Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I could not seem to find many relevant searches in regards to storing a brush. Does the brush type impact how it should be stored for best performance? I have seen pictures of brushes hanging from a rack or over a bowl, yet others have been resting on the base of the handle, brush side up. Obviously some handles do not allow them to stand on the base but are there any "preferred" methods by brush type? IE should a boar hang and a badger sit on its base? When it comes to rinsing out a brush, do you then just shake out excess water, or are you blotting it dry with a towel to get excess moisture out? I am trying to determine the best setup for storing some new items and could use some input from the source!
As you have noticed, numerous ways to store your brush. Choose the ones to your liking. All of mine, except one, sit on the flat base of their handle. The other is in a rack as part of a matching razor/brush set. Just DO NOT store your damp brush in a closed cabinet, drawer or closet. Your just asking for mold if you do. I rinse thoroughly under running water, shake vigorously until almost no water is coming off the brush, "paint" my towel with the brush to dry the brush, set on top of my medicine cabinet or shelf on the wall.
no matter what its made of I treat my brushes the same. After I rinse it out with warm water I do a quick rinse with cold then shake out the water. I then rub it like I'm lathering on a dry towel and hang it bristles down on my brush stand. When its dry it goes on top of my bookshelf above my razors bristles up. I used to have a shelf for them in the medicine cabinet but I was running out of room so bookshelf with the razors.
I dry my brushes much as @swarden43 and @DDuckyMark do. As long as the bristles are dry the brush can pretty much hang or stand in any direction no matter what material it's made of. I think hanging or standing is preferable to laying flat to keep the bristles even all around and to keep them from developing a set on one side or the other. Of course if you had a brush holder like a medicine bottle or the square tube many brushes are mailed in then laying the brush flat may not make any difference. The few brushes I have(I never did catch SBAD) are all flat on the bottom of the handle so I store them(when completely dry) bristles up in a box using cardboard divers. The brush I use regularly hangs(in open air) from my mirror, bristles down, using a suction cup safety razor stand that I widened using a dremel tool to hold the brush handle. The main thing is keeping the bristles/knot dry so mildew doesn't set in!
I rinse my lather bowl then fill again and rinse brush as if making lather. Uses less water and opens the bristles for a more thorough rinse quicker then when I just rinsed under faucet. Good shake in shower so not spraying my walls and mirror then as previously stated by swarden, "paint a towel". If any soap left middle hairs will clump so you know right away if rinsed well enough. When I just rinsed under faucet long ago it often left soap in middle which is how I came up with the bowl rinse and never looked back. I hang them on a rack I made hairs down so less risk of decay or mold and dust collecting. Treatment of your tools,fall under the golden rule.
My method is just to rinse in warm water to get the soap out and to do lathering motions in my Palm to get out the deep soap buildup. After I will do hard flicking motions to throw the water out of the brush. From there I hang it backwards overnight and it is dry the next day for you to store in a drawer or cabinet.
I used to rotate between two brushes to give the brush plenty of time to dry. However since NoVember, I have been using the same brush every day. I rinse it thoroughly, squeeze dry and then paint it dry on a towel. I stand it on its end with the hair up. I find that it will dry in 24 hours just fine. Don't let it dry in a closed cabinet. It needs fresh air to dry.
like others... my boar brush (Omega 10066) gets a thorough wash, followed by shake, and rub on a towel. i like to hang it bristles down to help wick water away from the knot. i would do the same for any type of brush.
Since this is all new to me can anyone let me know if using a blow dryer (just a blast of a few seconds on med. heat) is recommended/good for the brush? I shave in the shower so I know I'm getting all the soap out by taking the brush up the shower head. I shake it vigorously and place it out of the way till I'm done showering. Then as I dry my hair I blast the brush for a few seconds (outside and middle) and then hang hairs down. Any advise on using the dryer will be appreciated. Thanks.
Never have, never will. Don't want to risk damage to the brush. Not saying it will, I'm just not willing to chance it. But that's me.
I've heard of folks using a warm blow drier to dry boar brushes with the thought that the added heat helps contribute to the split ends that ultimately soften the tips up. Just be careful not to overdo it. On the topic of drying, I know this is a debated topic, but I find that my brushes dry faster sitting upright on their handles rather than hanging upside down. I won't pretend to understand how or why this is the case, but it's something to try if you're dealing with a damp brush.
