The Best Way to Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Over the years, I’ve accumulated dozens of makeup brushes, which means I’ve also spent far too much time cleaning them. Dirty brushes can screw up your glam, but can also cause breakouts and distribute bacteria and whatever else lurks in your makeup bag across your skin. In worst-case scenarios, you could even get an infection. Cleaning them regularly—every seven to 10 days—is important, but so, too, is doing it right. Some cleaning methods are ineffective and others are downright bad for the brush. Here’s what to know about cleaning not only your brushes, but your sponges.

How I clean my makeup brushes

There are loads of tutorials all over TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, showing how influencers and makeup gurus clean their brushes, but a lot of them are full of bad information. For instance, using oil is a no-no; it’s extremely difficult to remove from bristles, which can make the brushes less effective and cause breakouts on certain skin types. I’ve also seen loads of videos where users are fully submerging their brush heads in soapy water. Again, no: Eventually, that can damage the glue, too. I am fortunate enough to be friends with a real-life professional makeup artist and model, Rachel DeFluri, and for years, I have followed her advice instead of tips from self-proclaimed online gurus.

First, I start with a basic rinse to get the most obvious, external makeup off, filling a small bowl with micellar water and swirl each brush tip around in there. Ever since DeFluri told me to use micellar water to clean makeup brushes, I’ve loved it because, just as it somehow removes makeup from your skin with ease, it does the same thing here—very gently and easily. If you don’t have any, just run the brush tips under a faucet. Regular water will take a little longer, but the powders and liquids on the outer parts of the brush will eventually come off, leaving you to deal with the stuff that’s really deep inside.

DeFluri adds that micellar water can be used if you’re in a rush and don’t have time for any other steps: “Simply soak a cotton pad or towel with micellar water and wipe your brushes clean. While this won’t fully disinfect, it’s a great option for spot cleaning between deep washes.” She also points out that if you are in a hurry and are sure your brushes are made of synthetic fibers, you can do this same technique with 70% isopropyl alcohol by applying it to a pad or rag and gently running it over the brush head. She cautions that while it “breaks down stubborn product buildup and kills bacteria on contact” and is great for disinfecting, “it can be drying over time, so use it sparingly.”

If you’re not in a rush and want to do a full deep-clean, you move on to the next step. I refill that same bowl with plain, clean water and add a few drops of gentle dish soap (though you can also use baby shampoo). Avoid using anything else, like hand soap. Some bloggers have recommended Dove body wash in the past, too, but that contains some conditioning agents that can, over time, coat your bristles with a film. Our goal here is to strip everything from the bristles, not add anything to them, so plain dish soap is your best bet. The gentler and plainer, the better. Plus, according to DeFluri, it works the same whether you’re cleaning synthetic or natural bristles, so you don’t have to play any guessing games. Swirl your brush tips in there again, this time massaging them with your hands to “scrub” them. Any time the water gets too dirty, toss it and refill the bowl. Eventually, each brush will stop releasing powders and liquids and, when run back under the faucet, the water coming from them will be clear. 

A lot of influencers recommend using a bumpy silicone mat as a scrubber during the cleaning process, but those are specialty products that aren’t really necessary. They’re convenient, yes, but run the spectrum of costliness ($5 for a simple one at Ulta, $37 for the big one on Amazon) and don’t do much more than a good massage with your fingers can do. Their greatest benefit is that, by running your brushes over them, you get a lot of water out, but you can do that yourself by gently squeezing the bristles over your cleaning bowl or sink. My little hack is that I use my silicone dish sponge, the one I rave about for general cleaning, and it functions just as well as the specialty mats I’ve tried, plus I can use it for my dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Best of all, this multi-purpose wonder comes in a two-pack for just $9.

Massage the product out of each brush with a mat or by hand, then carefully lay them out to dry.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

When the water runs perfectly clear through them, it’s time to fully dry your brushes. Lay them flat on a paper towel or a microfiber cloth. (I recommend the cloth because you’ll actually need about seven paper towels stacked up to catch all the water that comes out over time.) A tip DeFluri is really serious about is this one: Don’t splay the bristles out unnaturally to dry them because they’ll dry that way and be difficult to use afterward. Instead, gently shape the bristles back into whatever shape they were before and let them air dry. I usually leave mine at least overnight and come back a few times to flip them over. Whatever you do, do not dry them upright in a container; this will affect the glue on the bristles, as the water will run down. You can even dry them while they hang upside down, but I don’t have the space or mechanics necessary for that. If you figure out a way to affix a bunch of handles so the brushes are airborne, you let me know. Drying them flat is perfectly fine, but rotating them periodically so the bristles don’t flatten on one side is a smart move. 

How to clean a makeup sponge

Makeup sponges, which had a popularity boom around 2016 but are still a staple in most makeup kits, are much easier to clean than brushes, since you can fully submerge them in water with no problem. You can do it in micellar water first and then switch to your soap-and-water mixture, or just go straight to the soap and water. (A lot of makeup sponge brands sell their own cleanser, but baby shampoo is just as good.)

Submerge the sponge and massage it with your hands, squishing it around until you see makeup start to come out into the water. If it’s really, really dirty, let it sit in that soapy water for 10 minutes or so. Take it out and put some soap directly onto the wet sponge, working it into a lather. Run the sponge under a faucet to rinse it and don’t stop until the water runs clear. 

To dry the sponge, prop it up, if you can, and let it air dry. It can air dry flat, but you’ll want to turn it over a few times. Let it dry overnight to make sure there are no wet spots deep inside that could get mildewy. When you think it’s dry, give it a good squeeze to make sure you don’t feel any dampness. Don’t put it back in the drawer or its container until it’s fully dry.