How to Clean Beauty Blender Sponge

Regular makeup sponges can be discarded after one use, but Beauty Blender and similar sponges are designed for long-term use. Therefore, you will need to clean this sponge regularly to remove stains and bacteria.

Table of Contents

Basic hygiene

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Prepare a bowl of warm soapy water. Pour warm water into a small bowl along with some mild hand soap or shampoo. Stir well until foam rises to the surface of the water. Do not use dishwashing liquid because it will irritate the skin when you use the sponge.

Baby shampoos and organic “mild formulas” also work well, but you can also use soaps that are safe for skin or hair.

Soak the sponge for about 30 minutes. Put the sponge in a bowl of soapy water. Use your hands to squeeze about 1 or 3 times and then soak for about 30 minutes. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You should get enough water to submerge the sponge. If there is a shortage of water, you can gradually add water until you have enough water.
When you soak the sponge, you will see the water begin to change color. The water will have a deep beige or brown color because foundation and other cosmetics dissolve in the water.
The sponge also expands to its full extent when soaked in soapy water.

Rub soap into the sponge. Gently rub the “suction toilet soap” or similar soap directly onto the dirtiest area of the sponge. You can use mild detergent to avoid damaging the sponge. If you prefer to use bar soap, castile is very effective. If you want to use soapy water, use a moisturizing baby shampoo or an organic shampoo with a gentle formula.

Take 2-3 minutes to rub the soap onto the sponge. Use only fingertips; Do not use a brush or other cleaning tool as this will damage the sponge.

Rinse off the soap on the sponge. Wash soap with warm water until all soap is removed. The cosmetic layer that remains on the surface of the sponge will be washed off in this step.

You may need to gently squeeze the sponge under the tap to remove soap and cosmetics from the sponge.

Check if the sponge is clean by observing the color of the water while washing. If the water is clear, the sponge is clean and you can move on to the drying step. If the water is still cloudy then skip the drying step and switch to the deep cleaning method (see “Deep cleaning” in this article).

Dry the sponge with a paper towel. Use your hand to gently squeeze the sponge to reduce water, then roll the sponge into a clean paper towel to absorb any remaining water inside.

If the sponge is still wet after blotting it dry with a paper towel, place it in a dry place to continue drying. Wait until the sponge is completely dry before applying makeup.

Deep cleaning

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Deep clean the sponge only when necessary. As a general rule, you only need to deep clean if the sponge is still dirty after the above basic cleaning step.

This usually happens when you use your sponge several times a day or if you forget to clean it after a week or a long time.
You will know if a deep cleaning is needed by looking at it. If the water is still dirty when rinsing the sponge in the basic cleaning step, or if there is still a stain after the sponge is dry, perform a deep cleaning step.

Wet the sponge. Hold the sponge under warm running water for about 30 to 60 seconds or until the sponge has absorbed enough water and expands to its full size.

Or you can place the sponge in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 seconds. You don’t have to use soapy water or wait for the water to change color before moving on to the next step.

Rub the cleaning product onto the soiled area. Use a solid or liquid cleaning product directly on the dirtiest area of the sponge.

As with basic cleaning, only a mild detergent should be used to clean the sponge. The most effective is to use a product specifically designed for cleaning sponges, but if you prefer another option, you can use castile soap, baby shampoo or organic shampoo formulated for sensitive skin.

Rub into the palm of your hand. Rub the soaped sponge into the palm of your hand in small circles. Continue scrubbing for about 30 seconds. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You should scrub harder and more often than you would in the basic cleaning step. Note, however, that you should still be careful not to deform or tear the foam.
While scrubbing, the cosmetic layer deep inside the sponge will float to the surface. You should see foam in your palm the color of your foundation.

Rinse the sponge while continuing to scrub. Rinse the sponge under warm running water while continuing to rub the sponge into the palm of your hand in a circular motion. Continue rinsing until the foam is gone.

You may need to rinse the sponge for a few minutes before all the soap is removed. It is important that you rinse off all the soap, so don’t rush to shorten the time.

Check the sucker. Rinse the sponge under the tap until the foam is gone. Make sure the water is clean and while you squeeze in the sucker.

Rub more soap on the sponge and continue scrubbing into the palm of your hand. If the soap bubbles are white instead of gray or beige, the sponge is clean.

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Dry the sponge. Use your hands to gently squeeze the foam to reduce the water inside. Roll the sponge on a clean paper towel to dry off the water.

The sponge may still be damp after this step, so place it in a dry place and let it dry. Use the sponge to apply makeup only when it is completely dry.

Heat sterilization

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Sterilize the sponge monthly. Even if you clean your sponge weekly, you should still heat-sterilize it at least once a month. This is extremely important if you use a sponge every day. Normal cleaning only cleans bacteria on the surface, but the only way to kill bacteria deep inside the sponge is to use high heat for a short period of time.

You’ll need to sterilize your sponge more than once a month if you’re seeing bacteria build up quickly. Signs of bacteria growth are an atypical pimple on the skin and a foul/unusual odor from the inside of the sponge.
Note that you still need to perform the usual cleaning procedure after sterilizing the sponge. Sterilization kills only bacteria; It will not remove traces of cosmetics or foundation.

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Put the sponge in the bowl of water. Pour the water level about 2.5cm high into the heatproof bowl. Place the sponge in the center of the bowl of water.

You have to put the sucker in the water. Do not microwave dry sponge as this will damage the sponge or cause it to catch on fire.

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Put the sponge in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Place the bowl in the microwave but do not cover and run the machine on high power for 30 seconds. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Watch the sucker while you microwave it. Don’t panic if the sponge expands or smokes a little, but turn off the microwave immediately if you notice the sponge is too swollen or has a lot of smoke.

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Let the sucker rest for a while. Wait 1 or 2 minutes before removing the bowl from the microwave and removing the sponge from the water.

The sucker gets very hot when the microwave stops working, and the waiting period is for your own protection. You can remove the sponge when it is cool enough to touch.

Dry the sponge. Gently roll the sponge on a clean paper towel. Leave the sucker at room temperature until it feels completely dry.

If you want to perform basic cleaning after heat sterilization, do so as soon as you remove the sponge from the microwave without drying it.
Wait until the sponge is completely dry before applying makeup.

Advice

Regular cleaning will clean the cosmetics on the surface of the sponge and maybe a little more cosmetics deep inside the sponge. In addition, it can also kill bacteria on the surface. Leaving dirty sucking for a long time will promote the reproduction of bacteria.
Clean the sponge every 1 or 2 weeks. If you use a sponge every day, you should clean it after a week. Even if you only use a sponge a few times a week, you should still clean it every two weeks.

Things you need

Basic hygiene

Small bowl
Water
Solid or liquid mild detergent
Sink
Tissue

Deep cleaning

Solid or liquid mild detergent
Sink
Tissue

Heat sterilization

Bowl for use in the microwave
Water
Microwave oven
Tissue

Steps

Basic hygiene

Deep cleaning

Heat sterilization

Advice

Things you need

Basic hygiene

Deep cleaning

Heat sterilization

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