Makeup brushes are to be honest my favorite thing about makeup. They are always so pretty to look at them specially when they are brand new. But keeping them look good and cleaning them and to some people not so easy. This one thing that people don't put into consideration.  If you do not clean your brushes well, and regularly it causes horrible skin problems in the long run. (Studies shown below.)

Sponges either you love them or hate them And those of us love them, we all have a favorite that is hard to find. So, you want to try to keep them in the best shape as possible for as long as possible. So cleaning them more often will help you keep them longer. But unlike brushes they are a deep clean item where brushes you can use a daily cleaner to help keep build up at bay.

Now there are ALLOT of choices when it comes to cleaning product you can use. Most of them are good however, you need to be careful on not only do they clean well but as well as are they good for the brushes. Some cleaners are good for brushes like foundation brushes, concealers etc. that are more dominantly liquid or cream base. (That cakes on the brush and thicken the bristles from the buildup.) Now these brushes are where you need to be careful on the most because moisture is what builds bacteria. 

Couple of things at home you can use:

Liquid dish soap.

Vinegar and lemon. A combination of vinegar and lemon makes a great disinfectant. It goes a long way in killing germs and leaving your brushes with a pleasant smell after cleaning. To clean with this combination, put two tablespoons of white vinegar in a cup of hot water. Wash the tip of your brush in the mixture and then rinse with lukewarm water. Then, cut a lemon open and run the brush against it to remove the smell of vinegar. Apple cider vinegar may also serve as a great option to use with lemon.

Baby shampoo. Baby shampoo does a great job of cleaning makeup brushes. It's also gentle on the bristles. 

 The 10 Best Makeup Brush Cleaners in 2023 - Beauty Mag 

My favorites are I like the Marykay Brush cleaner for my day to day and for my deeper cleaning i like E.l.f., ECO Tools and in a pinch Tea tree Shampoo. I have one of those mats to help really clean the brushes. I soak my really gross ones in my cleaner with warm water for a bit while i work my through the smaller ones before I get to the harder ones. 

 How i Clean mine:

During the week - I use my Mary Kay Brush Cleaner!! I love it! It has saved my more than once. 

 Mary Kay® Brush Cleaner | Mary Kay 

* What i do is using a paper towel, to be honest you're going to use more than one

spray the Cleaner on the Brush 

 wipe the brush across the towel

Repeat til towel stays clean.

Now my Deep cleans i use it all!! 

I use it ALL!! LOL! I use my brush drying rack, my cleaning matt, Two bowels, a towel, My brush cleaner E.l.f., a sink and Hot water. 

I put hot water and cleaner in bowl number 1 and my dirtier brushes and start them soaking.

Then I take my towel and put it down and my rack over the towel.  Then i get my second. 

bowl and it has my smaller brushes.  After that I grab my cleaning pad and i put the cleaning 

solution on it. I start a slow stream on the sink and my first brush and in a circular motion till the bubbles go white. Run them under the water then re shape them either lay them on the towel or in the rack. Proceed with the rest of them in that bowl. After those are done Getting cleaned Dump that water out and put my sponges in with fresh solution and hot water. When i put them in squeeze them to help get the solution in. Then I let the bowl sit whileI tackle the harder brushes.  The trick with sponges is the more often you clean them the less time it takes to clean. i just squeeze them till the go clear.  Then i place them on the towel till dry. My filthier ones might take two rounds if it's been a bit.   

 The Best Ways to Clean Makeup Brushes (webmd.com) 

Here are some studies about dirty brushes..(warning they're good but gross)

ex. #1

 Microbiologist reveals the risks of bacteria lurking on make-up and brushes | Daily Mail Online 

ex. #2

 Makeup brush cleaning highlighted as study reveals horrifying bacteria lurking in dirty brushes - Belfast Live