Your Purse Is Filthy. Here Are Some Expert-Recommended Ways to Clean It Up.

A before-and-after shot of cleaning a makeup-stained purse lining. By first scraping stains with the dull edge of a knife, we were able to get out a surprising amount of lipstick. Tamping the lining with micellar water pushed out even more of the stain. Photo: Connie Park

The good news about purse linings is that they’re typically made of easier-to-clean fabrics. (One notable exception, Mesquita said, is rayon, which can require professional dry-cleaning solvents to de-stain.) The bad news is that, thanks to things like mascara, lipstick, and leaky pens, linings are usually the most disgusting part of a purse.

“So many bags are a horror show on the inside,” Jerry Pozniak said. “I’ve seen a few over the years where I just can’t believe how bad it looks.”

To best clean a lining, try the following:

First, turn the lining inside out, and wipe off any dust, lint, or crumbs. In many cases, a bag’s lining isn’t sewn into the bottom of the bag, so it can be pulled out and laid flat alongside the bag’s outer shell for easier cleaning.

Next, try brushing or scraping off stains. In our testing, we were pleasantly surprised to see how much stain removal could be achieved just by taking a stiff-bristled brush or the dull side of a knife to a bag’s lining. This trick worked even on old makeup stains. It might not completely remove a stain, but we found it to be a worthwhile first step.

Tamp out stains with micellar water. Jerry Pozniak said that micellar water contains “both a mild organic solvent and surfactants,” so it’s ideal for getting out stains. After squirting it onto the stained area, tamp it with the back of an old toothbrush to push the stain through to the underside of the lining. (Place a clean, dry towel underneath to soak it up.) Don’t scrub with a back-and-forth motion, which “is just going to turn that stain into a giant splotch,” Zach Pozniak said.

We especially like this trick for linings that can’t be turned inside out and taken out of the shell of the bag, because micellar water doesn’t need to be rinsed out the way soapy water does. Even when we weren’t able to squarely place a microfiber cloth underneath a sewn-in lining, we were still able to get out a good amount of stain using micellar water and tamping.

A before-and-after shot of a Betsey Johnson purse lining. Because this lining is fully sewn into the bag, we weren’t able to clean it while it was lying flat, which is more effective. But we were still able to get a good amount of stain out using micellar water. Photo: Connie Park

To tackle this incredibly stained lining, we first used the dull side of a knife to scrape off as much lipstick as we could. Then we repeatedly scrubbed in undiluted Dawn dish soap by hand and washed it out with water between attempts, and we used Amodex stain remover on the toughest spots. Photo: Connie Park

If you still have stains, you can try the dish-soap trick again. Since linings are usually made of durable materials, you can scrub in some Dawn (diluted or not, depending on how bad the stain is) with a soft-bristled brush, like an old toothbrush. “In our testing, Dawn and water worked great even on very old lipstick and foundation stains,” Andrea said.

To prevent stains, get some smaller bags for inside your bag. The easiest way to avoid disastrous stains is to stash pens and makeup in small, non-porous pouches before putting them in your purse. A purse organizer will do the trick while also taming clutter and chaos. Senior staff writer Jackie Reeve likes this Ztujo organizer.

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