How Do I Clean my Beauty Blender?

We all know that old and expired cosmetics can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which may cause irritation, breakouts, eye infections and styes. But keeping applicators clean is just as important. Take the beauty blender, a versatile makeup sponge that helps you apply makeup, flawlessly! Amazing, yes, but did you know it’s also the worst offender when it comes to harbouring harmful bacteria? It’s important to clean your beauty blender regularly, but cleaning a sponge is difficult. This past spring, Cosmopolitan magazine researched 4 ways to do it, and this was the most effective cleaning method they found:

Make A Soapy Water Mixture

First, mix a few squirts of mild soap (dish soap or baby shampoo will work) with water in a microwave-safe cup. You can eyeball it when it comes to measurements—just make sure there’s enough soapy solution to fully cover the sponge.

Wet The Sponge 

Give the sponge a few squeezes in the water to pre-wet it, then fully submerge it in the cup.

Zap It

Microwave the cup for about a minute, waiting at least 30 seconds for the cup to cool before grabbing it from the microwave. The soapy water will have transformed into liquid makeup residue, and your gross sponge will look just like new.

Wring It Out

Once the water cools, rinse and wring out the sponge under running water, then set it aside to dry.

Pro Tip

If your beauty blender has a funny odour after giving it a wash, or you can’t get the stains out, it’s probably time to toss it and buy yourself a new one. 

To check out the other cleaning methods they tried, go to How to Clean a Makeup Sponge or Beautyblender Without Ruining It (April 2020) (LINK TO THE ARTICLE ONLINE AT https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a19634312/beauty-blender-sponge-microwave-cleaning/)