As a bag lover, I have been known to exhibit what some people may consider to be obsessive handbag behavior. I take pride in caring for my bags and will spare no social norm expense to ensure they are well maintained and safe from harm’s way. My number one rule to keep my bags in the best condition possible while still using them regularly? CMP X-Cities 28L 31V9817 Backpack. Worn and damaged handbag corners are my biggest handbag pet peeve, so to prevent corner rubbing I make it a habit to avoid placing my bag on the floor like the plague. I won’t let my bag touch the ground of a restaurant, store, the office, or even my own home. They say it’s bad luck to place your bag on the ground, and while I’m not especially superstitious, who am I to dispute the age old saying?
[sc_ic_ad1]I avoid placing my bags on the ground to prevent damage, but I also do it for hygiene purposes. Years ago I read a tip on the PurseForum from a member who hung her bags around her neck when she was caught without a hook when she needed one, and not only have I adopted her method but have named her my own personal patron saint.That has been an invaluable life hack for me, and now I am passing her words of wisdom onto you in hopes that it will help you as much as it did me. I cringe when I see someone toss their bag on the ground, and I want to keel over at the mere thought of putting my bag on the floor of a public restroom, which unfortunately is a sight I see way too often. Yes, I fully acknowledge that I am a little extra when it comes to babying my bags, but I draw the line at public restroom floors—I’m not being obsessive, that is straight up not okay.
For me, dining out with my bag always poses the biggest problem. Are you someone who requests to sit in a booth or feels internally satisfied when you’re a party of two seated at a table set for four, just so you can have a special place for your bag? Me too, you’re not alone! When I don’t have a special seat for my handbag, I’ve been known to place my bag behind me in my chair, and then sit myself on the very edge of the seat to prevent my bag from going on the floor. I’m often asked why I don’t hang my bag from the back of my chair rather than sit at the literal edge of my seat for an entire meal, but there’s just no way I would ever hang my bag from the back of my chair. Not only am I worried about theft, but I once had a horrendous experience when a server dropped a fork covered in marinara sauce on my white dress (and yes, it stained). That’s not a risk I’m willing to take when it comes to my bags, and the thought of a marinara stain on my delicate vachetta or one of my precious suede bags is enough to make my blood run cold.
[sc_ic_ad2]If this resonates with you in any way, you seriously need to get yourself a purse hook. I’m always surprised by how few purse hooks I see when I’m out in the wild. They’re inexpensive, compact enough to carry everywhere, and so useful. These handy little hooks have saved me time and time again! With a hook, I am able to safely secure my bags under the table, free from the germ cesspools and spilled food or beverages. I purchased mine in the gift shop at the Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam, but of course you can get one on Amazon for a few bucks. What are you waiting for?
Honestly, I am 50/50 with this. If I can use a spare chair for my bag, I will. However as someone prone to anxiety, it helps me if I try my best not to be too precious with my things. I literally cannot keep any material object pristine – none of us can. If I own something, I want to enjoy it rather than become overly worried or upset or driving myself crazy with thoughts about maintaining some hypothetical state of perfection. There is beauty in the patina that comes with age, and with love.
All of my bags have been on some sort of flooring at one point or another. While I would never put them on the bathroom floor, grass, or asphalt, I have no issues putting my bag out of someone’s way or to make room. I don’t judge how others treat their bags, but owning an expensive bag is not worth it for me if I have to take on additional stress and ‘needs’ to keep it ‘safe.’ If I can put it on an another chair or booth beside me, great…but if not, I’m not going to make a big stink about it either. I do what I can to take care of them, but all of the bottoms and corners are immaculate. My bags also are perfectly structured too since they are stuffed and put on their side with their dust covers and protective felts when not in use. Life’s too short to push judgement and your personal lifestyle choices on someone else.
Do they really work? I always imagine that a little unintentional nudge on the bag (by me, my company or the waitress) would cause the bag to fall down on the floor or ground, getting the whole front or backside of the bag dirty instead of just the bottom…? And possibly having everything roll out from the bag as well. I am very, very nervous about the idea of a bag hook, I can’t phantom that such a little hook, fasten with only the weight of the bag(?) would keep it safe from falling down.
Just get a Clipa. It can hold 33 lbs and it’s large enough to be very secure hanging from the edge of a table.
Just don’t buy a cheap one. And I wouldn’t suggest using it for, like, a full-up Birkin 35 or LV Neverfull with a bag hook.
I had a bag hook once. It always fell off so my bag would wind up on the floor anyway. If I know I am going to dinner in a crowded restaurant where the tables are close together and I may not have a spare chair for my bag I take a smaller crossbody and give it to my husband, who always sits on the inside facing out (he’s a creature of habit). I know no one will mess with it over there and I can keep my eye on it.
Yes! Purse hooks work for me! The round part that you place on the table has non-slip grip padding that keeps it from sliding. Caution though, DON’T buy a cheap one from Charming Charlie’s like I did because it WILL break on you. It broke when my bag wasn’t even hanging from it! : ( For now, since I am w/o a hook, I usually sit in a booth at restaurants or if my bag is small I just place it on the table.
I have a question though, won’t using a bag hook damage the bags handles in the long run? Although I do agree don’t place your purse on the bathroom floor, out in public or at home.
In black families, the superstitious saying is if you put your bag on the floor, you’ll become broke. Never do it, lol.
Not just in black families! In India they say that too! Money, bags, or wallet touching the ground is said to make you broke haha!
In India they say never let a book touch the ground, otherwise you won’t get a good education. I’ve never heard of the letting a purse touch the ground saying before, but then again India has a huge cultural diversity.
Leather London Glazed Weekend Bag!
True and I hate the superstition because I need a seat and your Forever 21 tote needs to free up this chair.
Haha genius!
pre-owned Lady Dior Cannage 2way Hand Bag.
Nik – you’re a fantastic human being.
Ha, thanks for the defense Unnecessary (and you too, Nigerian Queen). FWIW, i don’t take up whole seats with my bags unless it’s a situation where I’m at a restaurant table with 4 chairs and we only need 2 or 3. Otherwise, I’m fine with holding my bag in my lap. I’m so used to people taking up seats on NYC trains with their bags that I’m sensitive to that.
Hello….??? How is that rude? I’m Panamanian. I’m Black. This is my culture so I’m allowed to be annoyed when every lady, including myself, needs 2 chairs. There is only so much space during Thanksgiving.
It was “rude” only in the sense that you wrote “your Forever 21 tote needs to free up this chair”. The implication is that Nik can only afford a cheap ass bag, which makes your comment a bit offensive. 🙂
I don’t feel it was rude. Now would I be that person to place my bag in a spare chair—yes. Would I be annoyed if you wanted/needed my chair? Of course! Lol
Borsa tote Spiral Depths Verde
Yes i definitely agree. I always put my bag on my lap or grab an extra seat beside me. Never ever put on the floor no matter what the circumstances are. Most restaurants and restrooms have hooks.
I use the Clipa2, don’t know where I got it but they’re on Amazon. It works great, it’s heavy and I almost took it out of my bag recently but then I used it in a restaurant (we are doing a different local fish fry every Friday during Lent) and I was glad it made the cut of junk I’m trying to remove from my bags. My bags do not go on the floor ever.
In Spanish-Hispanic culture, putting your bag on the floor is a harbinger of bad financial luck. No self-respecting Spanish or Latin American woman would be caught dead putting her bag on the floor.
I’m Panamanian. This is DEFINITELY true lol. I put my backpack on the ground though, not my purse.
I do the all the thing she does with either a extra seat for my bag, to sit with my bag behind me or next to me. (If the seat has arms.) I also carry a eco bag that fits my bag inside incase i’m at a bar and the situation does not allow a safe place for my bag. I also clean my bags regularly. All my Hermes bags has never been on the floor. It’s as if you are putting a naked baby on the floor. GROSS!
Putting your bag on the back of the chair opens you to soooo many pick-pocketers! I keep my bag on my lap and cover it with my napkin or have it on an empty chair next to me.
I have a “bag chair” in my office… enough said. ?
I always try to make sure I have a place to put my bag when eating out because I never remember to take a purse hook with me. I refuse to put my handbag on the floor and rather just eat with the bag on my lap – I might put my backpack or a nylon tote on the floor if it seems somewhat clean but that’s it. Bathroom floors and dirty tables are totally off limits, as are bar counters etc.
A month ago my employer threw our annual kick off event and I was in such pain when I watched people put their bags on the floor. There were the LC’s, Célines, Chloés and Mulberrys slung the floor. I just had a humongous need to run around and pick up all the bags. My Alexa never ended up on the floor, she sat on my lap the whole 8 hours.
They’re BAGS. Who cares. My birkins go on the floor, that’s why they have feet. My Chanel jumbos I put on the floor in front of my feet at a table. When you hang bags off chairs other patrons constantly run into them, waitstaff tangles with them, or people behind you back into them with their chairs. Easier to put on the floor in front of your feet. My bags get stuffed in an overhead bin or pushed under a seat on a plane. They work for me, I don’t work for them. I totally get the cultural superstition of a bag on the floor over actually coddling a bag to avoid the floor.
Yeah, not me. I pay a lot of money for my bags and I really love them. I would never put them on the floor in a public place. If I had absolutely no choice, I would at least put my bag in a cloth bag to protect it.
its not cultural, it’s because your bag could easily be stolen if you put in the store. there was a man in Europe who stole hundreds of luxery bags this way and then sold them on ebay
So, it sounds like you don’t mind that people walk on sidewalks where dogs defecate, urinate, people throw up, people urinate, toxic substances are spilled, etc. and all of this are on your soles? Then, you put your bag on the floor with these germs? Next, you take your bag home and put it on your kitchen counter or table and make dinner for your family? Yum!
I wipe them off with Wet Ones. Same as my phone or laptop, which, incidentally are more germ ridden than a public toilet. You put them in a seat? Same thing. Leather and vinyl trap feces and vaginal bacteria. Tampons and Depends leak through clothing onto seats. Dirty diapers have hit those seats more than the ground, I promise you that. Airline seats and head rests are disgusting. So your argument unfortunately doesn’t hold as you are saying that floors are less clean than seats or public countertops, which isn’t the case.
Actually, I hold my bags since I don’t trust that any surface is terribly clean, but thanks for your concern. Also, where did I say: “you are saying that floors are less clean than seats or public countertops, which isn’t the case”? Yeah, I didn’t say or imply that! Reading is a skill!
And intelligence is biological, I am sorry you missed out. In doing so, you’ve made my first point in its entirety. It’s a bag, not a baby. You might not do terribly well in the world not touching handles, faucets, doors, counters, arm rests, seats, tables, utensils, glasses and the like, as you also might have to touch your bag and transfer those germs right smack onto that leather prized possession you treasure. Again, who cares, it’s a BAG. Short bus curfew is soon 😉
TKS – it’s so sad and rather pathetic that a comment made in response to a statement by you – invoked such a base level of childish behavior and name calling.
No one cares what you do w your bags. But your ridiculous responses denigrate a forum that is for sharing and expressing opinions.
Perhaps a little self-imposed keyboard vacation might instill some basic common decency in you. If not, then I hope you find a different format for self-gratification.
Again, I’ll try and dumb this down for you. Putting bags on the floor is not a good thing. However, re: intelligence? Your inability to understand what I am saying reflects poorly on you. You lack the skills to maintain any cognitive, intellectual ability to sustain a meaningful conversation. Anyway, I’m done with you…now hop on your bus and go home to your germy, nasty bags. I’ll drive home in the comfort of my Mercedes, purchased with my recent bonus. Life is good! Well, at least for some of us! 🙂
TKS – how very sad …
Short bus is for you my dear. R8 is for me. Do you not understand what the short bus is? Bless your heart.
No one thinks to put their shoes on the table and who puts their purse on the door? In fact, really who does? It’s your choice to carry a bag with a bunch of filthy germs because you put it on the floor, but it’s not for everyone.
Exactly. Yuck & yuck.
I carry crossbody bags, so hooks aren’t much use or the bag is dragging the floor anyway.
Marylin saffiano leather shoudler bag with logo tag.
leather whale-shape bag Blu.
This is hilarious and so me! I find it abhorrent to put bags on the floor! When I go out to eat and can’t put my bag on a chair I’ll set it on my lap and put my napkin over it. Or, I’ll sit on the end of my chair and put my bag behind me, too. Now I’m going to invest in a bag hook, what a great suggestion!
If my bags have feet, I buy these little sheets of this grippy silicone rubbery material and I cut little circles and put it on the feet of my bags. I won’t put them on the floor but the table yes or next to me in a booth or on my chair. Since all my bags are mini bags, they work perfectly in environments where I have to put them elsewhere. I’m not thy superstitious but I wouldn’t put my bag on the floor simply because the floor is filthy and then you pick up the bag and touch it and it rubs on you and then you take it home and put in on your bed or counter then go to store it…. mess. The rubber stickers also keep my hardware looking new and protected as well as providing grip on a table so it doesn’t slide around.
My friend took special care and sat her Louis Vuitton never full on the empty seat next to her while we were in a restaurant just the other day. All was fine untill the server arrived and dumped an entire entree on, inside, and all around it..
Geantă GUESS Kobo Flap Shoulder Bag HWGG84 11190 BLA!!!
Gucci Pre-Owned GG monogram shoulder bag
OMG I would have been so mad! What happened? I’m sure the manager was called (I had a waiter spill champagne on my Coach puffer coat a few years back and the restaurant manager was mortified and wanted all of my information for dry cleaning, etc).
Even the best purse hooks have their limits, especially for a kitchen-sink type of person like me. I use a Hero Clip, which is possibly the sturdiest purse hook. But my bag is so heavy and it often makes the hook slide off the edge of the table at the slightest disturbance. I might need to learn to balance a large purse on top of my head while dining 🙁
In Asian culture, if you put your bag on the floor, you’ll become poor. I always put my bags on the chair.
I never put my bags on the ground for the sheer ick factor (dirt, hair, feces..etc). I always carry a purse hook and also carry a Bagnet, which is handy for keeping my bag off the ground in places where my purse hook doesn’t work (ex: bathroom stalls, etc.)
I’ve had bag hooks for years and a lot of people always seem surprise when I use it. Not sure why. Leaving my bags on the floor is a HUGE NO NO. I’ve spent too much money on them to be placed on the floor. I see people do it all the time,even designer bags,and I just cringe. People leaving any sort of bags on the bathroom floor just gives me a heart attack everytime!
I’m in total agreement, great article
I feel the same way about grocery carts. I never put my bag in a grocery cart and I cringe when I see someone put an expensive bag in a nasty cart. That’s why I take a crossbody bag. That way I can keep track of it and it doesn’t get in the way and no one can steal it without great effort