How to Clean a Lint Brush
As the owner of a Labrador Retriever who sheds constantly, lint brushes are an essential part of my wardrobe. If I don’t want to leave the house covered in dog hair, I have to do a quick pass over with a lint brush before I go. When you use a lint brush regularly, eventually, your lint brush will become due for a cleaning. Here’s how to clean a lint brush so your clothes (and furniture!) stay lint-free.
Types of Lint Removers
When it comes to removing lint from fabrics, you have options! The classic sticky lint roller might be the first tool that comes to mind, but there are sometimes better choices for the job. Here are three common lint removers that can be cleaned and reused over and over.
Clothes Brush
- Luxury Double-Sided Clothes Brush 10.5 Inch, filled with two strengths of natural bristle. The firm natural bristle side is suitable for removing mud or dirt from any fabrics, while the soft natural…
- Synthetic bristles are hard and they can scratch the fabric, the natural boar bristles clothe brush is the perfect tool to care for your delicate clothes it will “lift” fabric fibers to remove any…
- A good clothe brush will remove dirt and food accumulated on the outer layers of your clothes before they have a chance to settle into the fabric. These bits which will cause damage to your clothes…
A clothes brush is a bristled brush that removes dirt, hair, and lint from items like heavy wool coats, velvet, and blazers. When used with long sweeping motions along your clothing, the bristles on the clothes brush will pick up all unwanted detritus and brush it away. While a lint roller will remove particles from the surface of a garment, a clothes brush gets in deeper to remove set-in particles.
Lint Brush
- Double-sided angle head for easy use.
- Fibers clean easily for a “fresh” brush every time.
- Easily removes debris from clothes
Lint brushes are similar to clothes brushes, but instead of bristles, they utilize micro-fibers that cling to hair and lint. Lint brushes are usually flat and, like their rolling counterparts, are great at picking up surface lint, hair, and debris, but they won’t give you a deep clean like a clothes brush.
Lint Roller
- NO MORE HAIR EVERYWHERE-Take the ‘fur’ out of ‘furniture’!Not just for pets, removes human hair too!
- REUSABLE – This roller requires no adhesives or sticky tape, and can be used again and again.
- SIMPLE AND CONVENIENT-No batteries or plugs. Just roll your rollers back and forth along any surface.
Lint rollers can be used around the house in various ways, not just for clothing. They come in both disposable and reusable models. There’s no need to clean disposable lint rollers. Just expose a new sticky sheet when the last one stops working. Some reusable lint rollers like the one linked above combine the technology of a microfiber lint brush and a traditional lint roller to remove pet hair, lint, and other debris from fabrics around the home.
How to Clean a Clothes Brush
Keeping your clothes brush clean is an important part of maintaining its efficacy. You want to avoid brushing your favorite wool blazer with a dirty clothes brush! To keep yours clean, follow these simple steps.
Estimated Time to Completion: 5-10 minutes
What you’ll need
Step 1: Brush
Lay a piece of stiff paper (a great time to reuse a brown paper bag) against the edge of a hard surface like a table. Brush your clothes brush back and forth across the angled edge of the paper to loosen and remove debris from the bristles of your brush.
Step 2: Comb
Gently run a fine-toothed comb through the bristles of your clothes brush. The comb will pick up stray pieces of lint and hair stuck in the brush.
Step 3: Wash
Once all of the debris is removed, it’s time to wash your brush. Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and half a teaspoon of dish soap to a large bowl filled with warm water. Swish the bristles through the solution, careful not to submerge the wooden handle. Rinse clean and set it out to dry completely before using it again.
BONUS TIPS
- Tweezers: If stubborn pieces of lint are in your brush, use tweezers to pluck them out.
- Mineral Oil: Once a year or so, rub mineral oil into the wood surface of the wood handle on your clothes brush to keep it looking brand new.
- Hang: Instead of shoving your clothes brush in your junk drawer, hang it up to keep the bristles in good shape. You can do this by hanging it inside a lint-free canvas bag, or if the brush handle has a hole, you can tie a loop through it and then hang it from a hook in your closet.
How to Clean a Lint Brush
Lint brushes can be tricky to clean because the fibers are so fine. If debris gets trapped, it tends to want to stay there. With natural regular use of the lint brush, the lint will eventually dislodge, but there are a few methods to clean stubborn lint from your lint brush.
Estimated Time to Completion: 5 minutes
What you’ll need
Step 1: Brush
Like a clothes brush, a lint brush can be cleaned on a piece of stiff paper (like a brown paper bag) folded over the edge of a countertop or table. Place a piece of paper on the edge of a hard surface like a table and rub the brush quickly back and forth to dislodge debris.
Step 2: Vacuum
If stubborn hair and debris get trapped in your brush bristles, use a nozzle or detail attachment vacuum cleaner to loosen any remaining residue.
BONUS TIP
- Tape: Tap the sticky side of a piece of tape on a dirty lint brush (packing tape works exceptionally well). The tape will help lift debris without damaging the brush fibers.
How to Clean a Reusable Lint Roller
Reusable lint rollers are manufactured in different forms using different materials. One design feature most have in common is the ability to trap lint in a central canister that can be emptied after regular use and cleaned with soap and water.
Estimated Time to Completion: 10 minutes
What you’ll need
Step 1: Use Soap and Water
Fill a bowl or sink with dish soap and warm water. Submerge the lint roller and, if needed, scrub with a lint-free cloth.
Step 2: Let Dry
Rinse clean, then let the roller air dry completely.
How to Use a Lint Brush Correctly
To use a lint brush properly, you will want to brush it against the grain of your fabric. Move the lint brush over your clothes in long sweeping motions. Avoid using a short scrubbing motion as it will not trap the lint in the brush properly and could potentially damage your fabric.
FAQs
If you use your lint brush regularly, then it’s a good idea to clean it at least once a month. A good rule of thumb is to clean your lint brush whenever the bristles have visible build-up.
You should replace your lint brush when the bristles show signs of damage or when it’s no longer removing lint successfully.
