How to Wash Your Storage Containers

It’s easy not to notice when they’re filled with your lipsticks and mascaras, but the containers or drawers we use to store makeup can get so, so, so dirty. When you take everything out to sort what you’re keeping and what you’re trashing, you’ll probably notice that your storage area is a wreck — stained with various shades of powder, littered with stray bristles from your application brushes, smeared with sticky lipgloss. Since the containers and/or drawers are empty, this is a good time to give them a good cleaning. Here’s how to do it:

  • Plastic and acrylic containers can be washed with dish soap and hot water, then dried.
  • Glass containers can either be washed with soap and water, or wiped with glass cleaner and paper towels.
  • Drawers can be wiped out with a damp rag, sponge or paper towel. If there’s staining, try applying a small amount of dish soap to a sponge and give the drawer a good scrubbing, or remove really stubborn stains using a Magic Eraser.

MORE: 6 Hot Weather Beauty Hacks You Need Right Now

How to Organize Your Makeup

This is the easy part: Once you’ve purged unwanted makeup and cleaned up the place where you store your beautifying products, it’s time to put everything back. This is a good time to consider if you need (or just want!) new makeup organizers. Don’t buy makeup organizers before you’ve done a purge — you’re likely to end up with containers that don’t suit the needs of your collection.

Last but not least, let’s familiarize ourselves with how long we should be keeping our beauty products and when it’s time for them to hit the trash [Editor’s Note: Trust me, you do not want to get an infection from using expired makeup — it’s NOT pretty!]