How To Clean Your Makeup Bag

How To Clean Your Makeup Bag

Keeping your makeup bag clean is no easy task, while for the first few weeks, it’s easy to keep our makeup bag looking fresh, but over time spillages happen, smudges buildup.

But how do you clean a makeup bag?

After months or potentially years of use, your makeup bag will be the one in need of a serious makeover. Cleaning your makeup bag will leave it like new!

Many of us think that cleaning our makeup bag is a tedious job and the majority of us never do it; the occasional dusting is enough to keep things hygienic, right?

But what if I told you this:

Using a dirty makeup bag or cosmetic case may cause your skin problems like acne or infections!

The pandemic has really opened our eyes to how many bugs, bacteria, and viruses lurk on every surface. It’s not just our hands that we need to clean regularly but what we use too.

So whether you have a makeup brush case, makeup train case, even a cosmetic case, or other makeup bags, I’m here to show you some tips on how to clean your makeup bag, so it looks new. 

Why Should You Clean Your Makeup Bag?

It is super important to maintain hygiene within your makeup; brushes especially can trap oil within the fibers, leading to pimples and blackheads. 

While cleaning your brushes is brilliant and maintaining a regular brush cleaning routine is ideal, it is almost pointless to put them back into a makeup bag or brush holder that hasn’t been cleaned in years. 

If you’re investing in good-quality brushes, then you should really try to look after them and regularly clean the place you’re storing them, along with cleaning the brushes themselves.

The dust, bacteria, and dirt will also collect in your makeup brush bag or cosmetic case. Storing your brushes, sponges and even makeup in a dirty place is the top contributor to mold growth. 

So not only take the case of your makeup tools but also the place you store them; if you’ve randomly come out with breakouts, this could be the cause. 

How To Clean Makeup Bag

Cleaning your makeup bag is actually much easier than you may think; I’m here to guide you through the easy steps to cleaning your makeup bag like a pro.

Step One: Empty Your Makeup Bag:

The first thing you should do is empty your makeup bag; if you’re doing a deep clean, I would also recommend that you throw out any items that have passed their expiry date.

This means sponges, too; if you’ve had your sponge for over 6 months, it’s time for it to go in the trash; damp sponges are the best place for bacteria and mold to grow. 

If you can’t remember when you bought a product, but you’re fairly sure it was over a year ago– in the trash. This deep clean may require a trip to Ulta, Sephora, or Target.  

You’ll want a clean environment for your products to go, and this includes throwing out any out-of-date cosmetics. 

I would also recommend setting the brushes aside for a further clean later. 

Step Two: Shake the bag:

After organizing your makeup and setting your brushes aside, the first thing you should do is go outside or go to the trash and tip the makeup bag upside down and shake. 

This will help get out all the accumulated dust and powders built up in your bag; you should run your hand inside the makeup bag to help remove all the grime and dust. 

Step Three: Scrub scrub scrub:

There are many different cleaning products you can use when cleaning your makeup bag; you should apply the cleaning product you’d like to use with a clean cloth. 

Then scrub, scrub and scrub some more; I would recommend cleaning with a damp cloth to help encourage bubbles when you’re scrubbing the bag; this should help break down the bacteria and dirt buildup. 

Unscented soap: If you have sensitive skin and don’t want to clean your makeup bag with a strong detergent, then an unscented soap will do the trick. 

It will still clean your makeup bag effectively, but it is a much more gentle detergent. 

Baby shampoo: Using baby shampoo is another brilliant way to clean your makeup bag as it uses gentle ingredients.

It will work up a foamy lather, giving your makeup bag a really fresh feel and look. Most baby shampoos also smell very nice so that they will kick out the horrible smell of dirt, grime, or makeup buildup. 

Clarifying shampoo: Clarifying shampoo is also a brilliant way to refresh your makeup bag, plus it will foam up into a nice lather to provide that extra clean feel. 

Clarifying shampoo is used to cleanse oil, dirt, product, and grime buildup on your head, so it will be sure to clean all the nasties from your makeup bag or cosmetic case.

Dish soap: Dish soap is really good at getting out all the nasties from your makeup bag, so if there is bacteria or mold growth, it will be sure to deep clean and kill the germs. 

It is slightly harsher than the other cleaners, but it will be sure to clean your makeup bag, so it looks spotless. 

Detergent: If you have tough stains on your makeup bag, it may be a good idea to use a detergent to clean your makeup bag.

Laundry soaps and detergents will get out the toughest stains; if your makeup bag is washing machine safe, then this may be the best way to clean all the dirt from your makeup bag. 

It will also leave your makeup bag looking new. 

Different ways of cleaning a makeup bag:

So now we’ve covered what you can use to clean a makeup bag; what about the methods of cleaning a makeup bag?

This all really depends on how dirty your makeup bag is at the time, whether a deep clean is needed or whether a spot clean will do the job. 

Deep cleaning:

I recommend you deep clean your makeup bag once every few months when it is looking extra dirty. 

Scrubbing your makeup bag with a cloth and brush to get into all the nooks and crannies of your makeup bag to help clean all the nasties out. 

If your makeup bag is washing machine safe, then even better, it does deep cleaning that much easier.

Just chuck your makeup bag in the wash with similar colors, set to warm, and let the machine work its magic. Your makeup bag will come out looking new. 

Spot cleaning:

I recommend you do this every week or two if your foundation has spilled in one area or your powder has broken and leaked. 

Spot cleaning is also brilliant if you have particularly stubborn stains in your makeup bag, you should apply some more cleaning products and leave them on for half an hour to help ease the stain. 

You can also use warmer water for these areas too. 

In between cleaning, you can regularly wipe inside your bag with an antibacterial wipe to refresh and maintain hygiene. 

Rinsing:

Once you’ve cleaned your makeup bag or cosmetic case, make sure you give it a good rinse. This will help clean any areas you may have missed and will also rinse out all the soap. 

Then once you’ve rinsed, you can leave it to dry, and your makeup bag will be as good as new!

Giving your makeup bags a spring clean regularly will keep your makeup products refreshed and even prolong the life of your brushes. h

Summary:

Keeping your beauty products clean and free of bacteria is crucial; not only does this help combat germs, but it can also prevent unnecessary breakouts.

Having a spring clean of cleaning your makeup brushes and your makeup bag can go hand in hand as a routine every month or so. It will help get rid of all the nasties and leave your beauty bag looking refreshed.

So if you’ve spilled your foundation, lipstick, mascara, powder, eyeshadow, or any beauty product in your bag, don’t leave it; either wipe it away with a makeup wipe or antibacterial wipe or chuck the bag in the was hot clean.

Maintaining a hygienic beauty routine is the best routine.