Knowing how to organize your purse properly is one of those tasks that reveals more than you expect. Most bags accumulate receipts, expired cards, multiple lip balms, and a surprising amount of bacterial contamination. This guide works through the process the way we approach it at The Uncluttered Life, Inc. — one focused step at a time.
Set your timer for 60 minutes and take a before photo.
Pull Everything Out and Clean the Bag
Purses come in every shape, size, and configuration imaginable. I have tried small ones and large ones. My own approach tends toward minimalism — I purchase one bag, keep it for a long time, and wear it with everything. The one I carry now is a crossbody bucket bag from Eileen Fisher that I have been using for almost fourteen years. It is in perfect shape, still in style, and goes with everything. I get compliments on it regularly.
The bag has two outside pockets — phone in one, always accessible in the other — and several interior pockets for keys, pens, and my checkbook. Yes, I still carry a checkbook.
The Bacteria Problem
Before organizing your purse, there is a hygiene step worth taking seriously. A 2015 study by the National Institutes of Health found that of 138 purses and wallets swabbed, 95% had bacterial contamination, with the highest concentration on the strap or handle. The Women's Health Magazine purse germ study drew a similar conclusion. Take everything out and wipe the bag down thoroughly — inside pockets and outside surfaces both — before anything goes back in. Wipe individual items as you go through them.
Place a clean towel on the counter and build your pile there, keeping things upright where possible.
Group What You Have
Once everything is out and the bag is clean, group the contents together. Put like items in separate piles: cards and IDs, cosmetics, health items, receipts, keys, cash and change, miscellaneous. This is the stage where you see exactly what your bag has been accumulating, often including duplicates and things that belong somewhere else entirely.
Take a moment to check expiration dates on anything that has one. Grocery loyalty cards for stores you no longer shop at, discount cards for businesses that have closed, receipts from last year — this is the time to let them go.
Edit Ruthlessly
A purse is not meant to carry everything you might conceivably need in a day. It is meant to carry certain essentials, and the fewer the better. Research confirms that extra bag weight puts measurable pressure on your shoulder muscles, affecting posture over time. The goal is to reduce by at least twenty percent, though aiming higher gives you that much less to manage going forward.
Keep what you actually reach for regularly. Return overstock items to your medicine cabinet, makeup drawer, or desk. If you are carrying three lip balms, keep one. If you have a stack of business cards you collected at an event six months ago, do something with them or let them go.
One Practical Tip
Make copies of the credit cards in your wallet, your driver's license, and your insurance cards. Store them somewhere secure at home. If you ever lose your wallet or bag, you will be able to cancel and request replacements immediately without trying to remember what was in there. This applies to men's wallets too.
Return Everything and Set Up a System
The storage system that changed how I organize my purse is a set of small brightly colored change bags from Amazon. They come in a pack of ten with metal zipper closures, in a variety of sizes, and can be washed when needed — which matters, given what we know about bag bacteria.
What Goes in Each Pouch
One pouch holds my insurance cards and FSA card so I never dig at a doctor's appointment. Another holds change. A third holds credit cards. A fourth holds my driver's license and the cards I use daily. I have labeled some on the outside; others I know by sight based on color and pattern. The system is simple enough that I can find exactly what I need in seconds without hunting through a loose pile at the bottom of my bag. The larger versions of these pouches also work well for cosmetics.
A crossbody bag distributes weight more evenly than a shoulder bag and takes pressure off the muscles along one side of your neck and upper back. Worth considering if you are in the market for a new bag.
Take an after photo. You are done for the day.
Steps provided by professional organizers at The Uncluttered Life, Inc.
Pull the Next Card
The Declutter Deck® covers every room and category in your home with the same focused approach. Each of the 52 cards gives you one specific task sized for 30 to 60 minutes. Tag us at @lifehackdecks with your before and after photos.
