Productive brush neglect

Howdy folks,

For the last few months I've skipped rinsing and drying my brush after shaving. Before that, I'd always assiduously rinsed it and dried it under a blowdryer, and would have hard-water crud build up so much that I'd have to give it a vinegar soak every couple of weeks.

The brush is a Muhle travel brush; the knot unscrews and stores in the handle, with pretty good ventilation. But then it lives in my dopp bag, which is zipped closed except when I'm at the gym showering and shaving. Relative humidity where I live is about 20% at the high end; often in the lower teens.

Anyway, I now just wring out the lather with my fingers then give it a squeeze inside a towel, and haven't had to bother with a vinegar rinse since giving up on the full rinse-and-dry sequence. Used hard, put away wet, and apparently thriving. I mostly use MWF, but rotate in the occasional cream or other soap.

Probably not the approach for everyone, but it's working for me here in the high desert Just thought I'd share in case other hard-water victims want to give it a try.

Best wishes to all

I rinse mine and store back on the stand; my hard water has never given me a fuss. I also dip mine in barbacide about every other month, let stand for 10 minutes, and rinse well and back to the stands. Worked so far for all my brushes.

Rinse under hot water to rinse, squeeze the bulb once and put it upside down on the stand....

I posted the same a couple weeks ago,pushing a year,no rinse no hang,going on a yr,no problems.

I knew a guy back in the '60s, hippie days, was like that with showers. He didn't have any close friends ...... :rolleyes:

I rinse mine, shake out the excess water, and hang bristle down for 24 hours or so before standing it back up in the brush area.

Whatever works is fine though. :shrug:

We've got soft water here and I don't recall ever washing a brush except when new to get gunk and skunk out. Just rinse under cold water, gentle squeeze of the knot, a few shakes and hang upside down to dry or not. Touch wood, never a problem. Like Jimmy said, whatever works.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

We've got soft water here and I don't recall ever washing a brush except when new to get gunk and skunk out. Just rinse under cold water, gentle squeeze of the knot, a few shakes and hang upside down to dry or not. Touch wood, never a problem. Like Jimmy said, whatever works.

Bob

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yea but you have so much junk in that lake water the hard minerals were converted to some alien life form years ago.

I try and take proper care of all my tools. I make sure my brushes are well rinsed after use and allowed to dry.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I try and take proper care of all my tools. I make sure my brushes are well rinsed after use and allowed to dry.

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Exactly what I said I do.

Bob

Glad to hear it works for you. A word of CAUTION though: be careful how wet you let it stay for long periods of time - mold/mildew could form at the core of the knot creating a potential health hazard (even with the continual presence of soap) and much higher likelihood the knot hairs will weaken, 'break down', and rot.

A few weeks ago on another forum, a guy posted a pic of his brush say he was disappointed it wore out in just over a year. He used the brush twice a day, every day. In the pic, the center of the thin, splayed, lifeless knot looked like a dark-yellowish brown pile of semi-mush. With all that constant use it never had a chance to dry out and just rotted into messy pile of pulp...

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Originally Posted by Malacoda

Glad to hear it works for you. A word of CAUTION though: be careful how wet you let it stay for long periods of time - mold/mildew could form at the core of the knot creating a potential health hazard (even with the continual presence of soap) and much higher likelihood the knot hairs will weaken, 'break down', and rot.

A few weeks ago on another forum, a guy posted a pic of his brush say he was disappointed it wore out in just over a year. He used the brush twice a day, every day. In the pic, the center of the thin, splayed, lifeless knot looked like a dark-yellowish brown pile of semi-mush. With all that constant use it never had a chance to dry out and just rotted into messy pile of pulp...

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Wow - great description, I think I just threw up a little....yes, rinse and hang to dry....:tu

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

yea but you have so much junk in that lake water the hard minerals were converted to some alien life form years ago.

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Yes, there is concern about the water quality in our area of Lake Superior https://www.ec.gc.ca/raps-pas/defaul...n&n=C111B1AD-1 . That of course is prior to water treatment for domestic use by the city.

This is an older report but I see no reason that there would be a huge deterioration between then and now http://www.thunderbay.ca/Assets/Livi...ual+Report.pdf . At that time no mercury was detected in the drinking water post treatment and of the 38 pesticides and 18 industrial chemicals tested for none were present either. Water hardness ranged between 46-49 mg/L so well into the soft range.

Thanks for the push to check that out.

Bob

Gentlemen,

And there is always the question of sanitation. A brush that has not been cleaned for a long time, and closed up wet, may continue to function, but I would hate to have that hairy swamp making lather on my skin. Is cleaning a brush after the shave that demanding? OY!

Well, the rotting core story put me off, for sure. My apparent neglect is a reasoned one, though, FWIW. The water here precipitates out all sort of soap scum--and the hotter the water, the worse the precip--so I've found a thorough rinse counterproductive. And yeah, it wouldn't work in all climates. If it ever smells anything but soapy I'll be sure to take actions.

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Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,

And there is always the question of sanitation. A brush that has not been cleaned for a long time, and closed up wet, may continue to function, but I would hate to have that hairy swamp making lather on my skin. Is cleaning a brush after the shave that demanding? OY!

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Dunno. I shake the benonsense out of my brish after thoroughly rinsing it and hang it upside down. White tip has seen no ill effects. And, I do have hard water.

How are you sanitizing you brush, Obie?

I rinse and squeeze the bulb until no soap, only clear water comes out (usually about 3x). Give a few shakes over the sink to get out excess water, and then hang bristle side down to drip dry. Been doing it this way for years and never had a problem with any brush.

Pete<:-}

At least make sure you're using an alcohol based aftershave when your done running that badgers A$$ hair across your face and have shaved to help prevent an infection.... LOL Really whatever works for you. All my stuff sits out so I try to keep presentable.

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Originally Posted by Siguy

Dunno. I shake the benonsense out of my brish after thoroughly rinsing it and hang it upside down. White tip has seen no ill effects. And, I do have hard water.

How are you sanitizing you brush, Obie?

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Siguy,

After the shave, I thoroughly rinse out the brush in warm water, dry the knot and the handle, fluff the brush and then hang it upside down. Every few months I also give the brush a good shampooing and dry it thoroughly. The brush is in the open while drying. I take care of my stuff.

When traveling, I use the Muhle fiber silvertip brush that is cleaned, and dried as well as possible after the lathering, and then put back in its tube until reaching my destination, where I take the brush out of my wet pack first thing and let it air dry. If staying in one place for a few days, the brush remains out in the open.

In the jungle in Vietnam, I shaved out of a steel helmet with canteen water, some Army issue canned goo when I had it, or just plain canteen water, and a disposable razor. Even then, though, I took care what went on my face.

Of course, to each his own.

Last Friday(01/09/15) my latest Apprentice was asked to come over to the Boars Nest under the premise that I'd help him with his shaving. He asked what to bring and I told him only the razors I'd given him. He asked "What about my Brush and Soap"? and I told him that all he needed was the razors.

Well life through us a curve ball and he couldn't only stay but about 45 minutes instead of the couple of hours that we'd planned on.

I had him pull up a chair so he could see the computer screen and then I pulled up pictures of a friend making a custom brush/pretty much from start to finish. I asked him what he thought of the process and he said it was Amazing. I told him that it was indeed amazing and that it took a long time to get that brush made (about 5 hours). I asked him if he liked the brush and he said "Man it's beautiful"!

I then reached behind my computer monitor and produced the same custom made brush that was in the pictures and said; "I'm glad you like it because it's yours". He said "No Way"!

The look on his face was priceless!

I then said, Well a nice brush like that deserves some nice shaving soap and again reached behind the monitor and produced a jar of Foxy Vixen shaving soap. Again the "No Way" and I assured him that it was indeed his to enjoy.

While he was gawking at his gifts I once again reached behind the Monitor and produced a custom made scuttle and said well you'll need something to make lather in and presented it to him. Again the "No Way"!

I'm very confident that my young apprentice is not only Very Appreciative of his gifts but the amount of labor that went into the making of it and last but not least the thought that was included in the gift that he received from my friend @ No Charge!

Now back to the subject at hand and that is the caring of a brush.

My friend had told me to let my apprentice know that what he was being given wasn't a Drug Store brush but one that was top of the line. He also sent me this and I printed it out and gave it to my apprentice. I find it fitting.

Custom Brush Rules

1. Treat it like a woman, with respect and with care for if you
do then the brush will in turn reciprocate in the same
manner.

2. Don't squeeze or twist the hairs.

3. Rinse it under warm water and wash it in the palm of your
hand. Then give it a few shakes in the tub or shower.

4. Never use hot water and never soak in the sink.

5. Always wipe the handle with a dry cloth

6. ALWAYS hang with the hair down until dry.

7. Twice a year wash the bristles in a good shampoo and then
use a good conditioner. This will clean the hairs and
condition them, just like the hair on your head.

I just thought that I'd share the True Story and the Product Care Instructions. :shrug:

Cuda - you're a stand up guy, those were awesome gifts! I don't know about "treat it like a women, no squeezing and then give it a few shakes in the tub or shower", sounds like an abusive relationship LOL :P

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Originally Posted by Trimmy72

Cuda - you're a stand up guy, those were awesome gifts! I don't know about "treat it like a women, no squeezing and then give it a few shakes in the tub or shower", sounds like an abusive relationship LOL :P

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Trimmy, I'm just an old redneck country boy who does things the best he can. The brush and all of the accessories were gifts from my friend to my young apprentice. All I did was provide some background on how the brush was made and deliver the gifts.

I probably mis quoted my friend as I believe he said 'No Hard Squeezing' and as far as shakes. Well nothing wrong with Shake Rattle and Roll (Bill Haley and the Comets):tu

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I posted the same a couple weeks ago,pushing a year,no rinse no hang,going on a yr,no problems.

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Just plain nasty,,,,,,, Attachment 190174

Show them badgers some love !!!!!!!

Attachment 190176

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

Just plain nasty,,,,,,, Attachment 190174

Show them badgers some love !!!!!!!

Attachment 190176

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Is just an eperiment John,I put all My brushes under my pillow every night,they get plenty of love:)

,,,,,,,,,,,,Attachment 190177

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Originally Posted by cudarunner

Well nothing wrong with Shake Rattle and Roll (Bill Haley and the Comets):tu

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:OT
Haley is cool, but the original recording by Big Joe Turner is my favorite of the two. Shake, Rattle and Roll - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9wTQsAgktg