How to dry your brush

Should I dry my brush by leaving it on the sink, bristles up, or by placing it back in the holder, bristles down? Also, is there common terminology for which one of the above positions is right-side-up and up-side-down?

Thanks,

-Ty


Ok, after doing a search it seems this has been tackled before. The consensus seems to be either way is fine as long as you shake out the excess water. I have a brush/razor combo stand so I'll keep using it. I was mainly asking for my travel brush.

I still welcome your thoughts below, or if a moderator wishes to remove this thread, being as it has already been covered, please feel free.

-Ty (again)

Bristles pointing downward on drip stand.

My brush isn't designed to be held by a stand, so I vigorously shake out the residual water, then work it on a towel much like I would to load it with soap until I feel that I can wipe it on my skin without it dampening the surface. The ideal circumstance would be to hang it bristles down, though.

the best way (quicker drying) is to shake of the excess water, then bristles up. if you can put it somewhere with an air flow (windowsill, fan, etc) it'll be better than anything else.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gugi

the best way (quicker drying) is to shake of the excess water, then bristles up. if you can put it somewhere with an air flow (windowsill, fan, etc) it'll be better than anything else.

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This is my method as well. Shake it well and leave it bristles up in a well ventilated area. I used to keep them in the medicine cabinet, but they would tend to get musty. I also shampoo them every other month or so to keep them clean and soft.

I shake mine out and put it bristles up as well, since I dont have a stand.

My brush is two years old. I haven't soaked, cleaned, or otherwise done anything to it other than shake it dry and leave it resting on the side of the quaich the soap resides in.

Shake the hell out of them then stand them up on a display

TyGuy,

This is what's worked for me.

For my travel brush I shake the excess water from it, then place it back in its travel tube or place it on the sink top (bristles up) when I'm on the road.

When I get home from my trip, I remove the brush from the tube and allow it to air dry for a day or two. Then I return it to its travel tube.

I'm usually on the road no more than 3-4 days straight so this has worked for me.

I shake the hell out of them then store them different, depending on the brush. The 20mm one fits in a stand so it is kept bristles down. The 28mm is to big for the stand so I shake it dry and set it bristles up. I dry both way's and have no trouble with either. :) (I do let the larger brush dry sometimes on it's side, on top of one of the soap dishes, on my counter)

I shake mine and then blow dry it with a hair dryer. This is a little pedantic, but then again shaving related OCD is contagious if you spend too much time reading these forums.

I have small raised cabinet next to my sink that all my shaving stuff sits on. After I shake the brush pretty dry, I leave it on its side there, with the bristles hanging off the side. If I think about it, I give it a half turn before I leave for work.

Fred

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don

Shake the hell out of them then stand them up on a display

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Ha, thats what id do.

Bristles hanging down is the most preferred way.

In my mind bristles pointing up invites water to
pool at the base of the knot and interact with the
handle, glue and bristle. Also water invites bacteria
and mold that the soap tends to inhibit.

Modern handle materials and glue (like epoxy)
suffer a lot of abuse. The more expensive the
brush the more care I would take.

Take heart, if you use a brush each day recall that
the oak pilings under Venice have been in the water
and mud for a long time. So water is in itself
not evil.

I have a stand that holds the brush at about 40 degrees
pointing bristles down and I just rinse, shake it out mostly
and put it up. The stand works with a lot of different handle
shapes and sizes too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Bristles hanging down is the most preferred way.

In my mind bristles pointing up invites water to
pool at the base of the knot and interact with the
handle, glue and bristle. Also water invites bacteria
and mold that the soap tends to inhibit.

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If you're leaving so much water that this is important you're doing something very wrong and you should stop this practice as soon as you can.

After you have shaken off the brush there should be so little water trapped inside that the capillary effect (pushes water into the knot) is at least an order of magnitude stronger than the gravitational.
At this point in the absence of draft the actual drying is diffusion and convection based, so bristles up is the way to make gravity work in your favor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gugi

If you're leaving so much water that this is important you're doing something very wrong and you should stop this practice as soon as you can.

After you have shaken off the brush there should be so little water trapped inside that the capillary effect (pushes water into the knot) is at least an order of magnitude stronger than the gravitational.
At this point in the absence of draft the actual drying is diffusion and convection based, so bristles up is the way to make gravity work in your favor.

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No arguments....
Capillary action is as you say, key....

My personal view is well colored by the sad state of common
paint brushes that I find after a "friend" has borrowed them.
I would never put a brush away in the state I get them back... :(