TL;DR
Acrylic looks like glass and behaves nothing like it. Alcohol, ammonia, and standard glass cleaner cause crazing -- a permanent network of fine cracks that turns clear acrylic milky. Clean it with lukewarm water, a drop of mild dish soap, and a soft microfiber cloth, and dust it dry before anything wet touches it. Paper towels scratch it, so do not use them.
Why acrylic clouds and glass does not
Acrylic is a plastic, specifically polymethyl methacrylate. It is light, shatter-resistant, and much cheaper to shape than glass, which is why almost every clear cosmetic organizer is made of it.
It is also chemically vulnerable in two distinct ways.
Solvent crazing. Alcohol, ammonia, acetone, and many household cleaners attack the polymer, opening a dense web of microscopic cracks below the surface. That is what people mean when they say an organizer went cloudy. It is not a film on top -- it is damage inside the material, and no amount of cleaning removes it.
Scratching. Acrylic is soft. Paper towels, tissues, and anything with grit on it leave fine scratches that scatter light and make the piece look hazy even when it is spotless.
Both are permanent, and both are avoidable with a very simple routine.
The same logic applies to any coated or plastic optical surface, which is why alcohol is also wrong for eyewear.
How do you clean an acrylic makeup organizer?
Remove everything, dust it dry with a soft brush or microfiber cloth, then wash it with lukewarm water and a drop of mild dish soap using a soft microfiber cloth. Rinse with clean water, and dry immediately with a second dry microfiber cloth to prevent spots.
The step-by-step method
1. Empty it completely. Every drawer, every compartment. This is also the moment to discard expired products.
2. Dust it dry first. A soft makeup brush, a dry microfiber cloth, or a can of compressed air blows loose powder out of corners. Doing this before water is critical, because water turns loose pigment into a spreading smear.
3. Wash with lukewarm water and mild dish soap. Not hot -- heat softens and warps acrylic. A drop of soap on a damp microfiber cloth is plenty.
4. Work gently. No pressure, no scrubbing pads, no abrasive powders. If something will not come off, soak the area with a damp cloth and wait rather than scrubbing.
5. Use a soft brush for corners and drawer runners. A soft toothbrush handles the compacted powder in seams.
6. Rinse with a clean damp cloth. Or under lukewarm running water for small pieces that can go in a sink.
7. Dry immediately with a dry microfiber cloth. Air drying leaves water spots and mineral deposits, especially where the water is hard.
Small organizers can be washed in a sink of lukewarm soapy water. Do not put acrylic in a dishwasher -- the heat will warp it and the detergent will haze it.
What will ruin acrylic
Rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer. The most common cause of a ruined organizer, because people reach for it to disinfect. It crazes acrylic.
Ammonia and glass cleaner. Most window sprays contain ammonia. They are made for glass and they damage acrylic.
Acetone and nail polish remover. These dissolve acrylic on contact. A spilled remover will etch a permanent crater.
Bleach and disinfecting sprays. They cloud the surface, and bleach should never be mixed with any other cleaner in any case.
Paper towels and tissues. Made of wood fiber, and abrasive at the scale acrylic cares about.
Hot water and dishwashers. Heat warps acrylic quickly.
Abrasive powders and scouring pads. Instant permanent scratching.
Perfume and hairspray overspray. Both contain alcohol, and repeated overspray will haze a piece over time. Move the organizer, or spray elsewhere.
If you need to sanitize, mild soap and water plus thorough drying is what acrylic will tolerate. There is no acrylic-safe disinfectant worth risking the piece for.
Why did my acrylic organizer turn cloudy?
Cloudiness is usually crazing, a permanent web of fine cracks caused by alcohol, ammonia, acetone, or glass cleaner attacking the plastic. It can also be a mass of fine scratches from paper towels or abrasives. Neither can be cleaned away, though a plastic polish sometimes improves surface scratches.
Dealing with scratches and light haze
Surface scratches and light haze -- as opposed to crazing -- can sometimes be improved.
A plastic polish or acrylic scratch remover, applied with a soft cloth in small circles and buffed off, fills and levels shallow scratches. Automotive plastic polish works on the same principle. Test on the back or the underside first.
Work slowly and use very little product. Over-polishing an edge distorts it.
Crazing is a different problem and polish will not touch it, because the cracks are inside the material rather than on the surface. Once a piece has crazed, it is cosmetic damage you live with or replace.
A light coat of a plastic-safe polish also helps a piece resist future scratching slightly, and it makes dust easier to wipe off.
Keeping it clean without much effort
Dust weekly with a dry microfiber cloth or a soft brush. Loose powder is the main mess and it comes off dry in seconds.
Wipe product bottles before they go back in. Foundation and primer leave rings on drawer bottoms.
Line drawers with a thin removable liner if you like -- it catches the powder and can be swapped out.
Keep the organizer out of direct sunlight, which yellows some acrylic over years and heats it enough to warp thin pieces.
Keep it off a damp bathroom counter if you can. Humidity plus powder is a paste. A bedroom dresser is a better home for it, the same reasoning that runs through cleaning the personal items you use every day.
Clean brushes before they go back in a holder, described in how to clean makeup brushes without ruining them, and give the bag that travels with it the same treatment -- see how to clean a makeup bag inside and out.
Source: American Chemistry Council technical guidance on the care of acrylic sheet
The counter underneath
Whatever the organizer sits on gets a ring of powder and product around it.
Match the cleaner to the counter, not to the organizer. Quartz takes no bleach, no abrasives, and no high heat. Marble and travertine are etched permanently by vinegar and other acids and need a pH-neutral cleaner. Laminate and sealed wood dislike standing water.
Lift the organizer to clean under it rather than wiping around it, since the ring underneath is the part that becomes permanent.
Dried product on the counter is the same softening job as the deposit in how to clean dried toothpaste off a vanity.
FAQ
Can you use alcohol on an acrylic makeup organizer?
No. Rubbing alcohol crazes acrylic, opening a permanent web of fine cracks that turns clear plastic milky. Hand sanitizer does the same thing. Use lukewarm water with a drop of mild dish soap and a soft microfiber cloth, and dry immediately with a second dry cloth.
Can you put an acrylic organizer in the dishwasher?
No. Dishwasher heat warps acrylic and the detergent hazes the surface. Wash it by hand in lukewarm soapy water, rinse with a clean damp cloth or under lukewarm running water, and dry right away with a soft microfiber cloth to prevent water spots.
How do you remove scratches from acrylic?
A plastic polish or acrylic scratch remover applied with a soft cloth in small circles and buffed off can level shallow surface scratches. Test on an inconspicuous area first and use very little. Crazing from alcohol or ammonia is inside the material and cannot be polished out.
Why does my acrylic organizer look cloudy?
Either crazing from solvent exposure such as alcohol, ammonia, acetone, or glass cleaner, or a mass of fine scratches from paper towels and abrasives. Crazing is permanent. Scratching sometimes improves with a plastic polish. Prevent both by using only mild soap, water, and microfiber.
What is the best cloth for cleaning acrylic?
A clean soft microfiber cloth, ideally two -- one damp for washing and one dry for drying. Paper towels, tissues, and napkins are made of wood fiber and leave fine scratches on soft acrylic. Wash microfiber cloths without fabric softener, which coats the fibers.
How often should you clean a makeup organizer?
Dust it dry weekly with a soft brush or microfiber cloth, and give it a full wash every month or two, or whenever powder has compacted in the corners. Wipe up spills straight away, since dried foundation and primer are much harder to remove without scrubbing.
Clear organizers look better in a room that is not full of dust. If keeping up with that is more than you want to handle, get a quote or read more about house cleaning services.