Dr. Oz's Tips on How to Disinfect Everyday Items

Most women carry a purse or use makeup, but did you know that they could be breeding grounds for germs?

Dr. Mehmet Oz shared a few tips with "Good Morning America" on how to clean those germs from your purse and makeup.

Oz suggested buying makeup in dispensers or metal tubes so the air cannot get in, rather than buying it in jars or pots. While most makeup is anti-bacterial, Oz says the bacteria-fighting qualities expire after a year.

Keep an eye on the expiration date, he says, and throw out liquid foundation when the ingredients begin to settle or separate, the texture changes, it either thickens or thins or the smell changes.

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Here are a few more tips for how to clean your makeup kit:

Lipstick and Mascara
Take a tube of lipstick and dip it in alcohol for 15 to 30 seconds, then wipe away the top layer of the lipstick. Or leaving it overnight in the freezer will also kill bacteria and viruses.
Leave a closed tube of mascara overnight in the freezer, thereby killing the germs.

Foundation and Eye Pencil
If you use a powder foundation, scrape off the top layer of the powder occasionally.
If you use a liquid foundation, scoop out the top layer.
Sharpen your eye pencil to a fresh point, making sure to remove the first layer.

Oz suggests disinfecting all of your cosmetics every three weeks, including using alcohol or freezing them.

The Dr. Oz show debuts Monday, Sept. 14, 2009.