We’re all aware how dirty our makeup tools are, with bacteria piling up after each application and then coming into contact with your skin again – sounds nasty right? Not keeping your makeup brushes clean can make your skin condition worse or risk bacterial infection!

While we all know we have to clean our brushes, it can be such a chore, especially if you have more than ten brushes – it’s a tedious job. We’ve previously shared five cheats to cleaning makeup brushes for every lazy girl out there, but we think might’ve just found the perfect tool to clean makeup brushes. It doesn’t require you to do much and it’s super affordable!

The tool that has been making waves on Instagram among Koreans: a mini washing machine that’s made for makeup brushes. The best part? It’s not a fancy beauty machine that cost a bomb, but retails in Daiso Korea for just 3,000KRW (approx. SGD3.50)!

It might look like a children’s toy from a dollhouse, but this washing machine actually works.

All you have to do is to put in a battery, pour in your brush cleaners, place your brushes inside the machine, press the button and let it spin just like a normal washing machine!

The machine isn’t huge and fits about two brushes at one go. If you’re washing smaller brushes like eye shadow or blending brushes, you can fit a handful of them.

We love how there’s a pipe to release the dirty water too – for a toy that costs SGD3.50, we’re amazed at the attention to details! Note that the pipe is tiny, so it might take a while to release all the water, so you can always pour them out from the machine if you prefer to do it quickly. This being said, it’s just really fun to watch it release through the pipe.

It isn’t just for brushes; we’ve also seen people throwing their cushion compact puffs into the machine to clean them!

Things to note when cleaning brushes

1. Make sure the bristles are neatly combed

Comb the bristle down so that the cleansing solution can penetrate and remove all the dirt thoroughly.

2. Use silicon-free shampoo or gentle face wash

Make sure to use gentle formulas that will not spoil the bristles, especially if yours are expensive ones made of natural hair.

3. Take note of water temperature

It’s best to wash your brushes under room temperature water to avoid spoiling the fragile bristles. Lukewarm water works as well – just be careful not to let your brushes run under water that’s too hot.

4. Dry your brushes properly

You can either lay them flat or hang them with the bristle facing down. Never hang them upside down or in an angle that allows water to run down the handle – this will ruin the adhesive that keeps the handle and bristle together.