Keeping your favorite beauty tools clean is a necessary part of your skincare routine. Use dirty beauty tools, you’ll end up with dirty skin. It’s that simple. Here, we’ve got a simple routine you can use to keep your beauty sponges squeaky clean.

1. Pick Your Cleanser

Although your facial cleanser will work to clean your sponge, you don’t need to waste your product. Instead, opt for mild dish soap, baby shampoo, or even a gentle cleansing bar of soap for a lightly soiled sponge. For heavier dirt, check with the manufacturer to see if you can toss the sponge in the washing machine inside of a garment bag.

If you use oil-based makeup, make sure your cleanser has a little oil. Coconut oil for instance, has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that help it clean deeply and loosen oil from cosmetics, breaking it down and helping remove it.

2. Suds It Up!

After you’ve used your clean makeup sponges to apply your makeup, you can add a squirt of liquid soap, liquid cleanser, or another cleaning agent to your sponge. Only use a small drop, as the foam will naturally create bubbles.

3. Lather and Massage 

Using warm water, gently massage your sponge to loosen makeup, dirt, and oil. Running water works best to cut down on excess soap bubbles. If your sponge is particularly dirty, you can use hot water to clean it. You’ll know it’s clean when the water draining from the sponge runs clear instead of tinted with makeup. 

4. Rinse

When rinsing the sponge, avoid twisting, which could damage the sponge or even cause it to rip or tear. If there’s a heavy oil or dirt buildup, repeat steps 1-3 until the water runs clear. 

5. Soak

For stubborn spots that won’t lift, you can soak your sponge in soapy water for about 10 minutes to help break up the stain. Then, follow the first four steps until clean. 

6. Dry

The best way to dry your makeup sponge is to allow it to air dry. Do not attempt to put it in the dryer or use any hot tool (like a blow dryer) to speed up the process. Heat could damage the fibers and even melt the foam, depending on the type of foam and its construction.