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How often do you clean your brushes?

I wonder if users like myself who simply rinse their brushes with no extra cleaning required are living in soft water areas. Brush maintenance is so very simple that for there to be significant numbers of experienced B&B members who are having to clean their brushes then there must be another factor in play. I wonder if they have a hard water domestic supply with a high mineral content which is causing a build up of residue in the knot. If so then simply advising them to rinse their brush thoroughly or wash it out in the shower is pretty useless advice 👍
Except I have hardish water from my well and no issues.
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
Being out of my softener for maybe two months now, and having very hard water, I do not see any build-up on any of my brushes. But, I have some 20 or so in my rotation so they may have been used max 4-5 times (some I use more than others), but nothing is showing on them.
 
I live in an area with very hard water. I use water from our reverse osmosis system to make lather. I use tap water to rinse the soap out of the brush, then rinse the brush in reverse osmosis water to get rid of any hard water deposits. So far, that's worked out well. IMO, further cleaning shouldn't be required.
 
We have water hard enough to walk on. That is what made me ask the question. It stains everything after a while. I think it would build up on my bristles, even mildly, and make the brush not all it could be. I don't know. It is possible nothing will stick to the fibers, but I have doubts about that.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I wonder if users like myself who simply rinse their brushes with no extra cleaning required are living in soft water areas. Brush maintenance is so very simple that for there to be significant numbers of experienced B&B members who are having to clean their brushes then there must be another factor in play. I wonder if they have a hard water domestic supply with a high mineral content which is causing a build up of residue in the knot. If so then simply advising them to rinse their brush thoroughly or wash it out in the shower is pretty useless advice 👍
if we boil our tap water in a pan, it leaves an annoying white residue behind. That's why I plan to use Ship-Shape every so often.

Edit: I might use our filtered water for shaving as well... at least for soaking the brush and adding water as I lather. I'll try it tomorrow see if it makes any difference. And do a final brush rinse in it as was suggested.
 
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Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Almost never, unless testing a ‘dirty’ soap/cream for an extended time.

If you use a pure coconut oil soap like MdC, you don’t have to clean your brush.

Why? Brush cleaning soaps are typically coconut oil soaps with enough palm oil/sodium hydroxide to firm them up a little.
 

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
Being out of my softener for maybe two months now, and having very hard water, I do not see any build-up on any of my brushes. But, I have some 20 or so in my rotation so they may have been used max 4-5 times (some I use more than others), but nothing is showing on them.
I also use distilled water when adding water to the top of the soap and when I have to add water when making lather. The hard water does not do well with creating lather.
 
As a professional chemist, I'd allow myself to give a piece of advise here:

No matter how well you rinse your brush after use, some amount of soap scum will be deposited on the bristles. Soap scum is a deposit of calcium and magnesium soaps, the result of a precipitation reaction between the soap and calcium and magnesium salts that build water hardness. These are insoluble in water and gradually make your brush more and more hydrophobic, i.e. it won't take as much water as it could. Large amount of deposits, also make bristles harder and less flexible.
Soap scum could be removed by reacting it with some weak organic acid. Many people use acetic acid (vinegar). I prefer citric acid, since I don't like the smell of vinegar. Depending on your water hardness and frequency of use, you should clean your brush between once a month and once a year. Just use a teaspoon of citric acid, dissolved in half a cup of warm water. Add a couple of drops of liquid soap to aid wetting and penetration of the cleaning solution. Soak the brush in this solution for 15-30 min, stirring and pushing gently from time to time. After that, rinse with plenty of water. To condition the bristles, you can use a diluted solution of baking soda. Soak for a couple in minutes, rinse thoroughly and air dry.
 
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I just figured they were self-cleaning by virtue of using with soap. Rinse out with hot water, shake it, set on the counter.
Kinda my thinking but what do I know? Well, I know that none of my brushes are newer than 10 years old and all continue to perform admirably and they all smell good:

Kent BK4 Super Badger
Kent BK8 Silvertip Badger
EJ Super Badger
T&H (Rooney) Silvertip Badger
Vulfix 404 Badger/Boar
 
As a professional chemist, I'd allow myself to give a piece of advise here:

No matter how well you rinse your brush after use, some amount of soap scum will be deposited on the bristles. Soap scum is a deposit of calcium and magnesium soaps, the result of a precipitation reaction between the soap and calcium and magnesium salts that build water hardness. These are insoluble in water and gradually make your brush more and more hydrophobic, i.e. it won't take as much water as it could. Large amount of deposits, also make bristles harder and less flexible.
Soap scum could be removed by reacting it with some weak organic acid. Many people use acetic acid (vinegar). I prefer citric acid, since I don't like the smell of vinegar. Depending on your water hardness and frequency of use, you should clean your brush between once a month and once a year. Just use a teaspoon of citric acid, dissolved in half a cup of warm water. Add a couple of drops of liquid soap to aid wetting and penetration of the cleaning solution. Soak the brush in this solution for 15-30 min, stirring and pushing gently from time to time. After that, rinse with plenty of water. To condition the bristles, you can use a diluted solution of baking soda. Soak for a couple in minutes, rinse thoroughly and air dry.
Thanks for the detailed descriptions. Very helpful. Any difference in this process regarding the composition of brushes? Badger vs boar vs synthetic?

Thanks again,

Guido
 
Thanks for the detailed descriptions. Very helpful. Any difference in this process regarding the composition of brushes? Badger vs boar vs synthetic?

Thanks again,

Guido
I don't think this is a very good idea to clean Badger or boar with vinegar or citric acid, as they are natural bristles and acids can change their characteristics, I would never use this method for my quality badgers. Synthetic ones however should be fine.

For natural bristles like boar and badger better use borax or simply baby shampoo (mild shampoo) if needed.
 
Before each use, I soak ALL types of my brushes, even the synthetics. After use, I rinse then shake out the brush, and then place it in a glass of water to soak until I'm done cleaning my razor and the sink. I then squeeze out the brush, then shake out all excess water. I can't remember the last time I had to clean soap scum out of a brush.
 
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