Do You Clean Your Makeup Packaging? - How and Why You Should

A while ago I wrote a post about cosmetics sanitisers from Beauty So Clean, titled 'So You Clean Your Brushes, But Do You Clean Your Cosmetics?', but I found it really interesting recently to find out that some people don't clean their make up packaging. When you're touching a product every day, even with clean hands it can become marked with cosmetics and fingerprints  and any oils or dirt from your fingers can transfer to the compact or pot, which might then transfer to your face. If you store your cosmetics out in the open, dust can also settle on it, which doesn't cause much threat, but can make it look less than new!

I clean the packaging of a product to make sure it looks nice and new, and to remove any smudges, fallout or oil and bacteria. I go through the whole collection of my frequently used makeup once or week or so (usually when I wash my brushes) and clean anything that looks marked, as well as wiping over products like lipsticks and concealers that I store uncovered in pots. It's an obvious one, but I also make sure to clean the countertop that I keep my make up on too- it collects powder and eyeshadow fallout, and I am constantly touching it to pick products up and set them down.

The best and easiest way that I use to clean cosmetic packaging is with wipes- any face wipes you have are great for getting rid of annoying smears or spillages (I find the textured exfoliating types the best, they remove dried mascara with ease!), and alcohol disinfectant wipes are brilliant for sanitising surfaces and products, as they work quickly, dry really fast and don't leave any scent. I've tried cleaning solution on a sponge in the past, but it leaves the products so wet that it isn't very helpful for a quick scoot over the collection.

The makeup wipes that I currently have on hand at the moment are the Simple Cleansing Wipes, which I don't use for a full cleanse but do use to remove my make up, and some super cheap Pure Exfoliating Wipes which I use purely for cleaning. The alcohol wipes I'm currently using are the Milton Antibacterial Surface Wipes, meant to be used to disinfect surfaces around babies, but work brilliantly for make up products. Disinfectant wipes take a minimum of 5 minutes to kill bacteria, but usually don't require rinsing so you can wipe a product over and set it back into storage while it quickly dries.

I find the most annoying packaging to clean is the matte black type, which seems to collect dirty finger prints without me even touching it! I use a make up remover wipe, or sanitising wipe (such as the Antibacterial Cleansing Surface Wipes from Dettol), then wipe them quickly with a cloth or towel to avoid making fingerprints on the wet packaging before it's dried.
A task that often slips my mind is to clean my big mirrors- it's sometimes amazing how much more detail you can see after polishing a mirror that didn't even look dirty! Some cleaners can leave streaks, so I apply a few drops of vinegar to some kitchen towel and then wipe it over the surface of the mirror, buffing until it quickly dries. I'm left with a completely clean shiny mirror and no drips or streaks! 

Cleaning makeup packaging and storage areas is one of the household tasks that I actually enjoy doing, and I think it's quite important. While fingers and brushes will hold more bacteria to transfer to the face, anything that's on the packaging might ultimately end up there too. Aside from hygiene, there's nothing better than seeing your pretty make up shine like new!