KABOOM Your Brush?
- Ouchmychin
- Posts: 1595
- Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:03 pm
KABOOM Your Brush?
I recently purchased a squirt bottle of a bathroom cleaner called "KABOOM" to get rid of soap scum on tub shower and wash basin. Then I got the bright idea---what would this do for my brushes? I got my cheapest brush and squirted a bit of the foam on the outside of the bristles and worked it in. After a rinse I was amazed that what appeared to be a clean brush was now behaving differently. The bristles were only boar and they tended to clump after rinsing. I discovered that this was from a soap film. So I tried it on several brushes and all benefitted from getting the film of soap removed. It is only a temporary fix since I add new soap with every shave. I don't think it is harming the bristles to clean them. You might want to try this on one of your cheap brushes too. I believe this contains a calcium chelator, and several similar products such as CLR and Lime Away could be used.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
Ouchmychin (Pete)
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- Assistant Dean SMFU
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Just fyi, I think even this is a little bit misleading. Human hairs fall out and new hairs grow in all the time--the life of any individual hair is not necessarily very long. So if you're doing something that causes long-term drying or damage, you might have great results with your hair, whereas with a brush--on which the same individual hairs need to last for years--there could be problems over time. (I'm thinking here in particular of peppermint--I would use a shampoo with a lot of peppermint in it--in fact, I currently do--but there is no way I would wash my brush in anything that contained peppermint.)It's hair - use what you would use to get soap scum out of your wife's hair.
The take-away is just that you should be careful to use gentle cleansers on your brush. At least if you plan to keep it for a while.
JB
Easy-Off, an open flame, and KABOOM! of course.notthesharpest wrote:. . . .- use what you would use to get soap scum out of your wife's hair.
Kaboom or any other chemical prepared product would eventually do harm to fine brush.
I prefer the dish soap wash/vinegar rinse as provided in the video at Em's Place. It does a great job and the brush is amazingly soft afterward. If you have a particularly stubborn brush problem, her borax wash should do the trick without damaging the brush.
Brent
Tondeo ergo sum.
Tondeo ergo sum.
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FWIW, I never have to clean my brushes and I believe its partly due to the QED soap I use in my rotation. I have found this vegetable based soap rinses VERY clear and tends to help remove the accumulated gunk... Besides, its a great soap which gives superb shaves...as natural and pure a product as you can make when it comes to a refined product like soap.
So if you are a regular user of tallow based soaps or traditional creams try some QED in your rotation and see if it doesn't help keep your brush clean.
The fragrances are fantastic. My favorites are Patchouli, Tea Tree and Peppermint, Sandlewood, Lavender, and Frankincense and Myhr. They contain only natural essential oils as a fragrance base. I find the lather superb--perhaps not as much cushion as an English cream or soap but definitely good lubricity and the closest shave of anything I've ever tried....and that's a LOT of soaps and creams....
So if you are a regular user of tallow based soaps or traditional creams try some QED in your rotation and see if it doesn't help keep your brush clean.
The fragrances are fantastic. My favorites are Patchouli, Tea Tree and Peppermint, Sandlewood, Lavender, and Frankincense and Myhr. They contain only natural essential oils as a fragrance base. I find the lather superb--perhaps not as much cushion as an English cream or soap but definitely good lubricity and the closest shave of anything I've ever tried....and that's a LOT of soaps and creams....
Jeff
I'm just here for the free beer!
I'm just here for the free beer!
Pete, have you any post Kaboom experience or thoughts on it.
I don't know if the brush would be harmed by the Kaboom. Makes sense to be careful.
I don't know if the brush would be harmed by the Kaboom. Makes sense to be careful.
Tom
I keep CHRIST in CHRISTMAS
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I keep CHRIST in CHRISTMAS
God Bless America
NRA Endowed
NJKCA #016
Flashoholic
Here is my Sale and TRADE stuff
http://picasaweb.google.com/tob9595/SaleAndTrade
- Ouchmychin
- Posts: 1595
- Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:03 pm
I used the Kaboom treatment on most of the brushes in my rotation once. No ill effects from that. It does get rid of the slight film that refused to rinse out with water alone. Then the bristles are like hair that has been washed too thoroughly and not conditioned -- sort of a wild hair day. I also tried using a conditioner that was designed to strengthen hair. I think they work with a water dispersion of fine wax droplets that melt in warm water and coat the hair strands. Couldn't tell any effect from that. My brushes all cost me less than 60 bucks each so I'm not really worried about them. The only one that is currently shedding hairs is my old original Burma Shave brush that has been shedding for over a year now. I still can use it in my rotation and I like the feel of the thing.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
Ouchmychin (Pete)