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How I clean my brushes? Easy. I mush them in my hand, because my skin is softer than the tips of the brush. With a movement like face lathering, only with more pressure. As I said, this won't damage the tips. When done, ie once most of the lather has been removed, I hold it in my right hand, and turn it counter-clockwise, fanning one area after the other open with my right thumb while keeping the rest of the brush steady with my left hand. Sounds scary, but Herr Schuldes [of Thäter] said it would work. And it does. Three years in, and no visible damage. But, and that's the point of the whole exercise, this approach will clean the core of the knot, which is the trouble spot with any badger brush. Leave soap in there, and the bristles will get brittle and break - at some point in the future, years from now. Also, dish washing detergent is great for cleaning badger brushes. It will remove the oil/fat/tallow, but not damage the brush.
I hope that helps.