One of the most common things all females use for their makeup: beauty blenders. Those bad boys are STOCKED with bacteria if you're not correctly washing them. In reality, you should only be keeping them in your drawer for 3-6 months. But, you should probably clean after every use (I'm so bad with this).
The quickest way to clean your blender, according to Real Simple, is to rub the blender against a textured surface like a brush cleaning mat.
Of course, it's going to take more than water to clean your sponge. You might want to consider the special brush cleaners, such as this one from Sephora, or you could just a mild shampoo. Personally, I like liquid soap versus the solids, but you can use both! Just make sure to wet your sponge, spread the soap and massage it in. Rinse the blender while rubbing it until the water comes out clean.
Did you know you could clean a beauty blender with a microwave?
It's true. The heat from the microwave will help sanitize the sponge. Add a few drops of soap to a cup of water and cover the sponge completely. Pop it into the microwave for 60 seconds and let it cool. Rinse out the sponge once again, and you're good to go!
You can also clean your blenders with oil because oil breaks down...well, oil. Start with a dry sponge and take some coconut oil and rub it in until the makeup starts to come off. Massage it under running water until it's clean.
Obviously, blenders are fragile, so you don't want to rip and tear it. BE GENTLE. And if it's falling apart on it's own...it's time to part ways.