How to Clean Chinese Brushes Thoroughly and Dry Them Faster

Many calligraphy enthusiasts have messaged me privately asking how to clean Chinese brushes thoroughly, especially the root area. Some also want to know how to clean Chinese brushes thoroughly and dry them faster. Since I have some experience with brush cleaning and maintenance, I took several photos of my usual brush cleaning process with my phone to share with you. I hope this helps.

The Right Way to Rinse Under Running Water

If you don’t have a brush washer, rinse the brush directly under the faucet while rotating it. Don’t hold the brush still and rinse it in just one direction – this will cause the bristles to separate into strands, resulting in a badly split brush.

Rotating while rinsing is key to cleaning Chinese brushes thoroughly. This method also prevents the brush from splitting.

Although I mentioned this in my previous article “How Does Professor Huang Jian Clean Chinese Brushes?“, Qi Ming wants to emphasize this again: don’t wash your brushes in the bathroom sink. The sink surface easily retains ink stains. It’s better to rinse them under the kitchen faucet. (Raise your hand if you’ve been scolded for washing brushes in the bathroom sink!)

The Palm Pressure Technique for Thorough Cleaning

More importantly, cup your other hand into a small hollow shape and press the brush root against your palm. This technique is essential for cleaning Chinese brushes thoroughly, as it helps squeeze out the ink from the brush root.

Using Paper Towels to Absorb Moisture and Speed Up Drying

Use a dry paper towel to absorb the ink from the brush head’s root area. You can press down gently but firmly, flattening the entire brush head against the paper towel. You still need to rotate as you press – press once, then rotate the brush handle to let all sides of the brush root fully contact the paper towel.

This step is crucial for drying Chinese brushes faster, as it removes excess moisture and ink from the root area.

Continue rotating the Chinese brush to ensure all sides fully contact the paper towel. This method helps clean Chinese brushes thoroughly while also speeding up the drying process.

Don’t Worry About “Frayed” Bristles

Then hold the brush and tap it several times against the tiger’s mouth area (the webbing between thumb and index finger) of your other hand to let the bristles spread out fully.

Many beginners panic when they see the bristles don’t clump together after cleaning and rush to ask why their brush has “frayed.” The truth is, new brushes have a glue coating that holds the bristles together. After breaking in the brush and washing away this glue, the bristles naturally won’t clump together like before. Don’t worry – they’ll clump together again once you dip them in ink or water.

Proper Drying and Storage

Hang the brush on a brush rack to dry. A brush rack is actually very practical for drying Chinese brushes faster – first, it can store idle brushes, and second, it allows air to circulate around wet brushes, helping them dry more efficiently.

Preparing the Brush for Next Use

When using the brush again, don’t rush to dip it directly in ink. First, dip it in water to moisten the brush and let it get fully wet. Only when fully moistened will the cuticles on the bristles open completely, allowing the brush to hold ink better.

Since a freshly wetted brush contains a lot of water, dipping it directly in ink might cause ink bleeding due to excess moisture. So first use a paper towel to absorb the visible water by wiping along the direction of the bristles, then dip it in ink.

The first few characters you write might still bleed, even on non-absorbent paper. Don’t worry – after writing several more characters and dipping in ink a few more times, once the ratio of ink to water in the brush head reaches a relatively appropriate level, the bleeding issue will improve.

Conclusion

That’s everything you need to know about how to clean Chinese brushes thoroughly and dry them faster. If you find this helpful, please feel free to share it with more friends who love Chinese calligraphy!

If you want to systematically learn Chinese calligraphy, Qi Ming recommends checking out Huang Jian’s beginner calligraphy tutorial series – you’ll definitely benefit greatly from it.