Brush Cleaning - Step by step

I am about to do another shoot with Tooth and Claw Productions, and so needed to give my brushes a good deep clean before using them over the weekend. 

This photo is of just a few of my favourites. 

You will need:

- Olive Oil.

- Detergent. Try to opt for one that isn't too harsh, and is made of fairly natural ingredients. Today I used the Green Action Peppermint Dishwashing Liquid, whic is phosphate free and smells divine. 

- Warm water

- Paper towels. Choose a softer super absorbent towel. I only had cheap crunchy ones today, and the result was that I had to use more to make it work. 

- One large plate or a few small ones. 

1. I always begin by setting up my area. Brush cleaning can take a little while, so I tend to put on a youtube video (I love the Essie Button Vlogs) and clean off my table. 

In three separate bowls, I add a small amount of Olive Oil, Detergent and warm water. 

I line the bowls up in the order that I have listed them, and place my plate with two paper towels layered on it after the water. 

2. Now that the space is set up, I begin.

First, dip your brush in the olive oil. I like to swirl it around on the side of the bowl, it keeps your hands clean. Once I have done this I lightly wipe the brush on a spare piece of paper towel and then clean the swirled edge of the bowl with the same towel. 

3. Next, swirl your brush in the detergent in much the same way as you did with the olive oil. Repeat the steps with the paper towel and move onto step four. 

4. Lastly, swish your brush around in the warm water. I find that you will need to change the water in the bowl fairly often throughout the cleaning process. If you like, you can run the brush under warm water instead. Try not to use hot water as it can melt the glue in the shaft of the brush and you'll find that the brushes will begin to lose hairs. Place the brush on the plate with the paper towels to dry.

Tip: Try to dry your brushes tilting or hanging down. I don't have a way to hang my brushes without crushing the bristles, so I lay them down using the lip of the plate to tilt the bristles down. If the brushes are dried flat or with the bristles up, the glue may become unsettled and the brushes just wont last as long.

I try to clean my brushes before and after each shoot, and do a basic clean of my most used brushes once a week. If you'd like to know how I do a basic clean, let me know and I'll do a post.