3 Vital Ways To Declutter Your Handbag

A handbag should be a fun and practical accessory, not a mobile storage unit. If your “excess baggage” is weighing you down, then it’s time for a change. Carrying around in your bag everything-you-could-possibly-ever-need, such as outdated receipts, gum wrappers or scraps of paper, would only make your life more chaotic. And who needs that extra hassle in midlife?

Dumping out all the contents of your bag at a coffee shop every time you need to find your keys, it’s not only overwhelming but also a surefire way to waste precious time. Further, even if you could carry around a heavy bag, your back and shoulder will not thank you for that. Getting more organized, lightening your load and cleaning out your handbag, would certainly make your life easier.

The idea here is that you can change your life by rethinking our attachment to stuff and getting rid of anything you don’t really love or use. By doing so, you not only get more time—since you can find things more easily—but you simply have less rubbish to manage.

Declutter your handbag with these simple steps, so you can always find what you need.

Empty all handbag contents

Organizing your bag helps you be prepared for whatever life sends your way. Start with giving your bag a nice clean slate. Dump out everything and make sure to empty out every pocket and compartment full of paperclips, crumbs and chewed up gums. It’s worth taking a few minutes over this and seriously considering exactly what you do and don’t use before putting your contents back in. Don’t forget, your purse sitting inside your handbag has also more than likely picked up its fair share of junk. Clean off any spots or stains on the inside and outside of your handbag using alcohol-free baby wipes. Use a lint roller or the soft brush attachment of your vacuum to clean out all residue thoroughly.

Use organizer inserts or pouches

The key to decluttering your bag is having everything in a compartment within a removable organizer insert or in zipper pouches like, for instance, small make-up bags in different colours. You could have one that holds snacks, another that keeps first aid supplies at hand, and yet another one to carry earphones or even lipsticks and hand lotion. Consider having a specific compartment where to place receipts, too. This will help you keep the rest of your handbag tidy and once at home, it will be easy for you to sort them out. In this way, you won’t have to dig around in a big mess and the bottom of the bag won’t become a big junk deposit.

Also, decide what items you use the most, and put those in the most accessible pockets. For example, the side pocket for your phone, the front pocket for your keys, the main pocket for your wallet, and so on. By re-evaluating what to keep and what to toss, switching handbags becomes very easy. According to Marie Kondo, the professional tidying expert, you should get rid of anything that doesn’t spark joy. So, say goodbye to those expired coupons you’re carting around with you “just in case” or that leaflet you collected last month at the fair. To make things even easier, you can also choose to organize your pouches vertically if you have a tall handbag or put them horizontally if you have a shorter one. 

Stick to your declutter routine once a week

Once your handbag is organized and everything is in its designated compartment, you’ll only have to declutter it once in a while. Every week spend just five minutes or so, going through your pockets and pouches to ensure every item is in the right place, then remove any excess change, any receipts or other items that don’t belong. It’s worth considering that a lot of the clutter in our bags are things we simply threw in there for the purpose of transporting it from one place to another, such as from the office to bring home. That item you put in wasn’t meant to stay in your bag long term, so, go ahead, take it out and place it where it’s supposed to go. In that way, you don’t continue to carrying it around for no reason.

Slowly but surely, cleaning out the junk from your bag will become a habit, a way to make you feel under control while restocking stuff that is running low. 

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