After soaking, swish your brush around in the water and check your work. Do the bristles look clean? If so, you’re ready to remove the brush and move on to the final step.
How to Clean Dirty Hair Brushes
Tai Massimilian is the Marketing and Creative Director at Texas’s premier luxury housekeeping company, Highland Park Housekeeping.
Updated on 10/24/22
Reviewed by
Katie Berry is a cleaning expert with 30 years of household management experience and 12 years of writing about cleaning methods and routines for Housewife How-Tos. She is the author of several books about homemaking.
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Many people don’t realize that their hairbrush can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other unwanted organisms. This is because our scalps are full of natural oils and sweat, which can transfer to our hairbrush—and then onto our hair. In addition, old hair can build up on the bristles of the brush, making it more challenging to clean and causing it to smell bad. For these reasons, it’s important to clean your hairbrush regularly.
Cleaning your hairbrush is relatively easy and requires minimal cleaning supplies. By taking the time to clean your hairbrush, you’ll help keep your hair healthy and free of buildup.
How Often Should You Clean Your Hairbrush?
Just like your toothbrush, your hairbrush can harness bacteria if it isn’t cleaned on a regular basis. Depending on how often you use it and what type of hairbrush it is, you may need to clean it anywhere from once a week to once a month.
If you have a natural bristle brush, be sure to wash it at least every few weeks. For synthetic bristles, you can give the brush a quick rinse after every use to be extra clean. If you use your brush daily, you may want to give it a deep cleaning once a week by soaking it in vinegar for 30 minutes. By keeping your hairbrush clean, you can help prevent scalp infections and keep your strands looking their best.
The 11 Best Dish Soaps of 2023
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
Cleaning Tools
- 1 sink or large bucket
Materials
Cleaning Supplies
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 bottle mild dish soap or shampoo
How Often Should I Clean My Kitchen Sponges and Scrubbing Brushes?
You should clean your sponges and scrubbing brushes at least once a week. This is the best way to keep them smelling fresh, avoid spreading germs and bacteria, and increase the cleaning tool’s lifespan.
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What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
- 1 large bucket/kitchen sink
Materials
- 1 bottle of dish soap
- 1 bottle of white vinegar
- 1 bottle of dishwashing detergent
How to Sanitize Sponges and Scrub Brushes
Try Using Dish Soap and Hot Water
This method is easy and likely won’t require purchasing anything new. Fill a large bucket or sink with hot water and a few drops of mild dish soap (just enough to get the water soapy and sudsy – you shouldn’t need very much!). Soak your sponges and brushes in the soapy water for at least an hour, preferably overnight if you can. Once they’re done soaking remove them from the water and set them on a surface to dry.
Or, Use Vinegar and Hot Water
Vinegar is another great DIY solution for cleaning and deodorizing everything from old sweaty gym socks to scrubbing brushes. Mix equal parts vinegar and water together in a bucket, bowl or your sink. Submerge your sponges and brushes and allow them to soak (for at least 5 minutes or overnight would be preferable). After soaking, remove the sponges and brushes and lay them out to dry. This is an especially great method if your sponges are starting to get that musty smell. Vinegar is a powerful deodorizer.
Utilize the Dishwasher
If your sponges were recently used on raw meat or another especially icky mess, using the dishwasher will help kill any residual germs and bacteria. Give the sponges a good squeeze to ring out any extra liquid, then load them on the top rack. The combination of the heat and the dishwasher detergent eliminates bacteria and odors. This method is easy enough to do nightly. Just get in the habit of tossing your sponges/scrubbers in the dishwasher whenever you’re about to run a load, and you’ll always have clean sponges on hand. Be careful before putting any plastic brushes in the dishwasher and make sure they are dishwasher safe first.
