I always wash it with warm water, dish soap, Jojoba oil mixed together and let it air dry, bristles down on a paper towel or microfiber towel. The dawn dish soap and oil mix helps break up any body oil and helps hydrate the boar bristles to keep them softer. I try and wash it after each use or 3 times a week. Hair, lint and skin cells get trapped in easily. The less clean the brush is the more zits, hives and sores will appear. It also gets more stiff when not taken care of. The massage nubs are soft but firm. They wear down a little over the years.
All the brushes I gave away are used almost daily. I will go through times of daily use and then go a few weeks without use. My skin feels and looks a lot better when I use it at least a few times a week. My body feels a lot better when I use it daily. I really love using it on sore muscles when massage is too hard to deal with yet.
With new brushes I try and only use it wet on my face and neck as the bristles are too rough. Later on if I want to use on my face I will I use small gentle circles around my face skin and neck.
I have used lymph brushes with handles, no handles, and this brush with rope around the back for a handle. For most my body I prefer using this brush but getting my back is not as easy to use. I hold the brush in my hand with the rope around the back of my hand. It rarely goes flying out of my hand. If my hands are sore from working I can still use the brush without needing a firm grip when hands are sore. It feels so wonderful brushing my sore fingers and feet with it.
They are great as lymph brushing, used to exfoliate my skin and I have used it to stop ingrown hairs from forming.
I have used it on sore muscles after working out. I really think for me it was great for after workout. If you have any new scars I would stay away from them till properly healed.
The wood on the brush is smooth, none of the plastic has chipped on me. No mold, fungus or bugs have ever got in them. Never stained. I always let them dry out after washing and hung up to dry when I used in the shower. If the strap did get too loose, some times hot water on just the strap helped it to shrink back.