Cleaning of Brushes?

How do you guys clean your badger and / or Boar brushes I've heard boraxo , baby shampoo and also vinegar mentioned. But not to sure of the best way to go.

Good shampoo or natural or castille soap works very well. Perform a few cleaning lathers, 4 or 5, with the soap under warm tap water and finish off by rinsing the brush under cold water to close the pores in the bristles and then hang to dry. i would not suggest vinegar. If the brush is really caked with soap residue then maybe with baking soda, but i would not use it. Ask around for more suggestions and opinions.
Good luck.

I rarely clean my brushes, but when I do it is a 15 minute soak in a mild borax solution followed by a warm water rinse.

I do a tablespoon of vinegar to a glass of water thats just enough to cover the bristles of the brush. I let it soak for about an hour, I swish the brush around a little also to help loosen up any buildup on the bristles. After the soak I just do a warm water rinse and then squeeze out the excess water and then let the brush dry bristles down in it's stand.

Clayton

I use a solution of water, vinegar and a dash of joy. I them place the brush in my ultrasonic cleaner and let it run for about 2 minutes. After the cycle ends, I let the brush soak for approximately another 15 minutes. I then shampoo the brush to get rid of the vinegar scent.

I've used both borax and vinegar, but just recently, after reading about how good it is, I got some Neutragena Anti-Residue Shampoo to try. I'll run all my brushes through a cycle of it sometime soon.

Do these suggestions apply to "used" brushes too? Will Borax or shampoo disinfect?

(04-01-2012, 05:04 PM)Chicagotrim Wrote: Do these suggestions apply to "used" brushes too? Will Borax or shampoo disinfect?

Most bacteria live in moist environments. If the brush has been dry for awhile, there should not be any "nasties" on it. Definitely clean the brush but do not worry so much about disinfecting it. I would not use any harsh chemicals on the brush as it will damage the bristle.

The main purpose of Borax and shampoo is to remove residue from the bristles, rather than to disinfect.

I've never had to clean one of my own brushes. I'm careful that each brush is well rinsed in warm water post shave, shook out & gently stroked on my towel to remove any excess moisture.

I am quite particular where I store my brush, it's 'home' between shaves being the window sill of our en-suite bathroom. I try to leave the window open a couple of inches to get some natural air flow & ventilation to the brush.

If I follow this routine, even my ultra-dense Chubby 2 is dry the next morning and good to go.

Mark

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I should add that if you do need to wash your brushes for any reason, for example if it's second hand ... then normal hair shampoo is perfectly fine.

Give it a good lather and rinse in warm water being careful not to pull on the hairs. Any residue or nasty aroma should be removed.

Ok, I got some great Ideas here THANKS!

I use a few drops of Johnson and Johnson No More Tears Baby Shampoo. Two or three washes and rinses and it's good as new. Well better since it has been broken in already.

I use this:
[attachment=671]
My wife put me on to it. Available online at http://www.maccosmetics.com (and it's cheaper in the US as opposed to the Australian price above).
Otherwise, diluted vinegar, followed by baby shampoo.
I've only ever felt the need to "clean" a used brush upon acquiring it, if it's new out of the box I don'y bother and thorough rinsing between uses should be ample maintenance.

(04-02-2012, 08:52 PM)wingdo Wrote: I use a few drops of Johnson and Johnson No More Tears Baby Shampoo. Two or three washes and rinses and it's good as new. Well better since it has been broken in already.

Yeah I gave that a shot the other night and it worked out great!