The ‘House Purse’ Is the Clever Organization Idea You Never Knew You Needed

You’ve heard of cleaning caddies and hosting supply organizers. But do you have your own house purse? This home trend is taking over TikTok as people are showing off exactly what they keep in theirs—and why it’s so helpful in the first place.

Wait, What’s a House Purse?

A house purse is typically a caddy or sturdy, washable bag. Most people don’t choose a going-out bag for this purpose, but it’s up to you what you want yours to look like. It serves as tool that helps keep your home life organized: In it, you’d store anything you consistently need and bring around the house with you: a water bottle, book, your phone, small toiletries, cleaning wipes, stain remover, and more.

With a house purse, you always have your most necessary items within your reach, and you can carry everything around with you at once—no extra trips back and forth needed. 

What Should Go Inside a House Purse?

A house purse is completely customizable. Some people make it more personal, adding their favorite lip balm, laptop, book or journal, pens and pencils, and a pair of headphones.

Others prefer their bags to be more about what they need to use around the house, sort of like a go-everywhere cleaning caddy. Things like all-purpose cleaners, sanitizing wipes, a spray bottle, and tissues can all help you tidy your home throughout the day.

Similarly, a house purse is ideal for picking up, as it gives you have an easy way to transport items that need to be put away later. You might find your water bottle that needs cleaning in your bedroom, pop it into your house purse, and pull it out when you’re in the kitchen later—oh so easy.

Different Kinds of House Purses 

If you find your house purse needs to, well, house a lot of items, you may consider a bag that’s easier to carry, like a backpack. Those who live in ranch-style homes might even appreciate a small rolling cart.

The size and style of your house purse really depends on what you decide to use it for—some prefer to keep theirs small, with just a few items inside, while others find there’s a lot of stuff they like to tote around.

Because it generally stays inside, your house purse will likely need to be washed less (which also means it makes sense to choose a caddy-style organizer rather than an actual purse). However, some house purse carriers might really enjoy having the ability to bring it everywhere. In this case, a tote bag or backpack works best. Alternatively, you could use a smaller zipper bag or pencil case, which you can then tuck inside another purse when you go out.