Can you remember the last time you cleaned your cosmetic bag? A frightening report by Dr Amreen Bashir and Professor Peter Lambert from Aston university showed that a staggering nine out of ten makeup bags and wash bags are home to superbugs like E.coli and staphylococci. Yikes!
Our unique makeup bags are designed to be robust enough to withstand years of daily use and still look sparkly new, so let us take you through some simple steps of how to clean a makeup bag or wash bag and keep them looking great, and bacteria-free.
How to clean a makeup bag or wash bag.
1. Empty your wash bag
Check the expiry date on your products and discard any that have gone beyond the expiration date. We created a handy makeup expiration chart to show you the length of time they can live in your makeup bag before becoming contaminated.
A great tip from Professional organiser Sue Spencer** is to mark the date you open makeup and toiletries with a permanent marker. That way you can keep track of when to discard them.
2. Turn your makeup bag inside out
When it comes to best hygiene practices, keeping the inside of the makeup bag or wash bag squeaky clean is more important than the outside, and the best best way to get to all those nooks and crannies is to turn it inside out. A word of warning, it's easy to crease the outer fabric when you do this, but don't worry, see the a genius crease-busting hack later on in this post!
3. Clean the lining
Victoria Green makeup bags all have lined seams to ensure that any spillages stay on the inside of the makeup bag instead of all over the contents of your handbag - therefore it's important to dislodge any debris and old makeup that may have gathered there over time.
The best way to do this is to simply take a new dry toothbrush to reach right into all those corners. (Thanks Helen S for this great tip!) Then take a cotton wool pad soaked in eye makeup remover to wipe away any makeup smudges and stains that may have accumulated on your makeup bag or wash bag.
With your makeup bag lining now clean and smudge-free, let’s eliminate those nasty germs. All you will need is an antibacterial household spray - anything will do, as long as it doesn't contain bleach, which will damage your makeup bag or wash bag lining . Simply spray it on and use a clean cloth to work it into the corners. Then all you have to do is leave it to dry, preferably overnight.
4. Once your makeup bag is dry...
Carefully turn it the right way again and give the outside a good spritz with your antibacterial spray, wiping off the excess with a clean dry cloth. All Victoria Green makeup bags and wash bags are made from quality waterproof and wipe-clean materials, specially designed to be easily cleaned.
Now for the crease-busting hack. All you need is an ordinary hairdryer. Switch it to the hottest setting and gently warm the outer fabric of your makeup or wash bag, taking care to keep the dryer moving so it doesn't get too hot in one spot. When the fabric on the wash bag is warm it softens slightly and you can easily rub away the creases - We use this technique in our photoshoots to keep our makeup bags and wash bags in good shape!
5. Keep it regular
I recommend giving any makeup bag or wash bag in regular use a deep clean once a month, with a weekly top-up spritz of antibacterial spray on a weekly basis, always ensuring the interior of the beauty bag is thoroughly dry before zipping it back up again.
Time to re-pack & organise your clean beauty bag
Now that you have cleaned and sanitised your makeup or wash bag you can refill it with your favourite products, knowing everything is nice and clean.
Do you have any tips to keep your beauty products clean and in good condition? We would love to hear from you! Leave your comments below.
** www.alifemoreorganised.co.uk
