We share the same chemistry with our trimmers that our ancestors did with their horses. Doesn’t draw a rational parallel, I know, but let’s exit the proverbial box for a bit. Years back, before motor engines were invented and the word ‘car’ meant a fancy bogey behind a horse cart, a man of style was considered one who owned a horse or two. The beast took him places and often landed him a good standing in the company he frequented. In short, the horse assured that he looked good and confident. Well, it doesn’t gallop but the trimmer does the same today - makes you look good and does wonders for your confidence with the end result. 

Thankfully, with modern technology, a trimmer doesn’t take as much effort in maintenance as a horse. Just a few ticks in the checklist and you’ve given it a nitrous boost to go on for days and days. Here are 5 points to consider in order to maintain your beard trimmer…

1. Why Clean Your Beard Trimmer At All?

It is a justified question, however disgusting, because men are always making efforts to achieve new heights of sluggishness. Besides the fact that it cuts a clout of hardened protein strands off your skin that are small enough to hide behind its multifold universe, there are two reasons that should be enough to convince you.

1. Cleaning your trimmer regularly increases the life of the blades and makes sure you don’t have to retire your trimmer prematurely.
   

2. Beards grow out of a ‘living’ surface of your body, which is often populated with bacteria also (heard of beard dandruff? thank you). Cleaning a trimmer after every use also means keeping it clean of all the living microorganisms from making it their new home and giving you infections and irritations in future. 

2. Can You Just Brush It Off?

Right after you’ve cut some whiskers with your trimmer, numerous trifling hair strands go into the crevices of the blades. That’s the reason you shake them off to get rid of the fluff. But the smaller the beard gets, the tinier the hair strands sticking to the trimmer blades and the harder it is to banish them with a mere jerk. This calls for a thorough cleaning once you’re done. 

How to do it: All trimmers come with a small cleaning brush that’s big enough to be hand held with small enough bristles to go into the blades and dust out those miniature strands. After you’re done trimming, just brush it thoroughly, closing the process with a clean paper wipe. Every once in a while, you might want to pop open the trimmer blades and check for any hair strands stuck in there. This will tremendously increase your trimmer’s longevity. 

3. Is Your Beard Trimmer Waterproof?

You can go the old school way if you have a waterproof trimmer and simply wash the blades with water after every use. This way all the teeny hair strands get flushed out without much effort, along with all other deposits that your beard may have been hosting before you chopped it off. (Just remember the insides of your window mesh when you finally decide to deep-clean the house, despite getting the surface dusted every day - big surprise, your beard becomes a scrap house if you don’t deep cleanse it frequently). However, don’t force wash it if the trimmer doesn’t claim to be waterproof, or it will be its first and last shower. 

4. Should I Oil My Beard Trimmer?

This comes from primitive wisdom of the human race that taught us the value of minimising friction to maximise productivity. Like all machines, the blades of your trimmer are in constant motion in a short physical space. Lubricating them with a lightweight oil will protect them from internal and surface defects and keep them working at the same rpm as when they were new.

How to do it: Always oil your trimmer AFTER use, so that it has time to absorb the oil and rest before the next use. Simply squeeze a couple of small oil drops into the edge of the trimmer blades and let it spread evenly. You can also use a brush to spread it on the cross section of the blades. Make sure that the trimmer is not ON at the time, lest it travel to places it’s not meant to be. Do it once every 3 months for maximum effect.

5. Can I Store My Trimmer In The Bathroom?

No. Period. You have to treat your trimmer as the electronic gadget it is and treat it with as much care. But it doesn’t mean you can’t even use it in the bathroom. Beard trimmers are resilient enough to overcome all weather conditions but when it comes to storing it, keep it away from a damp setting. Even after use, if you have washed it, let it dry, either on its own or by patting it with a tissue paper/cotton cloth. Storing it in your bedroom closet is the safest. (In case your trimmer comes with a docking charger, don’t keep a dripping trimmer on the dock. Your trimmer may be waterproof but its charger is not.)

IN SHORT…

Poor maintenance of your Beard Trimmer will mean it will age faster than usual and become less efficient in a short time. These are simple steps that can increase the life of your trimmer manyfold. So do yourself and your pocket a favour and consider these 5 points in order to maintain your trimmer.