Can you tell me how to clean combs and brushes easily? All my girls have long hair. It’s a constant battle keeping their bathroom neat. I thought if I could clean their brushes more often it would help.
Allie Samson, San Antonio, TX
I can give you some tips on how to clean combs and hair brushes to help you keep things neat. First, you’ll need a few things to get started. Round up a pen, a pair of scissors, an old toothbrush, some baking soda, and shampoo. You’ll also want to have a trash can close by, as well as a cup of water.
Now, this is the way to clean a plastic-bristled hairbrush. To begin, use the pen to lift up matted-down hair from between the bristles. Note that you might need the scissors to cut the hair apart so you can pull it off the brush. It’s best to throw this hair into the trash instead of the sink or toilet so that it won’t clog your pipes.
You’ll see that the brush is now clear of hair, but chances are it still looks like it has residue on the bristles. You can easily remove this with a homemade cleaner. Mix one teaspoon soda and one teaspoon shampoo in one cup of water. Then scrub with the old toothbrush to gently clean all the bristles and the base. Rinse the brush well and let it dry with the bristles facing downward.
Of course, you can use a similar process on a plastic comb. If the residue is particularly thick on the comb, let it soak in a mixture of a teaspoon baking soda with a teaspoon of vinegar. You might need a toothpick to clean any crevices.
On the other hand, if you have boar bristle brushes with wooden handles, you’ll need to follow a different process. You never want to clean a boar bristle brush by soaking it in a soap and water solution as this will damage the wooden handle and loosen the bristles from the brush. You can use the toothbrush and cleaner method to clean the base of the brush and get residue off the bristles. Or, you can look over this how to clean hair brushes article that has all the details on how to clean all different types of brushes.
In conclusion, I hope this helps you clean up your family’s brushes in a jiffy.
Joan