You can use a clean toothbrush if that’s all you’ve got on hand. There are specialty micro-brushes that you can buy from barber and stylist suppliers. Those are really great if you want the best available!

Any kind of regular dish soap should work for this.

There are generic versions of Barbicide you can buy if you want something a little cheaper. In the hairstyling industry, Barbicide is the general term for any of these products (kind of like “Kleenex” for “tissue”).

This is not a super great replacement for a thorough deep cleaning, but if you’ve got multiple clients lined up back-to-back, this will get the job done if you’re in a rush. Clipper spray is a general term for any cleaning and cooling product designed for your clippers. They clean excess hair and oil off of the blade, in addition to helping heat dissipate.

You can even pour some alcohol into a cap, turn the clippers on and drop the tip of the blades into the alcohol. The hair will slide off immediately into the liquid.

You can also run the clipper in a shallow bowl of vinegar to remove any hair sticking to your blades.

Clipper cooling spray refers to the spray products you use to quickly clean blades and remove heat in between haircuts. [12] X Expert Source Angela JusticeMaster Hair Stylist Expert Interview. 5 November 2021. This will protect your clippers and keep the friction from damaging the motor over time. It will also minimize the odds that you snag a client’s hair or scratch their skin. Do not skip this step!

This is a good way to go if your clippers start acting up a bit when you’re in the middle of a cut.