How to Clean Makeup Brushes With an Electric Spin Cleaner

October 1, 2026

The fastest way to clean makeup brushes with an electric spin cleaner is to fit a rubber collar around the brush handle, swirl the bristles in a shallow dish of diluted brush cleanser for a few seconds, then let the machine spin and fling the water out. Most brushes go from dirty to dry in well under a minute once you have the right collar size attached, which is the whole appeal over washing a full brush set by hand in the sink.

Why Bother With an Electric Brush Cleaner At All?

Dermatologists generally recommend cleaning makeup brushes on a regular schedule, not just when they visibly look dirty. Dr. Mary Brady, a dermatologist at Geisinger, advises aiming to clean makeup brushes every seven to 10 days, since brushes accumulate old makeup, skin oils, and dead skin cells that create what she describes as prime conditions for bacteria to grow. Left unchecked, that buildup has been linked to clogged pores, breakouts, irritated skin, and even eye infections when the same bacteria transfers from brush to brush.

The problem is that hand washing an entire brush set under the tap, massaging each one individually, and laying them out to air dry can easily eat up 20 to 30 minutes, which is exactly why that weekly clean gets skipped. An electric brush cleaning and drying machine shortens that routine to roughly a minute or two for a full set, which is the main reason people switch to one once they have tried washing brushes by hand a few times.

Electric makeup brush cleaner and dryer with rubber collar attachments — An automatic brush spinner cuts a full set of brushes down to about a minute of active cleaning time.

How to Clean Makeup Brushes With an Electric Spin Cleaner

Match the collar to the brush handle. A set like the electric makeup brush cleaner and dryer with 8 adjustable rubber collars includes several collar sizes so thin eyeshadow brushes and thicker foundation brush handles can both be fitted snugly. A loose collar is the single most common reason a brush slips or wobbles during spinning.
Wet the bristles first. Dip just the bristle head, not the ferrule where the bristles meet the handle, into clean water to loosen surface product before cleanser touches it.
Add a small amount of brush cleanser or a mild shampoo to a shallow bowl or the base provided with your machine. You do not need a specialty brush soap; a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser works for most synthetic and natural bristles.
Attach the brush and start the machine. Hold the brush steady while it spins so the bristles stay submerged in the cleanser rather than flicking out of the bowl.
Rinse under running water with the machine off, swirling gently until the water runs clear and no cleanser residue remains.
Spin again to dry. The rotating motion flings most of the water out of the bristles in seconds, cutting air-drying time from hours down to a few minutes on a towel.
Reshape the bristle head with your fingers before laying the brush flat or bristle-down to finish drying, so it keeps its original shape.

Electric makeup brush cleaner and dryer machine

Electric Cleaner vs. Hand Washing vs. Quick Wipes

Method	Time for a full set	Best for	What it does not do
Electric spin cleaner	About 1 to 2 minutes	Weekly deep cleans of a full brush collection	Replace an occasional deep soak for heavily caked brushes
Hand washing	20 to 30 minutes	Delicate or natural-hair brushes needing a gentler touch	Dry quickly on its own
Quick cleanser wipe or spray	Under a minute	Removing surface color between uses, not weekly deep cleans	Remove oil and product buildup near the base of the bristles

Mistakes That Leave Brushes Still Dirty

Submerging the ferrule, the metal part that holds the bristles to the handle, is the most common mistake. Water and cleanser that seep past the glue can loosen bristles over time and shorten the brush's life, whether you are using a machine or washing by hand. Using too little cleanser is another frequent issue: a bristle head that has carried foundation or cream products for weeks often needs a second short cleaning cycle to fully clear, rather than a single quick pass.

Skipping the reshape step after spinning is a smaller but common mistake too. Bristles that dry flattened or splayed out from the centrifugal spin can hold that shape, so a few seconds of reshaping with your fingers before the brush dries pays off in how the brush performs later. If your routine also includes a separate rack for air-drying delicate brushes, our guide on whether you need a makeup brush drying rack covers how the two tools can work together.

Rubber collar sizes for an electric makeup brush cleaner — Matching the collar size to the handle keeps the brush steady while it spins.

Caring for Brushes Between Full Cleans

A full spin clean every seven to 10 days is a reasonable baseline for brushes used with cream, liquid, or powder makeup, following the general guidance dermatologists give for brush hygiene. Brushes used daily with liquid foundation or concealer can benefit from a quicker cleanser wipe between full washes, since liquid products tend to build up faster than loose powder. If you are deciding how to organize a growing brush and tool collection alongside a cleaning routine, our buying guide to electric makeup brush cleaners covers what to check before adding one to your routine, and our full Makeup Brushes & Sponges collection has related brush care accessories.

Using an electric brush cleaner on a makeup brush set

8 Collar Sizes Included

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean my makeup brushes?

Dermatologists generally suggest a deep clean every seven to 10 days for brushes used with cream, liquid, or powder products, since buildup can create conditions for bacteria to grow. Brushes used with liquid products daily may benefit from more frequent light cleaning.

Can I use an electric brush cleaner on natural hair brushes?

Most electric spin cleaners work on both synthetic and natural-hair bristles, but natural hair can be more delicate, so use a gentler cleanser and avoid excessive spin cycles on brushes with natural fibers.

Is an electric brush cleaner better than washing by hand?

It is faster, not necessarily gentler. An electric cleaner shortens the time a full set takes to clean and dry, which makes people more likely to actually do it weekly, while hand washing can still be useful for a slower, more controlled clean on delicate brushes.

Can electric brush cleaners damage brush bristles?

Using the wrong collar size, spinning with the ferrule submerged, or running excessive cycles on delicate natural-hair brushes can shorten a brush's life. Matching the collar to the handle and keeping water below the ferrule largely avoids this.

How long does it take to dry brushes with an electric cleaner?

The spin cycle flings out most surface water in seconds, and brushes typically finish air-drying on a towel within a few minutes, compared to the hour or more hand-washed brushes can take to fully dry.

Do I still need brush cleaning soap with an electric cleaner?

Yes. The machine handles the agitation and drying, but a mild cleanser or brush soap is still what actually breaks down oil and makeup residue in the bristles.