If you dumped out the contents of your purse, would you be horrified or pleased? Many of us keep all kinds of knickknacks in our purses that is just unnecessary. Use these tips to keep your purse light and organized.

1. Empty your purse. Literally. Take every item out of every pocket and other compartments, from the stray toothpick to your Ipod shuffle.
2. Remove the garbage. Unless you keep your purse super organized, there is bound to be some trash in there. Toss out wrappers, old receipts, crumbs, etc.
3. Replace bulky items with travel-size items.  Most purse essentials come in purse-friendly sizes. Drugstores are great sources of mini hand lotions, compact mirrors, and other makeup items.
4. Organize your purse belongings into categories. Do you have a bunch of toiletries? Group them together. Do you carry around a bunch of electronic devices? Group those together. Once you do this you can designate certain compartments of your purse for these categories.
5. Clean the inside of your purse. Use soap and warm water on a paper towel to get rid of stains. (Don’t use water on leather, though!) To prevent future stains, place leaky items inside sealed compartments like Ziploc bags or cosmetic pouches.

Now your purse is ready to take anything on! Just make sure you periodically clean it and don’t let garbage accumulate.