How to Clean a Slicker Brush, Undercoat Rake and Comb
Clear the hair after every session, and give the tool a proper wet clean every few weeks or any time it's been used on a damp coat. Warm water, a drop of mild dish soap, an old toothbrush along the base of the pins, rinse, then dry it pins-down so water runs out instead of sitting in the plate. What you should not do is leave a steel-toothed tool wet in a drawer — stainless resists corrosion, it isn't immune to it.
The hair is the easy part. The greasy film at the base of the pins is the part everyone skips, and it's the reason a brush stops gliding.
Why a dirty brush stops working
Two things build up, and they behave differently.
Hair packs into the space between the pin plate and the coat side, and once that layer is dense, the pins are effectively shorter. A slicker that reached the undercoat last month now skates over the top of it. This is why the tool "stopped working" — nothing broke; it's just full.
Skin oil and dander form a thin film on the pins themselves. You can feel it: a clean steel pin squeaks slightly against a fingernail, a dirty one drags. That film is what makes a brush pull at the coat rather than slide through it, and it's the one water alone doesn't shift.
If your brush has been used on a wet or just-bathed dog, add a third problem: wet hair mats. AKC makes the point in the context of bedding — mixing dog hair with water causes clumping — and the same physics applies inside a pin plate. A rake used during a bath needs cleaning that day, not next week.
The tools, and what each one tolerates
| Tool | Materials | Clear hair by | Rinse under water? | Dry it how | Wet-clean how often |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-cleaning slicker, 220 pins on a 4 x 2.6 in (10 x 6.5 cm) plate | Stainless pins, ABS shell, TPR grip | One press of the release button | Head yes, briefly; don't submerge the button mechanism | Pins-down, air dry fully | Every few weeks |
| Standard slicker (no release) | Steel pins, plastic or wood back | Comb or fingers along the pin base | Only if the back is plastic | Pins-down | Every few weeks |
| Undercoat rake, 9-tooth and 17-tooth sides, 2.8 in (7 cm) head | Stainless teeth, PP head, TPR handle | Pull hair off the teeth by hand | Yes — it's built for bath use | Wipe dry, then air dry | After any wet use |
| Deshedding blade with a wooden handle | Stainless blade, wood grip | Wipe along the blade | Blade only — keep wood out of standing water | Wipe immediately, air dry | Wipe after each use |
| Metal comb | Solid stainless | Lift the hair off with fingers | Yes, fully | Towel dry | Whenever it's dirty |
| Pin brush with a cushion base | Pins set in rubber cushion | Comb along the base | No — water gets under the cushion | Surface wipe only | Surface only |
Source: material and dimension specifications for Fido Fave GT042 and GT024; self-cleaning pin mechanism per AKC, "Dog Brushes: How to Choose the Right Dog Brush."
A self-cleaning slicker's 220 pins clear in one press; a 17-tooth rake side needs a comb drawn along its base.
Step by step
1. Clear the hair, dry. On a self-cleaning slicker this is the easy case. As AKC describes the design: "Some types of brushes, particularly slicker brushes, have a self-cleaning function. This consists of pins that retract at the press of a button, so you can easily remove hair and dirt." Hold it over a bin, press, and the pin plate withdraws into the shell so the collected fur lifts off in one piece — which is exactly how our self-cleaning slicker works: 220 rounded stainless pins standing 0.5 in (1.3 cm) proud of a 4 x 2.6 in (10 x 6.5 cm) plate, released by button rather than by picking.
Without a release button, draw a metal comb through the pins parallel to the plate, from one edge to the other. On a rake, the hair usually comes off the teeth in a sheet if you pull from one end.
2. Get the base. This is the step that matters. Run a comb tine or an old toothbrush along the very bottom of the pins, where they meet the plate, and work from side to side. That's where the compacted layer lives.
3. Wet-clean. Warm water, one drop of mild dish soap. Dip the working head only. Scrub the pins with the toothbrush, the same direction they point. For a double-sided rake like ours — nine wide teeth on one face for mats, seventeen closer-set teeth on the other for loose undercoat — do each face separately; the 17-tooth side holds more residue because it's doing more of the deshedding work.
4. Rinse and dry properly. Rinse under a running tap, shake the head hard over the sink, blot on a towel, then stand or hang it pins-down to air dry. Water pools in the recess of a pin plate if you leave it face-up, and that pooled water is what eventually stains steel and softens a plastic shell's seam. Give it a few hours before it goes back in a drawer.
5. Don't soak, ever. No brush needs submerging. A slicker's release mechanism, a rake's handle joint and any wooden grip all have places for water to get in and nowhere for it to get out.
What actually rusts, and what doesn't
Stainless steel pins and teeth are the corrosion-resistant part. "Resistant" is the honest word — stainless can still spot if it's kept wet, particularly in the crevice where a pin enters a plastic plate, which is the classic trap because it stays damp long after the visible surfaces look dry.
The parts that fail first usually aren't steel at all. ABS and PP shells go brittle with repeated hot water. TPR grips get slick if detergent is left on them. Wooden handles are the least forgiving of all — a wood-handled deshedding blade should have the blade wiped and the wood kept out of standing water entirely, because wet wood swells, then shrinks, and the join loosens.
So: warm, not hot. Brief, not soaked. Dried, not drip-dried.
How often, honestly
Clear the hair after every session — it takes three seconds and it's the difference between a tool that keeps its working depth and one that doesn't.
Wet-clean every few weeks under normal use. During a heavy shed, more often, because the volume of undercoat coming off compacts the base faster; AKC notes that dogs shedding heavily "may need brushing several times a week or even daily during peak shedding periods," and the tool has to keep up with that. AKC's general brushing guidance — every other day, even for short-haired breeds — is a reasonable baseline for how often the tool is in use at all.
And after any bath or wet grooming session, clean and dry it that day.
If a tool is genuinely past saving rather than just dirty, the current range is in dog brushes and deshedding tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I put a grooming brush in the dishwasher?
A: No. The combination of high heat and a long soak is bad for plastic shells, adhesives and any wooden part, and it does nothing a toothbrush and warm water won't do better in two minutes.
Q: Should I disinfect the brush between dogs?
A: If you're grooming more than one animal and there's any skin issue in the house, clean the tool between dogs and ask your vet what disinfectant is appropriate — skin conditions are a veterinary question, not a housekeeping one. For a single healthy dog, soap and water and proper drying is the routine.
Q: There's a hard grey crust at the base of the pins. What is that?
A: Compacted dander mixed with skin oil, pressed in by months of brushing. Soak the working head briefly in warm soapy water — a couple of minutes, not overnight — then work along the pin base with a toothbrush. It usually breaks up in one go.
Q: My rake's teeth feel rough on the coat now. Is it worn out?
A: Check it clean and dry first; residue at the tooth base is by far the more common cause. If the teeth themselves are genuinely nicked or bent, replace the tool rather than keep using it — a deformed tooth drags on the coat rather than passing through it.
Sources
- American Kennel Club — Dog Brushes: How to Choose the Right Dog Brush for Your Pet (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/types-dog-brushes-shedding/)
- American Kennel Club — Dog Grooming at Home: The Dos and Don'ts of Proper Hygiene (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/dog-grooming-at-home/)
- American Kennel Club — Dog Shedding: When Dogs Shed Most and How to Manage It (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/managing-dog-shedding/)
- American Kennel Club — How to Clean Your Dog's Bed and Why It's Important (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/home-living/how-to-clean-a-dog-bed/)