My brush has a mildew-type odor

[2Deuce2]

I've returned from atrip this week to Florida, and my brush has a mildew aroma. The brush did not have it going out, and I noticed it the other day before I returned home. It never travels damp - rather, I'll let it dry overnight before packing it in my Muehle plastice container. The plastic brush container had the mildew too, and I washed it out and it's gone.

The brush on the other hand has been washed 2X with MAC beush cleaner, plus I let it sit in a glass with the brush immersed in the MAC cleaner for 4 hours. Same mildewy aroma. Any suggestions? The brush is a Shavemac Finest Badger Shave Brush in Tortise colored handle. Brush dimensions are as follows:

Knotsize 23 mm
Loft Length: 54 mm
Total Height: 104 mm
Handle Height: 50 mm
Handle Diameter: 38 mm

Looking forward to your coaching

 

[NSmalls]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/115800-How-to-Clean-a-Shaving-Brush

 

[ackvil]

I wash my brushes similar to the above.

First, I wet the brushes and take a bit of liquid dishwashing soap and apply it to the wet brush. Dawn works the best. I gently massage the brush and rinse the brush under warm water gently spreading the bristles to get as much of the soap out as I can. I apply a tiny bit of hair conditioner to the brush and then take the brush and soak in plain warm water for a few minutes gently pumping it up and down to get our more of the dishwashing soap. I then soak the brushes in a solution I of about an ounce of white vinegar, a squirt of glycerin, and warm water again gently pumping the brush up and down in the solution. Let the brush sit in that solution for about 30 minutes. The vinegar solution with the hair conditioner should remove any smell from the brush. Another rinse, shake, gently rub the brush around a soft towel and let dry.

If you don't have glycerin handy you can omit it. However, the vinegar bath is essential.

BTW, it's possible your plastic container had some mildew in it and when you packed your brush in it it transferred over.

 

[2Deuce2]

Thanks guys-I'll go thru the dish soap/vinegar routine next

 

[blzrfn]

After the vinegar soak lather up some Arko, I'll be surprised if you can smell any sign of mildew after that.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Even when you let dry your brush overnight, there is always some moisture inside of it. As soon as you get home from your trip take it out of the tube and let them both air dry for a couple of days. I forgot mine once for a day and night after I got back from a trip and it also had slight mildewy odor - I lathered it up in my hands with some strong scented soap and the odor was gone. Just make sure you never enclose a brush too long when moist.

 

[KodiakAttack]

If all else fails, Oxyclean!

 

[malocchio]

You cannot dry a brush out in 24 hours !..A super dense brush can take 5-7 days to really dry out.Enclosing it will rapidly grow the mildew...washing the brush may help with the scent,but you really need to KILL the mildew.A Barbicide or Mar-V-Cide bath will kill the mildew,soaps will not,nor will vinegar or even Ship-Shape...once the mildew takes hold in the glue,you are headed for knot disaster down the line and/or possible acne problems as well...Kill it ,don't cover it up,and do not use diluted bleach...

 

[ackvil]

Here is a good article on how to kill mildew naturally. Here is another one with some solutions. Down here in Florida in the humid summer weather we often have a problem with mold and mildew. For a boat we use bleach and water - but I would not use that on a brush. However, in our home we have used vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to kill mold and mildew that is stubborn. Usually a short soak will kill the mold or mildew and then you can clean your brush. However, unless other steps fail I would not use these drastic steps.

 

[2Deuce2]

Solid advice, now I have another one based upon Rudy's comments. I travel at least 2 nights a week. Instead of using a great badger brush, maybe it would be better to have a synthetic bristle brush?

 

[August West]

Different waters, varying air temps, and different storage routines inherent when traveling probably contributed to the build-up.

 

[ackvil]

Solid advice, now I have another one based upon Rudy's comments. I travel at least 2 nights a week. Instead of using a great badger brush, maybe it would be better to have a synthetic bristle brush?

The synthetic is now my travel brush. It's knot is 23mm but still dries in minutes. On a recent trip to Canada we made three overnight stops. I would shave when I woke up and by the time I packed my brush was dry.

 

[shavenut81]

Not completely related but didn't feel starting a thread was worth it. I received a purchased badger brush today and I kid you not the brush looks like it has dandruff, gross but its not dandruff at all.
No bad scent on the brush and its dry for sure but all the silvertip badger hair has weird white spots all over it and when you go through the hair imagine like having extremely bad dandruff. Yuck what is this? Ruined?

Thanks for any responses.

 

[Hoka Hey]

Not completely related but didn't feel starting a thread was worth it. I received a purchased badger brush today and I kid you not the brush looks like it has dandruff, gross but its not dandruff at all.
No bad scent on the brush and its dry for sure but all the silvertip badger hair has weird white spots all over it and when you go through the hair imagine like having extremely bad dandruff. Yuck what is this? Ruined?

Thanks for any responses.

Dried soap? Give it a shampoo and good rinse, let dry.

 

[Pat Puma]

Dried soap? Give it a shampoo and good rinse, let dry.

Yup. Best guess is dried soap. Previous owner did not rinse thoroughly.

 

[Pat Puma]

The synthetic is now my travel brush. It's knot is 23mm but still dries in minutes. On a recent trip to Canada we made three overnight stops. I would shave when I woke up and by the time I packed my brush was dry.

Listen to Jim. Synthetic for travel, especially in the southeast, and even more important in Florida.

 

[shavenut81]

I just gave it a good cleaning will update. Thanks

 

[MursesAnonymous]

+1 for hydrogen peroxide. It's gentle and safe. You can also mix some Clorox 2 color safe bleach (which is just hydrogen peroxide in solution with detergents) into some warm water and soak the brush. We use it around the house for basically anything that has bacterial odor, like the dogs water mat and under their bowls, bedding, any accidents that happen in the carpet.

Some baking soda paste might also help removing odors from some surfaces, but I don't think I'd want to work that into a brush and try to get it back out. Baking soda does work wonders for absorbing fresh liquid spills from carpet though (I.E., dog accidents, even the wine my mother in law spilled on our rug). Just pile about a half inch worth right over the fresh stain and leave it for a few hours until it draws in all the moisture.

 

[shavenut81]

So this is starting to look like these are little break points all over the hair of the brush, the ever so slightest tug and you end up with small sections of hair that literally break off. Strangest thing I've seen in a brush. Looking at the hair most strands have multiple breaks in them. Only thing I can say is the hair dried out and then use broke the hairs causing small little cracks that now looks a white spots all over the knot.

 

[Hoka Hey]

I believe the cause is fungus, caused by poor rinsing and inadequate drying. Most likely daily use. Take a look at Shavemac.com under "brush care".

That truly sucks.