Handbag chaos solved!
From unruly phone chargers to rogue receipts, our expert organizers reveal all the clever ways to keep your handbag clutter-free while ensuring essentials are within reach
Prevent liquid spills with an eyeglass case
There’s nothing worse than having a bottle of hand sanitizer explode all over the inside of your bag. To keep the contents of your handbag dry, stash small bottles inside an eyeglass case. Not only will it keep bottles together and easier to reach for, the hard shell of the case— designed to protect fragile glasses—will prevent them from getting squeezed and splattering the inside of your bag.
Contain gum in a pill bottle
Whether it comes in a little cardboard box or plastic container, gum always seems to find a way to get loose in your bag, which can be especially frustrating if the pieces aren’t individually wrapped and get stuck to the liner. The solution? Look no further than your medicine cabinet! “You can store anything small in old pill bottles, not just medication, and they’re the perfect size to hold a few pieces, or even sticks, of gum,” says organizer Leslie F. Jacobs (Lesliefjacobs.com). “They’re easy to find in your purse, and won’t open on their own, which means your purse will stay sticky-free!”
‘Slim’ your wallet by going ‘paper-free’
A wallet stuffed to the gills gobbles up a ton of real estate. “Luckily, it’s easy to streamline,” says organizer Mary Cornetta of Sort and Sweet, Inc. Just choose email receipts instead of paper, and use apps to store credit cards, store cards and coupons in your phone.
Corral loose cords with a binder clip
No matter how carefully you wind headphones or phone chargers before stashing them in your bag, they seem to come out tangled in a knot. Thankfully, sidestepping cord chaos is simple with a binder clip or hair clip. “Just roll the cords, then snap a clip on,” suggests Sarah Dunn of Get It Dunn Professional Organizing. The clip secures the cord without eating up valuable bag space.
Keep track of keys with a shower curtain ring
Why do keys always seem to get lost in your tote? Because they’re heavy, which means they tend to fall into the deepest corner, says Jacobs, who advises storing them on the outside of the bag for easy access. Just put a shower curtain ring or carabiner on your bag’s handle, attach keys and you’ll never lose track of them again!