How to Clean (and sanitize!) Your Beauty Blenders

Dirty Beauty Blenders. Not something any of us should use on our face. Dirty Beauty Blenders (or any brand of makeup application sponge) not only don't apply your makeup as well as clean ones, they are vectors for spreading old makeup, dead skin cells, oil and billions of bacteria living in that stew of goo in your sponge. Bounce that hot zone all over your delicate flower face and you run the very real risk of breakouts and possible skin infections. Now I don't know about you, but that sounds nasty. And not like anything I want anywhere my face! And I'm willing to bet that you feel the same way. 

Washing Beauty Blenders is a pain in the ass. I get it. But it needs to be done and 'tis best it were done well, don't you agree? Today, I'm going to share with you just how I clean and sanitize my Beauty Blenders so that they are safe for my skin and give me the best makeup application possible.

Just look at those dirty birdies. Foundation, concealer, all of the rest happily residing in the many, many little nooks and crannies of my sponges. EWW! It all needs to go. Now!

Artsy fartsy lighting alert! Toss those manky sponges into a microwave safe  - I'll explain why, later - vessel of your choice. Mmm... Coffee...

With what do I cleanse my Beauty Blenders? Dawn dish washing liquid. It breaks down oil and silicone, helps the spongy cells to release their goopy load of gross and leaves them sparkling clean and virtually stain free.

Everyone into the pool! Nice warm water and a generous dollop of dish liquid. Plenty of swish and squeeze. Now comes time to soak. I like to let them float for a few hours. If you have to take off, just leave them treading water while you are at school or work or getting on with the rest of your day. After they soak, (check the bottom of the bowl and see all of the makeup that has come free of your sponges, it's eye opening) more squeezing to get the rest of the makeup out of the sponges. If there is still residue, I like to add a couple of extra drops of detergent to stubborn spots and gently but firmly work them clean.

Time to rinserinserinse! Rinse and squeeze until the water runs clear of soapy bubbles. Squeeze them out well and set them on a clean surface to dry.

About once a week or every five washings or so, I like to sanitize my Beauty Blenders to help kill any residual nasties that may be lurking in the deep recesses of my sponges.

Rinse the bowl in which your sponges were washed and soaked and add about an inch or so of water and drop in your saturated, now clean Beauty Blenders.

Pop the container into your microwave.

And cook on high for about a minute and forty seconds.

Beep! Fresh, hot, sanitized Beauty Blenders, ready. Grab a pot holder! Remember, the bowl and contents will be hot.

Transfer carefully to the counter and set it in a safe place, out of reach of kiddos and pets.

Allow the water and sponges to cool until they are safe to handle. Squeeze out the water and set your sponges on a clean surface to dry.

And there you have it. Sparkling clean Beauty Blenders, all ready for a healthy, flawless application of foundation and concealer, once again.

Don't have a microwave? An alternate way to sanitize your sponge is to pour some 91% rubbing alcohol into a small bowl, saturate the sponge, squeeze it out and set it on a clean surface to dry. As the sponge dries, the alcohol scent will dissipate. Just never, ever use bleach! Trust me on this. Bleach will destroy your Beauty Blenders. I learned that one the hard way.

Gentle reader, how do you clean your Beauty Blenders/makeup sponges? Any good tips you can pass along? Anything I should try? Please share.

Clean @beautyblender is crucial for healthy skin and beautiful makeup! http://t.co/EJfooNHlPr How I do it. pic.twitter.com/4NnLGNaCbi

— Erika Costello (@erikatheicyone) May 11, 2015