I have a few brushes that have been starting to shed a hair or two and I have determined that much of the time, this means they need a good clean. Much like carpet fibers, as soil and debris collect around the root of the fiber, they tend to fray and break off(why you should get your carpet cleaned every six months of possible). So, my trusted Semogue Owners Club boar and Alpha T-400 Silvertip Badger needed a good clean. Both brushes have likely been used about 100 times since their last cleaning and both likely have 600+ shaves on them. I also had a vintage NOS Rubberset pure badger that needed the dust cleaned out of it, so it got the full treatment too.
My process:
I feel like this is an important part of maintaining a brush for years of use. The SOC boar in these photos is at least 8 years old and it gets cleaned once every 6 months or so. I'm certain this brush has 6-700 shaves on it and I'm sure it can last me another 8 years with proper maintenance.
Go clean your brushes!
My process:
- First I wet the brush with hot tap water and massage in some neutral scented dish soap, I usually use a more natural option if we have one. I typically rinse, then leave the brushes in a bowl with a little more soap and HOT tap water(Not boiling) for about 15 minutes. After the soak I scrub around the brush handle with an old tooth brush and then brush the hair fibers at the base of the brush, to remove buildup. Then I return the brushes to the hot soapy water for a further 15 minutes.
- Next, I rinse the brush and then massage in a shampoo of your choice and then allow the brushes to sit for about 15-20 minutes.
- Then, rinse and apply hair conditioner and allow the brushes to sit for about an hour.
- Finally, I rinse then strop the brushes on a dry towel and let the brushes dry as usual. Pretty easy right!
I feel like this is an important part of maintaining a brush for years of use. The SOC boar in these photos is at least 8 years old and it gets cleaned once every 6 months or so. I'm certain this brush has 6-700 shaves on it and I'm sure it can last me another 8 years with proper maintenance.
Go clean your brushes!
