Remember how Archie had rain rot about a month ago? Yeah. This total slacker horse owner has continued to use the same disgusting brushes on his now-non-infected coat. Because I'm good like that.
This past weekend, I devoted a small part of my super-busy plans to cleaning. Specially, his brushes and the turtle's tank, but no one wants to hear about how freaking feral Pokey has become. And big. And bitey.
So here are some bright photos of my cleaning process and my admittance to having multiple brushes for the same purpose. Hoarders unite.
Assemble all the dirty things in one spot, with Savannah supervising because you just can't go in the back yard without the girls:
This is what the box looks like after regular use: shit crammed into every nook and cranny:
Pulled everything out of the box and dumped out all the accumulated horse hair and dirt on the bottom. I'm still contemplating some additional drainage holes:
Close up of my collection, a Tough1 flexi brush, my mane puller, a "magic brush", my SleekEz, my Hesse brush that I got in Munich, a hoof pick, a face brush, a rubber curry, a mane and tail brush that I also got in Munich, a synthetic teal and white body brush, and a tiny face curry.
The majority of my brushes are synthetic and one is a horse hair composite. It's my personal goal to move to synthetic and wood grooming products. I don't think liquid dish soap would hurt horse hair, but it's going to be more stripping than like... shampoo. So if you love your "natural" brushes, maybe try something that isn't this strong. But, hello, degreaser!
OdoBan is something we used at my last vet clinic. It can be purchased in these gallon jugs at Sam's Club. The scent is pleasant, so long as you don't have any negative associations that make you start twitching and looking for dog poop. Just saying. But it's an antiseptic and I love antiseptics.
I just put a dollop of dish soap and a splash of OdoBan in a bucket and give just enough water to cover the brushes. I would ideally do this in my kitchen sink, where I have access to hot water, but I want to remain a happily married woman.
While the regular brushes soak, I take a soap pad to my metals. The pulling comb has a little bit of rust and calcium build up. The SleekEz has been to hell and back through rainrot sessions and is probably questioning its self-worth.
I didn't consider this until I started working with metal regularly, but water is the enemy of metal. It's super important to dry off those pieces that have metal and that you want to keep in functioning order.
All dried off, as evidenced by my wet thumb print.
This is still pretty gross looking, but I don't plan on pulling the Kid's mane anymore. #semiretiredponydontcare
I took all my brushes out of the bucket one-by-one and added extra soap to them and worked them to a nice lather. No photos of this because soap and cameras don't mix. Finally, I took all the last of the brushes out and then almost barfed at the remaining water. I acknowledge that horses live outside and love dirt, but that doesn't mean I like the idea of sticking my hands in it:
All the brushes, soaped up:
After soaping, I moved on to hosing the products off. I like to use brushes to clean brushes, so the little face curry got some action on the tinier spots. I'm lucky to have these random wooden seats in my backyard (thanks, 1970s designers), so I can put the brushes face down on an open surface. Even with the Georgia heat, these damn things take forever to dry.
Here's my special German dead animal brush, displaying my slats:
The face brush is too soft to sustain it's own wet weight, so I angle it and then flip it later:
I failed at getting a photo of this, but I have some inbetween-cleanings maintenance. I've got a tiny spray bottle full of wintergreen rubbing alcohol (a tip from Lauren for helmet funk). When I've finished brushing Archie, I'll spritz down the brush and leave it face up to air out. I don't soak it, I'm just trying to get the surface gunk off.
This post is part of a joined effort to make us a little less dirty, as hosted by Allie at Rocking E Cowgirl.
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18 comments
Maybe my husband doesn't realize it's not normal to wash horse brushes in the kitchen sink and run horse blankets through our washing machine? No one is allowed to tell him...
ReplyDeleteYay for some spring cleaning!
Haha yeah the trick is just to do it when they're not home, then act like it's totally natural. In this way, I have trained hubs that horse things do get washed in the washer and in fact that ALL horses have 6 bridles each. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't I tell my husband 6 bridles each?!
DeleteClean brushes are the best!
ReplyDeleteI just wait until the man is out of the house and then I do all the things that he might find offensive.
ReplyDeleteI feel like such a slacker now it's been way to long since my brushes have had a good cleaning.
Those SMBs though! I need to find that pattern in polo wraps!
ReplyDeleteLove it! I just got a SleekEz for my birthday last week. It sounds like yours has worked for you! I'm curious to try mine out on my mammoth-like geldings this week.
ReplyDeleteCome do mine please? Also, I need to go buy more green alcohol. I'm fresh out!
ReplyDeleteI use the non green isopropyl on everything. I have spray bottles of it in the trailer and at the barn. It's my go to. I just dump all of my non horse hair brushes in the dishwasher to clean them. I am way too lazy to scrub stuff.
ReplyDeleteI would DEFINITELY be getting divorce papers if I did that! I'm lucky if I get away with washing horse stuff in my washer!
DeleteI didn't even know wintergreen isopropyl existed!!
ReplyDeleteI've seen it at...gasp...Dollar Tree! holla!
DeleteI love minty alcohol. It's my fav. I like to use it like a liniment too.
ReplyDeleteI need to clean brushes... Thanks for the reminder!
Ha I'm such a slacker about cleaning my brushes too...
ReplyDeleteGeeze. It never even occurred to me to deep clean brushes like this. I always just brushed with another brush or curry and called it a day. My SleekEZ is definitely looking tired, so that at least will get a good cleaning now, and some of my old brushes might just get replaced...
ReplyDeleteThat Odoban comment though *shudder* SO MUCH PUPPY POOP
ReplyDeleteI need to clean my brushes too.... gah
ReplyDelete*ahem*
ReplyDeleteIs this a bad time to admit I've never cleaned my brushes *whistles*
Have to say I'm loving the above comment of dumping them in the dishwasher...what other perks could there be to owning my own place and not having anyone to answer too #singledomperksiguess
Thanks!