Clothing brushes

[gorgekko]

Hello there gents.

I just acquired a set of clothing brushes from about the 1930s. I bought them more for the sake of owning them but I was wondering if it was a good idea to actually use them. Are they too rough, however, for use on suits and jackets?

 

[stache]

A lot of it would depend on how hard you brush.

 

[Horace]

Hello there gents.

I just acquired a set of clothing brushes from about the 1930s. I bought them more for the sake of owning them but I was wondering if it was a good idea to actually use them. Are they too rough, however, for use on suits and jackets?

I bet they're designed for clothing that was weighter?

 

[dah328]

I have a double-sided clothes brush from Kent with stiffer bristles on one side. I used the softer side on my clothes unless I run across a stubborn spot in which case a brush or two with the stiffer side usually takes care of it. I've noticed no unusual wear in the year+ that I've been using it and it's gotta' be better than more frequent dry cleanings.

dan

 

[Fabienne]

I have a double-sided clothes brush from Kent with stiffer bristles on one side.  I used the softer side on my clothes unless I run across a stubborn spot in which case a brush or two with the stiffer side usually takes care of it.  I've noticed no unusual wear in the year+ that I've been using it and it's gotta' be better than more frequent dry cleanings.

dan

My mother has an extensive battery of clothes brushes she uses on coats, jackets, pants. Something tells me it may be more common practice in Europe than in the US, for example.

 

[jerrysfriend]

[quote
My mother has an extensive battery of clothes brushes she uses on coats, jackets, pants.  Something tells me it may be more common practice in Europe than in the US, for example. quote]

Europeans are big on brushing and airing clothes. They smoke more over there and I am sure this helps to remove odors. However, spot cleaning plus regular brushing and airing (bright sunlight kills moth eggs) is a good alternative to dry-cleaning to prevent moth damage. Drycleaning is much harder on clothing than is regular brushing.

 

[gorgekko]

Hello there gents.
I bet they're designed for clothing that was weighter?

Exactly my concern. I know suits, coats and pants tended to be heavier back then so I was worried that I might damage present day clothes if I used the brushes on them. For obvious reasons I didn't want to experiment.

 

[stache]

You could get something at thrift to see what happens.

 

[j]

I know that the bristles on my handheld steamer are too stiff for soft cashmere, but excellent for my pea coats, while my other brush works well for most things, but has no effect on the pea coat fabric. Just as there are varying degrees of brushes for painting, or auto detailing, so should there be for clothing.

 

[montecristo#4]

You need softer bristles for cashmere. I two brushes from Kent -- one for normal worsteds, and one for my cashmere jackets.