Attention Ladies! Your Purse Is Trying To Kill You

Your bag goes everywhere with you, every single day. It holds your most valuable possessions and maybe your deepest secrets. The purse comes in different sizes, designs, shapes, colors, material and so on, and so on. It shows both your style and your personality. That's why the purse is not only an accessory, but a key element of the first impression a woman makes and, believe it or not, it could be very, very dangerous. But first things first.

Purse History

In the medieval era, clothing pockets weren't invented and that's why mеn and womеn carried pouches, into which they brought their daily important stuff like money, handkerchiefs, maybe a knife and who knows what else. But pockets weren’t the only thing that hadn’t been invented yet. At that time, deodorant was still something unknown, and regular bathing was considered outrageous and unhealthy. So the creative medieval ladies carried pouches, stuffed with aromatic potpourri to fight the body odor. Later, in modern Europe people wore a purse only to carry coins, but in the 17th century one of the skills a young lady should have had in order to be married accordingly was embroidery - that's how the variety of purse designs started to develop. And by the late 18th century the fashion purses took the whole world by a storm, as well as every woman's heart.

What's Hiding in Your Purse

A recent study confirms that an average purse contains more bacteria than an average toilet seat. The researchers tested the surface and the items inside 25 purses and discovered that the dirtiest part of the bag is the handle. The shocking part is that one of every five purses contained enough germs to be considered as risky for your health. The tests also have shown that bags carried traces of Escherichia coli (E. Coli) on the bottom, because of their contact with the germy surfaces as bathroom and restaurant floors. About the stuff inside the purse, the researchers found that the hand cream bottles carry most of the bacteria. Another study made by CEH (the Center for Environmental Health) found high levels of lead in plastic, vinyl, and faux leather bags. And lead is considered to be a cancer-causing chemical by most of the state and federal agencies as EPA (Environmental Protection Agencies) and CEH.

How To Properly Clean Your Purse

We should get into a cleaning routine. The first thing we should do is to wash our hands more often. That's how we'll decrease the spreading of bacteria in and out of the bag as well as the amounts of germs we are exposed to. What's next?

In general, these four steps will help, but first, read the care label on your purse. If it's acceptable to use the washing machine for the best results:

• Empty all pockets;
• Shake the bag to remove all of the dust;
• Cleaning the interior of the purse: pull it inside out and use a lint roller to clean up the interior or you can simply use the vacuum cleaner;
• Cleaning the exterior: wipe it with baby wipes or with a wet cloth;

How To Extend The Life of Your Purse

• Avoid placing your leather purse under direct sunlight;
• Avoid exposing your purse to moisture and water;
• Don't use harsh cleaners because they may damage the surface. Bleach, alcohol or ammonia-based cleaning products are absolutely off-limits;
• If you don't know how to properly clean your purse, you can take it to a cleaning expert ;
• Don't hang your purse for too long, it could damage the straps;
• Keep your purse upright or lay it down;

How To Keep Your Purse Organized

There are tons and tons of purse organizers available in the stores in different shapes, sizes, designs, and prices. So there's no excuse to avoid buying one. But if you find it unnecessary, you can simply try to keep your stuff more organized. For example, always keep your makeup accessories in one place in order to avoid spilling them. Your pen should always be with the cap on if you want to avoid staining the interior of the purse. Be creative and never leave food for too long in your purse.

 Don't let your purse kill you, keep it clean and organized. Love your purse and it will love you back. And remember: purses are like friends, you can never have too many.