If it’s like my Omega 4P, get barbaric on it with dish detergent and boiling water. The smell will go away, but it will take some aggressive scrubbing. That boiling scrub will also do wonders for the stiffness of the brush and it’s water retention qualities. It will not get wimpy, just nice. Sometimes a fellow just needs a good rugged lusty scrub, IF you know what I mean. A few months down the road I still need a pre shave soak in boiling water to get a really terrific lathering experience, but it still does almost as well with just hot tap for the $12 I paid for it. All in all, I grab it every bit as often as the better badgers sitting on the counter. A much under-rated asset, especially if you like a little variety or just want to keep a little use off of the over priced badgers.