How to Clean Makeup Brushes and Sponges 💄✨

Your foundation brush feels stiff, your sponge has a beige ring that won't budge, and your skin keeps breaking out in the same spot. Those tools are probably overdue for a wash.

Here is the recipe: how often to clean brushes and sponges, a simple method, how to dry them right and when to toss a sponge.

The recipe card

• Dish: Squeaky-Clean Brushes with a Side of Bouncy Sponge.
• Serves: your whole face, every single morning.
• Prep time: ten minutes, plus a night of drying.
• Difficulty: easy, if you can stop scrubbing too hard.

Headnote: old makeup, skin oil and dead skin pile up in tools. Bacteria love that buildup, and your pores don't.

How often to serve it

Switching eyeshadow shades mid-look? A quick rinse of the brush tip is enough until the full wash.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of lukewarm water. Not hot! Heat can soften the glue inside the metal collar, called the ferrule.
• A few drops of gentle shampoo or dish soap. A dedicated brush cleaner is optional, not required.
• 1 clean towel, folded, for drying.
• Your open palm for scrubbing, and a pinch of patience.

Method: brushes

1. Rinse: hold the brush bristles down under the tap. Wet only the head, never the handle.
2. Whisk: swirl the tip in your soapy cup, then massage it gently against your palm.
3. Rinse again: repeat until no color comes out.
4. Squeeze: press out the water with the towel. Pinch the bristles back into shape.
5. Rest: lay the brush flat on the towel to dry overnight.

Hidden tip: set the brush at a slight angle, with the bristle tips lower than the handle. Prop the handle on a rolled towel edge. Water drains out the tips, not into the ferrule, where it can loosen the glue and make brushes shed.

Never stand a wet brush upright in a cup. That sends water straight down into the handle.

Method: sponges

1. Soak: run the sponge under water until it swells to full size.
2. Lather: work in soap, squeeze gently, rinse until no color comes out.
3. Press: roll it in the towel to pull out extra water. No twisting!
4. Air out: let it dry completely in a clean spot with good airflow.

Hidden tip: skip the microwave trick you've seen online. Beautyblender, maker of the original teardrop sponge, says not to microwave its sponges or douse them in vinegar. Soap, water and air do the job.

Chef's notes

• If your sponge rips, you probably twisted or pinched it too hard. Next time, press, don't wring.
• If your sponge smells, feels hard or shows dark spots, retire it. Dark spots can mean mold.
• Keep your brushes to yourself. Sharing tools can spread pink eye and skin infections.
• Never zip a damp sponge into your makeup bag. Trapped moisture invites mold and bacteria.
• No hairdryer for sponges either. Heat can damage them. My chihuahua Lulu approves of this rule.

Cheat sheet: clean brushes and sponges

Leftovers? None. Clean-up: rinse the cup and hang the towel. You've got this!