giving you a chance to win an awesome Coach purse. This elegant dark teal Coach Mini City Zip Tote. It’s in a perfect size for shopping or for daily use and perfect for any outfit.

Join Our Giveaway Now!

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Please wait for the giveaway code to load above. Make sure to come back daily to send your daily entries for more chances of winning.

Giveaway is open to US only and runs until 3/30/18 (Friday) 11:59pm EST.

This event is being coordinated by Real Advice Gal.

 

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  1. My purse advice is you only spend as much money on a purse as you intend to carry with you! For me, this means I have a budget of only spending $5 on a new purse. Gotta watch those sales at the end of the season to get a purse at that price so you have a new purse to look forward to each season! Such fun 🙂

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  2. I would love to receive this giveaway I always like being a part of giveaway and would love to give this as a gift for someone

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  4. These are such great tips! The only thing I would add is don’t forget to regularly clean the outside of your purse, especially the bottom. I try not to set mine on the floor but sometimes it can’t be helped. I usually throw mine on the dining table when I come home and the thought of what it might have touched during my travels grosses me out! Lol.

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  7. I keep a small cosmetics bag for small essentials, then a wallet and a planner, then use a few minutes at work to file receipts and declutter every week.

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  8. I really don’t have suggestions on how to keep your purse clean (as mine isn’t) but I loved your ideas of keeping an envelope for receipts (I don’t typically carry my checkbook so I keep the receipts to add to the register when I get home — cash ones can be tossed), eat all the chocolate (good idea, my oldest is always sneaking into my chocolate stash and I lose out), zip lock bag for change is another good one.

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  9. I would like to win this giveaway! My helpful tip is to use an app called Stocard on my smartphone. You scan all your loyalty cards in and dump the cards into a folder in the file cabinet. My purse was immediately 10 lbs. lighter!!!

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  17. I would love to win this because I haven’t found one I love since I finished the diaper bag stage. And I love this coach purse.

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  18. I would love to win this purse…it is so cute! I love the tips about keeping up with the purse. Mine is a mess.

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  20. I have kept my “extras” in little bags for years. I even use those cloth Chinese zipper pouches for those items we women don’t want anyone else to see, plus it’s cute if you have to take it out of your purse.

    I would LOVE to win this. With two young children I’ve been spending very little on purses for years. I would love to finally have a “grown-up” purse.

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  22. The only tip I can think of right now is don’t put your purse on the floor (LOL) I used to do that all the time and then it would get put on the table. I’ve realized how dirty/nasty the outside of my purse can get.

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  23. I would love to win this purse as it is really cute, I only buy my purses at thrift stores, and I would try so hard not to let my daughter abscond with it!

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  26. I have never owned an expensive purse. I would love to win this one. The Coach purse is beautiful. I love your ideas on how to keep your purse clean,

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  30. I have a few purses that I rotate, usually by season. This keeps them from getting too dirty and insures that I properly clean them before they “rest.”

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  33. I just love your posts!! Thank you for the smile! I would love to have this purse in hopes of downsizing my “Mommy” purse to a nice “grown-up lady” purse. 🙂 Praying for a speedy recovery and for your tests to come back with great news! God bless and keep you!

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  35. I would love to win first off, because the bag is red and that is my favorite color 😉 also, I’ve never owned a name brand purse! I would just love having this and as a mom it isn’t like I buy myself purses ever. In fact, my mom is the one who has bought the last two for me because mine looked so horrid! LOL thanks for the chance, whoever wins is going to be psyched 🙂

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  36. I like to keep a small spiral notebook in my purse with a pen stuck into the wire spiral. This way the pen will not mark on anything. Also I keep a nice sturdy rubber band around the notebook to both prevent the pages from getting caught and ripped off and to keep things from sliding between the pages.

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  39. Loved all the great tips you gave for keeping a clean purse. I keep mine clean by keeping a couple of small cosmetic bags in there for loose items like lipstick, pens, bobby pins, finger nail clippers/files. I also try and clean my purse out once a week.

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  40. I would carry this purse, and the color goes with much of my wardrobe. I I live in Africa and always need to carry extra toilet paper, drinking water, hand sanitizer, etc, so I have to carry a larger purse. This would be perfect.

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  43. This purse is super cute! I keep my purses clean by cleaning them out almost everyday. I have a place on my desk for important receipts, a place my husband set up for keys, phone and wallet so I can just grab and throw it in a pocket of a purse or bag as I’m running out the door. I do keep a grocery bag for used tissue and more in the pocket of the van so we always have several handy because you never know when kids are going to land in a huge puddle of mud or spill a drink all over their dress or whateva! I keep 1 pen and 1 pencil in the van and another set in my bag. I can’t vouch for having lip gloss as my kids have totally destroy most what I have so I keep a small lip balm hidden in my van side door for dry lip emergencies. My kids’ diaper bag gets everything else. This is just wear we are right now. ?

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  45. Amy, you are an amazing strong woman to be going through what you’re going through and still have the energy to run this. Thank you for the chance. I have never owend a coach purse lol

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  47. Hi Amy

    Made a purchase (#21089) but am unable to download anything (Page Not Found Error404) – no link for Celebrate Jesus and all other links don’t work either. Have tried to contact you via email (bounced twice) and your contact page (internal error reCAPTCHA). Don’t know what else to do – please contact me on my email to rectify. Thank you.

    Reply

      • Hi Amy My email is [email protected] I didn’t want to post too much info on your comments page and I figured you’d be able to locate my details from my order number. I was experiencing multiple issues with your website and was getting concerned especially after attempting once more to download today and getting the same responses. Anyway, hopefully you can get it sorted easily. I don’t know whether you received a copy of my original email in the end but I was wondering whether you were still intending to provide your encouragement course? I was quite looking forward to it! You are in my prayers for healing. Thanks and warm regards, Kristie

        Reply

  49. I’d love to win that beautiful purse! I recently went to having a makeup bad in my purse for those pesky receipts. They are a big problem!!

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  51. I use 2 small cosmetic bags to help organize my purse. One contains all my work stuff- keys, pens, notebook, name tag… The other contains my lipgloss, mints, notebook and opens for non work stuff.

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  53. Hmm, never thought of doing some of these things… guess I need to be a better purse – keeper.

    What a classy purse though, I wouldn’t mind one. 🙂

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  54. I have an antique store shopper for a husband, so my regular purse is a backpack style so that I can use the two straps when needed. I love an organized purse so I use the “little bag” method. Right now, I have one with external battery chargers, a wall charger and cord and earbuds in it; one with medicines; one with peppermints and life savers and one with the miscellaneous things you never know when you will need- clear fingernail polish, bobby pins, needle & thread, nail clippers and file, Tide pen, chapstick, scissors, etc. That one is actually a long pencil bag so it stands up in the purse. I also carry the most used medicines- ibuprophen, etc in a plastic organizer I found on Amazon.

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  55. This purse is SO pretty! I’d love to either keep it or give it away to a special friend as a gift.

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  56. I would like to win this purse as I am using a backpack (regular backpack!) for my purse. I have never owned a Coach purse..its so pretty!

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  59. I love this list!! I already do some of those things but clutter in the purse can definitely get out of control sometimes! Here’s to getting it all together with my purse!

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  62. Love the idea to keep a small bag for used tissues. Nothing is worse than not knowing what is clean and what is not. I end up throwing them all away.

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  67. A purse? I’m at the stage in life when I can finally switch from diaper bag to purse…I love this purse, it’s beautiful. Did I mention that my favorite color is red?

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  68. I keep a pretty little bag that zips for all my personal care items, and try and minimize the contents and clean out my purse regularly. Love the red purse!

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  69. I love your suggestions. Now if only I could implement some or all of them! Sadly my purse is a major catch all and is so large!

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  70. I hate shopping, so my current purse is looking worn and tired. That’s why a new one would be a blessing. Thanks for the contest.

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  71. I love the Idea is little bags or baggies! Some things are not yours in your purse, however are important , for me this is totally untrue. I take a number of medications, and as a mother constantly on the go, don’t remember to take my medication before leaving home. I keep my medication in their original bottles,in my purse, inside a small cosmetic bag with medical cross on it. Also inside are my list of medications with dosage. Being a diabetic I try to always try to be prepared.

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  75. These are great tips! It’s been so long since I purchased anything like a new purse for myself. This one’s so pretty & I wouldn’t be able to treat myself to something like a Coach purse!

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  76. My husband bought me a Coach bag several years ago, and I loved it and used it until it started to wear out, and I can’t afford to replace it right now, so winning this one would be AWESOME!

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  78. I love the little tampon holders. They are roomy inside and hold change or makeup or legos and are available in lots of fun colors to differentiate contents. They also zip open wide enough to see what’s inside and can stand on end in your purse.

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  79. I must be a bad mom because I have never carried a purse. If it doesn’t fit in my back pocket, I don’t carry it. I tell my kids, “If you bring it, you take care of it.”

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  80. I love the ideas. My purse is a disaster zone and I only pay attention to it when I am leaving for work or going home. I would love to win this purse. The color is right up my alley and I promise to keep it neater.

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  85. With five kids of my own, my best tip is to keep the kids out of your purse! They can’t mess it up if they aren’t allowed in there. LOLOL. I love the size of this purse as well as the color. Would love to win it!

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  88. I love these tips. I have started collecting small change purses to put in my bag to keep all the little stuff in.

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  89. I really am loving the slip on heels that look like bedroom clippers. They have that soft fluffy pompom.

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  92. Very good suggestions. I started a daily clean out this last year and it has helped a lot. Every once in awhile I empty everything out and take a vacuum hose to clean out the crumbs and dirt that accumulate. (How does that stuff get in there?) I also use an essential oil spray to clean the outside.
    I would really enjoy winning this Giveaway because the purse is beautiful and it is my daughters favorite color. She would love it!

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  93. I love all kinds of purses. They have the ability to dress up an outfit by its beauty and still function perfectly for your needs. Form AND Function working together.

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  1. […] find it. Instead I found Skylanders. And random pieces of food. (gross!) And melted chocolate. Oops. I broke my rule about eating all the chocolate again. And a whole lot of trash, at least some of which I didn’t put there. And a stuffed animal. […]

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