Deep cleaning grooming brushes

[SK123]

Want to give all my brushes all a really good cleaning. I have done it many times with hot water and horse shampoo but want to really get all the grime out and was wondering if anyone used anything in particular to do it? Also have a few "Magic brushes" that seem to hold onto grease and hair like glue! Any ideas? Thanks

 

[dogatemysalad]

After bushing off the dust and hair with a curry comb, I do the same as you, wash in warm water and shampoo. Plastic stuff can be soaked in soda crystals and scrubbed with a toothbrush, but natural hair brushes with wooden backs just get rubbed with soapy water and rinsed in tepid water with a drop of white vinegar and left to dry on a rack.
I use my tack box as a washing up bowl so the kit goes back into a clean box.

 

[Clodagh]

I used to put mine in the dishwasher

 

[SK123]

After bushing off the dust and hair with a curry comb, I do the same as you, wash in warm water and shampoo. Plastic stuff can be soaked in soda crystals and scrubbed with a toothbrush, but natural hair brushes with wooden backs just get rubbed with soapy water and rinsed in tepid water with a drop of white vinegar and left to dry on a rack.
I use my tack box as a washing up bowl so the kit goes back into a clean box.

Must try the vinegar! Great idea about the grooming box thank you!

 

[Nicnac]

Lavender oil is great for getting grease out and tea tree oil to disinfect gently. I fill a bucket with hot water and put about 20 drops of each oil in and leave to soak. They come up lovely even the leather backed natural ones. Vinegar also good but doesn't smell as nice.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I used to put mine in the dishwasher

Me too 😁

 

[SK123]

Lavender oil is great for getting grease out and tea tree oil to disinfect gently. I fill a bucket with hot water and put about 20 drops of each oil in and leave to soak. They come up lovely even the leather backed natural ones. Vinegar also good but doesn't smell as nice.

Ideal! Defiantly will give it a try and that way it will be natural for their coats aswell, many thanks!!

 

[Clodagh]

Me too 😁

Only when OH was not about though, he had strong opinions on that!

 

[milliepops]

Also have a few "Magic brushes" that seem to hold onto grease and hair like glue! Any ideas? Thanks

I used those magic brushes for bathing horses. the shampoo gets the grot out and if you just tap them on the floor or a ledge, bristles down, any hair etc left in them drops out easily while it's wet.

 

[Twohorses]

I have read of folks using Novalsan, if you already have it at the barn.

I don't -- I bring my brushes and combs to the house and put them in the hottest tap water with Dawn dish soap --- in the kitchen sink

 

[gryff]

Dishwasher for me, too. Or washing machine, inside a pillow case with the dogs' towels to muffle the clanking a bit. The natural hair brushes, especially, come out really nicely.

 

[lamlyn2012]

Washing up liquid in warm water.

 

[3OldPonies]

Just done both boys kits in virkon, all their grubby towels are soaking in it now. Worked a treat on all the brushes and the boxes.

 

[AFB]

I chucked one of my Haas brushes in the washing machine as accidentally bought it home with saddle clothes so thought what the heck - came out good as new

 

[Gusbear]

I was sure I posted this last night but here goes again ...

I’m a big advocate of using white vinegar for not only for horsey things but also for household cleaning too (I use apple cider vinegar for washing my bed linen as the smell is lovely) as it helps to dissolve grease.

I run my brushes under a warm tap first whilst using an old, fine toothed comb to get out as much hair and dirt as possible. I then dunk everything in a mix of white vinegar, hot water and a drop of fairy liquid plus I sometimes add a little Dettol. Once they have had a good soak, I then rinse them all throughly under with warm water, and then leave them to dry on a towel.
I have some 15 year old brushes that are still going good to this day.
Yesterday I washed two saddle pads and then two very dirty fleeces plus a very greasy lambswool girth cover in my machine with some vinegar added. I then did an empty wash afterwards on the hottest temp with a cupful of apple cider vinegar added to clean the drum afterwards to get rid of the grease and the horsey smell too!

 

[SK123]

I was sure I posted this last night but here goes again ...

I’m a big advocate of using white vinegar for not only for horsey things but also for household cleaning too (I use apple cider vinegar for washing my bed linen as the smell is lovely) as it helps to dissolve grease.

I run my brushes under a warm tap first whilst using an old, fine toothed comb to get out as much hair and dirt as possible. I then dunk everything in a mix of white vinegar, hot water and a drop of fairy liquid plus I sometimes add a little Dettol. Once they have had a good soak, I then rinse them all throughly under with warm water, and then leave them to dry on a towel.
I have some 15 year old brushes that are still going good to this day.
Yesterday I washed two saddle pads and then two very dirty fleeces plus a very greasy lambswool girth cover in my machine with some vinegar added. I then did an empty wash afterwards on the hottest temp with a cupful of apple cider vinegar added to clean the drum afterwards to get rid of the grease and the horsey smell too!

Thank you so much! I am definitely going to try this with every brush I can find and 're organise the tack room as it is gone a bit wayward! I am sure I have some fluffy stuff that could use a cleaning too! Thanks again

 

[Mule]

I just use washing up liquid in water and use a metal curry comb to go through the bristles of the brush.

 

[eggs]

I stick mine inside a pillow case and put them in the washing machine with non biological washing powder

 

[Bernster]

Would you deep clean wooden backed brushes though? Am surprised the wood doesn’t get ruined in the dishwasher but, if it does work, I’m gonna try it! Also have haas brushes and must confess I’ve never properly cleaned them yet!

 

[Mule]

Would you deep clean wooden backed brushes though? Am surprised the wood doesn’t get ruined in the dishwasher but, if it does work, I’m gonna try it! Also have haas brushes and must confess I’ve never properly cleaned them yet!

I'd be careful with wooden ones, steam could dissolve the glue.

 

[Polos]

I’ve put plastic backed ones in a pillow case in the washing machine on a cool temp before and it did the job

Not sure I would do the same with my wood backed natural fibre brushes. I’m sure I read somewhere that with natural fibre brushes you should wash them in horse shampoo