Makeup brushes and makeup blenders can be breeding grounds for bacteria, especially if they are not cleaned regularly or stored properly or, even worse, shared with a friend. Think about it: Even if you don’t have oily skin, the buildup of products and germs can contaminate your brushes and if you don’t clean them, then you’re just going to transfer that to your face.

The following steps should be followed when cleaning your makeup tools, whether they are brushes, blenders and anything in between.

Step 1 – Rinsing

As simple as this step is, one needs to be very careful to avoid water from running directly into the base of the brush. This is because the water weakens the glue and leads to the falling out of the bristles thus shortening the lifespan of the brush. The appropriate way to rinse a brush is to always rinse the bristles with water streaming down. However, the blender should be rinsed using warm water until it’s fully soaked.

Step 2 – Cleansing

When cleansing the brushes, a gentle shampoo, soap, or daily facial cleanser can work perfectly to help break down the makeup or dirt that has caked onto the bristles over time. The shampoo should be worked into the brittles and rinsed with water until they become clean. You can also massage coconut oil into the bristles to get all stubborn products out of the brushes. Lather should be formed in the blender with the shampoo and thoroughly washed then rinsed until water runs clear.

Step 3 – Disinfecting

Rinsing and cleansing the blender and bristle of the brush is sufficient to get rid of all forms of dirt on the brush but it isn’t sufficient to get rid of germs and bacteria. The only ways to get rid of bacteria is to disinfect the bristles. This can be done by using a solution which contains two part water and one part Vinegar. The blender and brush bristle should be rinsed with water after disinfecting with the solution.

Step 4 – Drying

The last step to follow when cleaning your brush and blender is to dry them. The excess water can be removed from them by using a dry towel. The bristles should be reshaped and the brush should be left to dry overnight. The blender should be air dry or if needed to be used damp, then it can be put to work immediately.