If you own clippers, it doesn’t matter if you’re a dog groomer, barber, or occasionally trimming your kids’ hair at home, you need to keep your clippers clean.
The good news is that cleaning your clippers is a relatively straightforward process. There are many ways of sanitizing these tools that allow you to keep using them safely.
We’ll cover some of the best ways of cleaning your clippers in this article. All of the solutions below can be used for clipper blade guards and blades. Examples include using a brush, vinegar, and compressed air.
Do bear in mind that you will use a screwdriver to take the blades off of the clipper if you plan on soaking them in cleaning liquids.
If you are only wiping the clippers clean, you won’t need to remove the blades, as long as the body doesn’t become wet.
How To Clean Clippers
Here are some of the best methods that can be used to clean your clippers.
Brush The Blades
You can use a brush to remove the hairs from your clipper blades. Try to find a clean, stiff brush for this purpose. Many clipper sets contain a cleaning brush, so use yours if you have it.
If you don’t have one, you can use any type of clean brush you have in your home. To clean the blades, rub the brush’s bristles against each side of the blades, removing the hairs as you do so.
If you can’t find a brush, a clean toothbrush is a good substitute. If you use clippers regularly, consider purchasing specially made micro brushes from barber supply shops.
Water And Soap
Soapy water works wonders at removing light dirt from your clipper blades.
Simply add a drop of dish soap to the clipper blade, then rinse with warm water. Carefully use your fingers or a cloth to clean the blade, or use a brush to work the soap into the blades.
Barbicide
Hair professionals will probably have a bottle of Barbicide somewhere in their homes. Barbicide is like the industry standard for sanitizing hair tools. You can spot Barbicide from its noticeable light blue hue.
You can clean and sanitize your clipper blades by mixing 16 ounces of water with an ounce of Barbicide. Remove the blades from your clippers, then let them soak in the solution for ten minutes.
After you’re finished, rinse the blades with clean water. Your blades will have been sanitized and ready for use once more.
Clipper Cooling Spray
If you want to clean your clipper blades quickly, you can spray and wipe your blades with clipper spray. These are products that cool the blades that have become hot after extended use.
They also work to sanitize and lightly clean the blades.
Simply turn your clippers on, position the product a couple of inches away, then spritz the blades with a light layer. Leave the blades to work for several seconds, then switch the device off.
Carefully wipe the spray off with a clean cloth.
Bear in mind that clipper spray won’t be able to deep clean your blades, but it can work well if you need to clean them quickly. For instance, if you are a barber and need to tend to several clients in a day.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Alcohol is known for its cleaning properties. Remove your blades from the clipper, then soak them in a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution. Leave them in the mixture for a minute or two.
After the time is up, remove the blades carefully then clean them with running water. This will remove any leftover alcohol or remaining hairs.
If you prefer, you can also add some alcohol to a cup, switch your clippers on, and submerge the edge of the blades in the liquid.
This will make the hairs fall into the alcohol, which is a quick method if you need clean clippers fast.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is often seen in DIY household cleaning recipes. You can use this ingredient to disinfect and clean your clippers.
Simply pour a little distilled white vinegar into a bowl. Remove your blades from the clippers, then soak them in the solution for around half a minute.
Once you’re done, take the blades out, then rinse with clean water. Dry the blades carefully with a paper towel to finish.
Make sure that you rinse the blades thoroughly with water to remove any lingering vinegar smells.
All Purpose Clipper Cleaners
All-purpose cleaners are great multipurpose items that can sanitize many different items.
You can purchase professional clipper cleaning products that can clean, disinfect, and sanitize your clipper blades in one application.
These are readily available in stores or online. These may have different appearances, but they all carry out the same purpose.
To use all-purpose clipper cleaners, simply pour the liquid into a bowl and soak the blades in the solution. After a few minutes, rinse the blade with water to remove any residual product.
You can also choose to spray the blades with a light layer of the product, then wipe it clean with a clean cloth.
Bleach
Bleach works very well at disinfecting clippers, but be very careful when using these products. Always use gloves and keep the bleach well away from any other cleaning products, like vinegar or ammonia products.
Fill a bowl with 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of bleach. Place your clipper blades in the bleach solution for a minimum of ten minutes.
Once the time is up, carefully remove the blades and wash them thoroughly with cool, running water.
Use a clean cloth to dry the blades, making sure that they are completely dry before you use them next.
Canned Compressed Air
If you have disinfected your clipper blades recently, but find that dust is building up on them, use compressed air to remove it.
Take a can of compressed air and position your clipper blades over a trash bin. Spray the canned air in quick bursts, targeting any hairs or dust on the blades. The air will blow the debris away.
This solution works well if you are in the middle of using your clippers, but cannot clean them yet.
The Bottom Line
No matter what you are using your clippers for, it’s important to make sure that the blades are clean and sanitized. You can clean your clippers with many methods, including soapy water, bleach, and Barbicide.
Always remember to remove the blades from the clipper body before soaking them. If you are using potent methods, like bleach or Barbicide, remember to thoroughly wash the product off of the blades before you use them next.
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