
Spring has finally sprung and the world takes a collective sigh as the final traces of winter begin to fade. Most of us are opening the windows, turning on our Spotify, and getting to work on some household spring cleaning. However, if you’re not quite ready for that (the warm weather hasn’t fully set in yet), we recommend you begin spring cleaning and organizing something you use every day: your purse!
In today’s busy world, we too often use our handbags as a catch-all collecting candy wrappers, unneeded receipts, and loose change. If your bag could use some spring cleaning TLC, here are six steps to help you rejuvenate your organization:
1. Start with a clean slate.
We recommend starting by emptying your entire bag. Take everything out, shake out loose crumbs, change, and wrappers over the garbage can, not forgetting to open and unzip all compartments! Next, take a damp cloth and wipe out the interior and exterior of your bag. If you have some fabric refresher, give it a light spray – Chanel No. 5 works great, too! Hopefully during this process, you’ll find that ring you thought you lost or even a surprise $20!
2. Consider your handbag options.
Is the bag you’re cleaning out too worn to use anymore? Does it need repaired or dry cleaned? Is it out of season and not following current colors or trends? Is it time to retire this bag and get something new? These are all things to consider when you’ve emptied out the contents and wiped it down. Spring is a great time to revamp your wardrobe, so it might be time to treat yourself to a new bag, maybe even that Birkin you’ve had your eye on – alright, that’s a bit of a stretch and a dream for most of the world, but you get the point.
3. Sort it out.
Once you have emptied out your bag and selected which handbag you are going to use, it’s time to begin organizing! Sort your items into piles:
- Use every day: i.e. credit cards, wallet, lipstick, parking pass
- Use once a week/month: i.e. car wash tickets, store loyalty cards, friend’s spare key
- Never use: old grocery lists, spare diaper that has been outgrown, children’s socks
Out of your piles, what can you throw away, store elsewhere, or use in your everyday handbag?
4. De-winterize your purse.
Now that winter is over (hooray!), what can you take out of your purse and store? We’re talking cold medicine, hats and gloves, hot hands – you name it! Once you have purged your winter supplies away, begin thinking about what you will need for spring. Right off the bat, we recommend sunscreen and a new stock of tissues and Allegra for allergy season.
5. Change up your makeup.
Not only do we change our accessories and wardrobes for spring, but we also change up our makeup. Time to shelve those dark, gloomy colors and buy some new, bright ones for spring! To see the hottest color trends for spring, check out Pantone’s Spring 2015 Color Lineup – we especially love the color of the year, Marsala!
Once you’ve decided what to do away with for spring, decide what needs to be thrown out due to out-of-season colors or damage. By the time you’ll need it for the next season, it will more than likely be expired anyway.
6. Invest in a Purse Perfector.
Even the most organized of people find they can get disorganized at times. Let a Purse Perfector help keep your handbag organized at all times! We have several colors and sizes to choose from. Check out our shopping page to see which one is right for you!