Over the past few years, I’ve shared several DIY cleaning recipes here on my blog (read them all here). However, I’ve neglected to share one of my favorite, super simple DIY cleaners that has saved me a bundle over the years.
My Makeup Brush Cleaner!
I read somewhere that makeup brushes should be cleaned AT LEAST once a month! I’ll be honest, I only clean mine a few times a year; however, I’m really not sure why I don’t do it more often because I make my own cleaner for pennies… and the whole cleaning process takes less than 5 minutes total.
UPDATE: I now use different makeup brushes with super short handles — but I still clean them the same way. I shared more about those brushes in this post.
If you’ve ever purchased your own makeup brush cleaner (I never have, but I looked up a bunch of prices) you know that one bottle of cleaner can run anywhere from $5.00 to $35.00 — and it won’t last you all that long either. That’s pretty expensive if you ask me.
My cleaner will cost pennies, it’s SO simple to make, and I doubt you’ll ever run out since the only ingredient is vinegar — and I’m guessing most of you have vinegar in the house on a regular basis.
Here’s the “recipe”
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 gallon hot tap water (approximate)
- 2 T. white distilled vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large bowl or small sink, mix hot water and vinegar
- Swirl brushes around in the mixture until they come clean
- Gently squeeze out excess water
- Reshape brushes and let dry on a clean towel
Done!
Told you it was simple.
Depending on how many brushes you have and how dirty they are, you might need to repeat steps 1 and 2 (with fresh water) a couple more times.
Also, one thing to mention is that it’s best if your brushes are slightly angled away from the handle so excess water doesn’t run back into the handle of the brush. I do this by rolling up the end of the towel when I lay my brushes out.
If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned your makeup brushes, put it on your to-do list for later this week, grab your jug of vinegar, and start swirling!
Your face will thank you.
UPDATE: One other super simple method that works really well is mixing a few drops of baby shampoo into a gallon of warm water. If your brushes aren’t getting clean with the vinegar, try baby shampoo next!
Do you have any other super simple methods for cleaning makeup brushes or similar items?
Jill says
The 3 month free Kindle Unlimited offer didn’t work for me. ♀️
It kicked me to the 11.99 monthly offer. I have done the 3 month free offer before. I’ll try again but I haven’t seen the offer recently. Thanks for trying.
Andrea says
shoot — sorry. I signed up for it over the weekend and I triple checked it last night and the offer was still good. Bad timing I guess.
Donna Marie says
I have read that you can use Dawn and water and use a silicone hot pad!!!
Andrea says
oh cool, I think Dawn cleans everything!
Would the silicone hot pad just be something rub the brush against? I don’t use hot water.
Donna Marie says
Yes, it has a pattern that “scrubs” the brushes when you wash them with Dawn and water.
Donna Fowler says
Donna, I am new to make up brushes.I’ve cleaned them once so far(don’t wear makeup daily,)I used Johnson’s baby ,shampoo
Liane says
Laughing as I write this.. my darlin daughter is almost 40 and from the day I got pregnant the smell of vinegar makes me retch, even tho my morning sickness is long gone. So no white vinegar passes thru my door. Ever. I wash mine with shampoo. No condioner, I just swirl them in the sink after putting in the stopper. Squirt in a bit of shampoo and some warm water, then rinse and pat gently to get water out. I leave them flat over night in case water gets under the metal part. I do use a hairdryer to dry my hair brushes but not makeup brushes. I clean all of them at the same time, once a month.
Andrea says
that’s so crazy how strongly smells are engrained in us! Glad you found a non-vinegar way to clean your brushes!
Trudy says
Still using Baby Wash/Shampoo……very pleased with the results. I do place a note on my calendar to wash my brushes on the first Friday of the month…..I also put my washing machine through the “Clean Washer” setting at the same time.
Andrea says
good to know — I updated the post to include this simple cleaning method too! Thanks!
Melanie says
I have to suggest to never use a blowdryer on your brushes. Just like with human hair (if you have natural hair brushes) you can damage the hair and with both natural and synthetic brushes loosen the glue in the ferrule of the brushes.
Some people suggest using 70% alcohol, but I prefer 91% alcohol in a little spray bottle to spray the bristles, and remove the makeup from the brushes after each use. Then I suggest shampoo (hydrating), and I use a touch of Honest Conditioning Detangler to smooth the cuticle. They should be washed about once a week, for individual makeup brushes that aren’t used on other people.
You don’t need to be quite as fussy with synthetic brushes.
Jenn S. says
I love using vinegar to clean, but I prefer something a little more thorough for my brushes, especially ones that will be used around my eyes. I use a mixture of baby shampoo and Dawn dish liquid – it is gentle enough not to harm the bristles, but gives a deep clean. If I were going to go the vinegar route, I’d probably dilute it less.
As far as the frequency of cleaning, I do recommend cleaning your brushes a little more frequently. Frequency really depends on how frequently you use them, but if you are using your brushes daily, you should be cleaning them at least once per month, more if you are multi-tasking with these brushes or using a variety of colors. If it is less often than that, you can probably get away with once every two months.
Just like a dish towel or sponge, brushes and cosmetic tools can harbor bacteria so it is important to keep them clean both for hygienic use and their longevity.
Jen says
Like several other readers, I typically use baby shampoo and water to clean my brushes. While this is relatively cheap and easy, I’m very interested in trying the vinegar and water solution for something even more natural. Thanks for sharing!
sand says
Another great tip… use Johnson’s Baby Shampoo to clean make up brushes. Just add a small squirt to bowl of warm water, and gently shampoo and rinse. Then leave to dry on a towel.
Victoria @ Creative Home Keeper says
I don’t know why I have never thought to use vinegar to clean my make-up brushes, I use it to clean just about everything else in my home! I love how easy and simple this is and probably adds a bit more cleaning power than just the standard running under the water that I usually do 🙂
Andrea says
I know — vinegar literally cleans everything (or so it seems!)
Liane says
I use the shampoo samples that come in the mail or from Sephora. Plug the basin, squirt in the shampoo and then add warm water. My brushes are like yours, Andrea, in construction. Most are Laura Mercier but a couple are MAC and they have that squeezed in ring where they attach. All of them have narural boarshair bristles so I treat them like hair! I also wash my four hairbrushes and I take that little spongy thing out of the hair dryer and wash it also. My brushes dry fast but I often dry them with the hair dryer set on low.
Andrea says
Awesome idea to use up those samples!
Also, you have a good eye — my brushes are MAC! I’ve just had them SOOOOOO long that the branding has worn off 🙂
Aa. says
I own two brushes too. I wear makeup daily, but oly natural one, so I cover up my skin imperfections and give myself a little bit of colour on my eyes and lips.
I was cleaning them with my make-up removal (I have a liquid one, like a soap, I don;t know the term in english 🙂 ), I didn’t knew brushes cleaners are so expensive.
I will try your method too!
Andrea says
yay — hope it works for you!
Erin says
Perfect timing! I was just thinking about finding a ‘recipe’ for this exact thing. Thanks!
Andrea says
yay, glad to help!
Viv says
I use a tiny blob of washing up detergent on each brush. It dissolves the grease from my lipstick and removes the pigment from dark eye-shadow’s from the brushes.
A tip is to lay your brushes onto Paper Towels instead of hand towels made of cotton when drying, as some brushes release the dye that is in the handles when hot water is applied to them (my Benefit brush set disintegrated on me!). Also if your brushes take a while to dry and you need them a.s.a.p, you can blast them with a hairdryer on a warm setting. I wash mine once a week on a Sunday when I apply my make-up later in the day than usual.
Andrea says
Thanks for the tip Viv! I have used soap before — but I usually still rinse the brushes in vinegar water as it seems to remove any soap residue that might be left on the brush — just an idea 🙂
Siobhan says
Love using vinegar as a cleaner. I use it for my floors; never thought to use for my make-up brushes. Thanks!
Suzanne says
I just use shampoo!
Trudy says
Mine is about as simple……baby shampoo and water. Wet the brush, add baby shampoo…wash kinda like hair and let dry.
When I’m going to wash the brush….usually do it in the morning and let it air dry. It’s usually ready for me next morning
Andrea says
yes me too — always in the morning and then they are dry by the next morning!