The stank, the whole stank and nothing but the stanky

Trust me guys, 50-50 water vinegar will do the trick in short order.

My ex-wife is a professional dog trainer. In addition to our six pets, the house always had four legged guests, many of whom weren't house broken. Nothing worked until we found vinegar.

For those living where it gets hot, if you notice an odor when you walk in the door during hot season, the suspect may well stank coming up through the drain. The P Trap is supposed to stop that, but doesn't always. Baking soda is the answer to that - just put some down the drain.

I agree with Hobbyist about the Thater brushes-they come right out of the box with no smell. I recently got a brush from Simpsons, and it too had absolutely no odor.

Still, when getting a new brush, I'll wash and soak it in Dawn for the antibacterial properties, then a bath and soak in distilled white vinegar (probably more like a 20% solution), then a shampoo with Johnson's Baby Shampoo, a soak in that as well, and then drying down. The brushes come out soft, clean, and smelling great.

Would you gentlemen prefer a brush to have no smell whatsoever when you open it new from the manufacturer?

Trust me guys, 50-50 water vinegar will do the trick in short order.

My ex-wife is a professional dog trainer.  In addition to our six pets, the house always had four legged guests, many of whom weren't house broken.  Nothing worked until we found vinegar.

For those living where it gets hot, if you notice an odor when you walk in the door during hot season, the suspect may well stank coming up through the drain.  The P Trap is supposed to stop that, but doesn't always.  Baking soda is the answer to that - just put some down the drain.

I have already wasted 48 oz of good tomato juice on that pony's p'toot.
I am reluctant to endanger the only suitable condiment for fish and chips.

A little baking soda dumped down a drain followed by some vinegar will clean out any drain.
And it will be fun to watch the fizz as well.

Mickey

Still, when getting a new brush, I'll wash and soak it in Dawn for the antibacterial properties, then a bath and soak in distilled white vinegar (probably more like a 20% solution), then a shampoo with Johnson's Baby Shampoo, a soak in that as well, and then drying down. The brushes come out soft, clean, and smelling great.

I notice that you use more water and less vinegar. What is your reasoning there? I tried a weaker solution and it didn't work. I also had concern about damaging the hair, though I got an email from one of the vendors the other day saying to use the 50-50 solution to remove soap build up.

Also, I like your idea of using the anti bacterial soap. Keep in mind that there are also viruses. I say this realizing that I haven't done anything to get rid of germs on my natural hair brushes.

Would you gentlemen prefer a brush to have no smell whatsoever when you open it new from the manufacturer?

You, good sir, have clearly never purchased a horse hair brush that had the stank. I would say it's kind of like a woman, I want her to have some scent, though too much is too much.

Trust me guys, 50-50 water vinegar will do the trick in short order.

My ex-wife is a professional dog trainer.  In addition to our six pets, the house always had four legged guests, many of whom weren't house broken.  Nothing worked until we found vinegar.

For those living where it gets hot, if you notice an odor when you walk in the door during hot season, the suspect may well stank coming up through the drain.  The P Trap is supposed to stop that, but doesn't always.  Baking soda is the answer to that - just put some down the drain.

I have already wasted 48 oz of good tomato juice on that pony's p'toot.
I am reluctant to endanger the only suitable condiment for fish and chips.

Mickey

Can't say I disagree.

I notice that you use more water and less vinegar. What is your reasoning there? I tried a weaker solution and it didn't work. I also had concern about damaging the hair, though I got an email from one of the vendors the other day saying to use the 50-50 solution to remove soap build up.

Also, I like your idea of using the anti bacterial soap. Keep in mind that there are also viruses. I say this realizing that I haven't done anything to get rid of germs on my natural hair brushes.

On the percentage of vinegar to water (1 to 4), it's something that was suggested to me by a shaving mentor, and I've seen this ratio mentioned in several places (I just read it again, for example, on the Fendrihan blog), and that's what I usually use. I found that when I used more vinegar, the smell of the vinegar would linger, even after shampooing. I should have specified that I was talking about new brushes.

Now, if I get an old vintage brush, yes, I would use a 50/50 solution. This helps with the soap buildup, and I think vinegar is mildly antimicrobial. Between the Dawn and the vinegar, most of the tiny beasties are goners.

As far as viruses are concerned, I honestly don't worry too much about it. One thing I will do with a used brush is to wait a week to use it after it has been cleaned with the detergent, vinegar, and shampoo. I'm certainly no expert, but I don't think there's a virus that can live out of the body in the air for a week.

Would you gentlemen prefer a brush to have no smell whatsoever when you open it new from the manufacturer?

A very definite YES!

Mickey