Dr. Oz's Tips on How to Disinfect Everyday Items
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
Foundation and Eye Pencil
Oz suggests disinfecting all of your cosmetics every three weeks, including using alcohol or freezing them.
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: