How to Clean Your BeautyBlender (or Other Makeup Sponge)

Step 1: Prepare your soap bath.

Either in your (clean) sink or a small bowl, mix up some water and liquid soap. If you're extra worried about killing bacteria, boil some water and use that.

Step 2: Soak.

Place your sponge in the mixture, and let it sit for a few minutes. This will loosen and break up the makeup, according to Jeung.

Step 3: Spot-clean and dry.

After time's up, give your sponge a few squeezes to squish the soap solution through. Add a little more soap to any areas that need some extra love, and massage it on your palm. Then thoroughly rinse under warm running water.

Method 3: Clean your makeup sponge in the washing machine.

This method is great for aspiring makeup artists, or those of us who have multiple sponges on hand. By tossing them in the washing machine, it's super easy for you; it just takes having enough sponges to make it worthwhile.

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Step 1: Gather materials.

Grab all your sponges and put them in a net lingerie bag (like this one). Toss the bag in your empty washing machine.

Step 2: Run the wash.

Jeung likes to add in a combination of Beautyblender liquid cleanser and Meyers laundry detergent before running the washing machine on gentle, with an extra rinse cycle. Remove them from the washer and keep them in the bag to hang-dry

Method 4: Clean your makeup sponge in the microwave.

If you want to take extra precautions to zap bacteria without going the washing machine route, give the microwave method a try. If you just toss it in there, you'll end up with a melted mess, so follow the steps below.

Step 1: Mix soap and water.

In a microwave safe cup (a mug is perfect), mix water and a couple squirts of soap. There's no need for precise measurements; just make sure the sponge can be fully submerged. Wet your sponge in clean water, and then put it in the soap mixture. You can add a bit of olive oil as well for extra cleansing.

Step 2: Heat it up.

Microwave the cup for around a minute, and then let the cup cool before grabbing it. Your sponge should be nice and clean, and the liquid should be full of foundation.

Step 3: Rinse and squeeze.

Give it a final rinse under clean running water before squeezing out any foundation remnants. Set aside to air-dry.

Shop some of our favorite soaps:

Beautyblender Blendercleanser Solid

Dawn Ultra Botanicals Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap

Beautyblender Liquid Blendercleanser

Irish Spring Deodorant Soap

Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.