Brush out the loose hair after every use, and rinse the blade only if the maker states it is washable — exactly one trimmer here does, and six Braun products state a waterproof body instead.
The brush supplied in the box is not decoration. Hair packs behind the teeth and stops the blade sitting properly, which shows up as pulling rather than as dirt.
Beyond brushing, what is permitted depends on the listing, and the two phrasings here are not interchangeable. The Remington MB5000 states removable washable blades — the blade comes off and goes under the tap, and it is the only trimmer on this site that says so. Braun states 100% waterproof on six of its eight products, which is a statement about the body rather than about taking the blade off. Where a listing mentions neither, it has promised nothing, and the manual answers it.
For a tool that has run for months, a blade cleaner dissolves the sebum and hair paste that a rinse does not shift. On this site that is the Oster Blade Wash at $16 or the Andis five-in-one aerosol at $13, whose nozzle clears the teeth without taking the blade off. It is used before oiling on machines that require oil, and instead of nothing on machines that do not — see oil, clean or replace.
Dry fully before reassembling. Water trapped behind a blade is what corrodes it.
Prices quoted in this text were read on August 22, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
Last reviewed August 22, 2026