Thread: Cleaning and maintaining a shaving brush

Does anyone have tips on how to clean and maintain a shaving brush on a regular basis?

That's a highly debatable theme. Some will argue that a solution of borax or vinegar with water (say 1 to 4) works perfectly and doesn't damage the bristles (when used occasionally), other will say all you really need is to clean them up thoroughly after use, using simply water.

I personally only use the vinegar mix if I feel one of my brushes is under performing, but I am very thorough with the daily cleaning and don't have hard water, so it's actually been over a year since I've had the need to do that type of cleaning to any of my brushes (having a large rotation also helps ).

Lots of different home brews for cleaning brushes. Some folks swear by Prell Shampoo and warm water.

I rinse mine in hot water and shake it dry in the shower. some people hang it from a stand I stand mine up and let it dry. My dad's old brush when I dug it out of the cedar chest was bent so bad that it looked like a 7. I heated water to a simmer and added fabric softener and soaked it. May have been the wrong thing to do but it worked to some degree. it still leans to one direction but for the most part it works ok.

There are a few vids out there that show you how to clean a shave brush but I have not tried any of them. I have never really cleaned a shave brush save for rinsing it out thoroughly post shave and letting it dry either standing on it's base or hanging inverted. Be interesting to see if others have a specific more thorough cleaning process done on a periodic basis above and beyond normal post use cleaning and drying.

Bob

Warm water (a lot of it) immediately after use. Shake dry, drag it gently across a hanging towel. Hang upside down for a day to dry. Afterwards, back on the shelf (upright) until next time around. Should always wait a couple days before using again...so they say. Good excuse to have at least 2-3 brushes in rotation.

I think the most logical response I ever saw to the question of 'cleaning' (as opposed to rinsing, drying, storing on a daily basis) was to remember that, assuming it is not a synthetic, these things are made from hair. So use hair cleaning products.

Very very occasionally I will use shampoo and conditioner on my brushes. But really I make a point of rinsing them really well after use, then drying and storing it properly, so I imagine I really don't need to do even that. But if you feel the brush could use a cleaning, give regular old shampoo a shot. After all it works for cleaning your hair, right?

Now, getting rid of the badger funk on a brand new brush is a whole other question...

I give it a thorough rinse after use, letting water run down the breach for half a minute. Squeeze and shake and then let dry. If a brush is underperforming, I'll soak in a mild Dawn solution for about five minutes, rinse, shampoo, rinse and then dry.

Some folks use glycerin solution instead of shampoo but I've found some of my brushes to soften too much when glycerin is used. YMMV.

Alex7,

For me, I clean my brushes (Badger & Boar) about every six months - (I like to use over-fatted soaps, so the bristles get kind of 'greasy' after a while).

I use Johnsons Baby Shampoo to clean. I add a dollop (about a teaspoons worth) into my lather bowl, and make 'lather' with the Baby Shampoo, using water that has ca. 5% vinegar in it, taking care that the knot is full of the 'lather'. I then leave the brush for ca. 30 minutes, and then rinse with warm water.

Do I need to do this that often - probably not

I have been doing this cleaning regimen for six years, and my brushes still look pristine, so it looks like it is not harming them

Have fun

Best regards

Russ

Some of my brushes are pushing 15 years and I never wash them other than a very thorough rinsing after use and they all look brand new and have no scent on them at all.

I think a lot of this brush washing is similar to strop treatments. The less you do the better.