When did you last properly clean your makeup brushes? What about your towels? Your pillowcase?
If you're wincing right now, you're not alone. These everyday essentials work hard for us, but they're often the most overlooked when it comes to hygiene. And the truth is, they could be harbouring far more bacteria than you'd like to think about.
Your Towels: A Breeding Ground You're Wiping on Your Face
After a hot shower, there's nothing quite like reaching for a fresh towel. But when that towel isn't actually fresh, you're essentially wiping bacteria, mould, and mildew all over your clean skin.
Towels are warm, damp, and covered in dead skin cells after use. Research shows they can harbour millions of bacteria after just a few uses, including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Not ideal.
What you should be doing: Wash bath towels every three to four uses. Hand towels in shared bathrooms need washing every day or two. And if your towel smells musty or you've been unwell, wash it immediately.
The ISOCLEAN fix: Our Cotton Cleansing Towels solve the problem entirely when it comes to your face. Made from ultra-soft, 100% organic cotton and completely biodegradable, these disposable towels guarantee a fresh, clean towel every single time. No washing, no bacteria buildup, no fuss. Each pack contains 60 towels in a convenient resealable box. Use them wet or dry for makeup removal or evening cleansing, and you'll never have to worry about reusing a bacteria-laden face towel again.
Pillowcases: You're Sleeping on Yesterday's Dirt
Your pillowcase absorbs oils from your skin and hair, sweat, saliva, dead skin cells, and whatever skincare you've applied before bed. Over time, it becomes a cocktail of bacteria, dust mites, and allergens that transfers back onto your skin every night.
If you're dealing with breakouts, your pillowcase could be sabotaging your skincare routine. All those active ingredients and cleansing efforts are being undermined by the grubby fabric you're sleeping on for eight hours.
What you should be doing: Change pillowcases at least once a week. Twice weekly if you're acne-prone or have oily skin.
The ISOCLEAN fix: Between washes, use our Hypochlorous Spray to refresh your pillowcase. Rated No.1 by The Independent against all leading UK brands, this spray reduces bacteria buildup when lightly misted onto your pillowcase before bed. The hypochlorous acid formula is the same substance your white blood cells naturally produce to fight infection, making it incredibly safe and gentle for all skin types.
Even better, spray it onto your freshly cleansed face before sleep. It cleanses and hydrates skin, helps reduce redness, and creates a protective barrier whilst you sleep. One customer shared: "I use the Hypochlorous Spray everyday morning and night. I have rosacea and this spray is cooling and moisturising and keeps my skin clean, comfortable and hydrated."
Makeup Brushes: The Worst Offenders
Makeup brushes are magnets for bacteria, old makeup residue, dead skin cells, and oils. Every time you dip that brush into your makeup and then onto your face, you're potentially reapplying days or weeks of accumulated bacteria.
The consequences? Breakouts, skin irritation, eye infections, clogged pores, and patchy makeup application. Plus, brushes wear out faster when caked with old product. You wouldn't paint a wall with a dirty paintbrush, so why would you paint your face with dirty brushes?
What you should be doing: Clean brushes used for liquid or cream products (foundation, concealer) after every use. Powder brushes need cleaning weekly at minimum.
The ISOCLEAN fix: We've made brush cleaning so simple, there's genuinely no excuse anymore.
For quick daily cleaning, our Makeup Brush Cleaner with Spray Top eliminates bacteria and removes stubborn makeup in seconds. Spray your brush, wipe on our ultra-absorbent Microfibre Makeup Brush Cleaning Towel, and you're done. The towels are lint-free, reusable, and withstand hundreds of washes. One customer said: "I am obsessed with how easy and fast it was to clean my makeup brushes."
For weekly deep cleans, our Carbon Makeup Brush Cleaning Soap works brilliantly. The advanced carbon formula eliminates dirt and bacteria whilst conditioning bristles, keeping brushes in top condition for longer.
Need something portable? The Easy Pour Brush Cleaner comes with a detachable dip tray for quick cleaning sessions. A reviewer shared: "Astonished at how effective the ISOCLEAN solution is. Cleaned all my brushes so well I really couldn't believe it."
Don't forget Sponge Cleaner for your makeup sponges. It eliminates harmful bacteria, dirt, and stubborn makeup, helping sponges last longer and perform better.
Gym Kit: The Sweat and Bacteria Problem
Your gym clothes absorb sweat, bacteria, and oils during exercise. When left damp, bacteria multiply rapidly, causing that distinctive sour smell that fabric softener can't shift. Beyond the odour, wearing dirty gym clothes can cause skin infections, fungal issues, and body acne.
What you should be doing: Wash gym clothes after every single use. No exceptions. That includes your gym towel, sports bra, and leggings.
The ISOCLEAN fix: Keep Hypochlorous Spray in your gym bag for post-workout skin rescue. Spray generously on your face and body after exercise to kill bacteria from sweat and prevent breakouts before they start. It's gentle enough to use over makeup and won't clog pores.
The spray is particularly effective for body acne on the chest, back, and shoulders. Apply to problem areas after your workout shower and let it air dry. The anti-inflammatory properties calm redness and irritation whilst the antimicrobial action fights acne-causing bacteria.
You can even spray it inside your gym bag between washes to combat lingering odours and bacteria.
Building Better Habits
Proper hygiene with these essentials doesn't need to be complicated. It's about having the right products and building simple habits:
Your ISOCLEAN essentials:
- Cotton Cleansing Towels for daily face cleansing
- Hypochlorous Spray for skin, pillowcases, and post-gym refresh
- Makeup Brush Cleaner (spray top or easy pour) for daily brush cleaning
- Microfibre Cleaning Towel for drying brushes
- Carbon Makeup Brush Soap for weekly deep cleans
Weekly routine: Set a specific day for changing pillowcases and deep cleaning brushes with Carbon Soap.
Post-workout habit: Spritz Hypochlorous Spray on skin immediately after exercise, then ensure gym kit goes straight from bag to washing machine.
Daily essentials: Use Cotton Cleansing Towels for evening cleansing. Quick-clean makeup brushes with spray and microfibre towel between uses. Spritz pillowcase and face with Hypochlorous Spray before bed.
Smart storage: Keep brush cleaning products on your vanity where they're easily accessible. The spray bottles look sleek on display whilst remaining functional.
The Real Impact
What surprised me most when I started properly cleaning my makeup brushes was how much my skin improved. I'd been cleaning my face twice daily to remove spot-causing bacteria, only to reapply that same bacteria with dirty brushes. Within two weeks, friends were commenting on how much clearer and fresher my skin looked. Four weeks in, my skin was 80% better than it had been for years.
ISOCLEAN makes proper hygiene incredibly simple. No more excuses about not having time when it takes seconds. No more using grubby face towels when disposable Cotton Cleansing Towels are so convenient. No more post-gym breakouts when you've got Hypochlorous Spray ready to go.
Your skin, your health, and your housemates will thank you.
Ready to upgrade? Many ISOCLEAN products are available with subscription options, saving you 10% and ensuring you never run out of hygiene essentials. Explore the full range at iso-clean.co.uk.
Clean brushes, clean skin.
