Dr. Oz's Tips on How to Disinfect Everyday Items
The doctor explains the best way to clean makeup and purses.
Sept. 11, 2009— -- 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.
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.
Cleaning Your Purse and Wallet
Because money constantly goes in and out of your wallet, it can pick up germs as it changes hands.
Scientists say a flu virus can live on money for approximately an hour. However, should the virus mix with nasal mucus it could live up to 17 days on paper bills, according to Oz.
Oz suggests cleaning out your purse once a week:
Wipe everything in your purse with antibacterial wipes and throw out the things you don't need.
Avoid putting shoes in your purse because they can track up the germs in the environment and pass them into your purse and personal items.
Leave your purse at your door so you don't contaminate your home with what your bag picked up from the environment outside.