10 Best Tried and True Japanese Bottle Brushes in 2022 (Sanco, Aisen, and More)

Here are the results of each of our tests and a ranking of the top 13 Japanese bottle brushes to buy online!

Each products was given a rating from A+ to D and the ones that ranked the highest are our choices for best of the best!

And why they didn't. 

Sanco's Stainless Bottle Washer brush has unique fibers that do a decent job of cleaning. The brush has about the same radius as the handle so you'll need to use some force in order to wash the outside of your bottle. It's not easy to take care of considering, it dries out worse than a normal sponge. 

Mameita's Rotating Long Bottle Brush has a combination of brush and sponge that also does a decent enough job. The handle rotates easily, but we didn't feel like the brush was reaching the entirety of the bottle when we tested it. 

And since the brush and sponge areas are of different hardnesses, you'll need to exert a bit of power in order to get a good clean. 

LEC's Extendable Bottle Brush is square so it can clean the corners of the bottle, but since the sponge is too soft, you need to exert a bit of force to get it to clean properly. It comes with an extendable feature but the handle wobbles around causing a bit of stress. It also doesn't dry that well. 

Marna's Long Bottle Brush doesn't resemble a sponge-type brush at all but rather something made of a hard resin that just covers a handle. This cover is hard, so it's not suitable for cleaning anything round or with grooves. And since it has exceptional absorbing power, drying it to prevent mold could prove troublesome. 

Azuma's Thermos and Bottle Brush is great for cleaning plastic bottles with narrower openings but the low density of the bristles prevents it from cleaning all that well. The thin handle is difficult to grip and seems like it would snap if enough force were applied. 

Daiso's Rotating Bottle Brush has a large bottom end, making it difficult to clean the side of bottles. We didn't find any point to having it rotate and the handle is difficult to grasp, earning it a low rating in usability. 

We purchased the top 13 best-selling Japanese bottle brushes from Japanese websites like Amazon and Rakuten and put them to the test!

We tested each product for the following two criteria.

① Cleaning power

② Usability

First, we tested each brush for how well it cleaned bottles. For the test, we diluted some red paint in water to have it stain the inside of the bottles. 

We then checked to see how many up and down strokes of the brush it took to get the stain clean and whether or not the brush was able to reach and clean the bottom of the bottle. We then gave them a rating of A+ to D. 

In our examination, the sponge type brushes were the most practical. Some might want to use a brush with a little bit of a harder head but we found that the sponge type was the best not only to get rid of stains, but also to be used every day. 

Among the sponge type we tested, the ones whose handles went all the way down to the top of the head and whose head would widen out at the end tended to clean the bottles the best. These features assured that the brush would both reach and clean the bottom of the bottle well. 

Next, we tested the brushes to see how easy they were to use. 

We tested for how easy they were to maintain and dry after each use and whether or not they were designed to stay clean and sanitary. We then gave them a rating of A+ to D. 

Brushes with detachable and replaceable heads are great because of how sanitary they stay. However, some brushes with replaceable heads can sometimes be too difficult to take off or come off too easily, making them difficult to use. Bottle brush heads that take a lot of work to replace lose points in overall usability. 

We also saw that cheaper brushes had cheaper and flimsier handles. If you're the kind of person who likes using disposable products, this could be a good thing, but ones that break too easily are just not cost effective. 

Before deciding on a bottle brush, we would like you to consider the following 3 points.

Bottle brushes mainly come in bristle type and sponge type. Here are the merits and demerits of each. 

Bristle type bottle brushes are perfect for bottles whose mouths are around the same size as the bottle itself. 

Also, it'll make cleaning inside the bottle easier since you can do it in a few, if not a single, stroke. Good quality brushes like these last a long time so you won't have to continuously keep buying new ones. 

There are a number of different kinds of sponge type brushes. Some don't require dish detergent. Some are designed to fit inside bottles with smaller openings. Since they tend to be made of softer material than bristle type brushes, there's less of a chance of scratching your bottles. 

Although they are less durable than bristle type brushes, a lot of sponge type brushes have heads that can be replaced. Replacing only the head instead of the whole thing is much more economical. Plus, you'll always be using a new head, making cleaning more sanitary overall. 

Try and purchase a brush that matches the size of the bottles you tend to use. Take into account the length of your bottles as well as the diameter of the mouth openings. 

Shorter brushes won't be able to reach the bottom of the bottle, but ones that are too long will prove more difficult to use. So, check the length of your bottles beforehand and purchase a brush with an appropriate length. 

Today, we introduced some brushes capable of extending and contracting. We recommend those for people who own a number of bottles of different sizes. 

Choosing a brush with a head that easily fits inside your bottle is very important. It may seem like a good idea to purchase a brush capable of fitting inside smaller-mouthed bottles but if the sponge area is too small, you might have difficulty cleaning the entirety of the bottle on the inside. 

However, for bottles with smaller mouths that open up to a wider inside, we recommend purchasing a brush made with a softer, more versatile material. 

Make sure you purchase a bottle brush that's easy to use, since you'll be using it over and over. 

Longer bottle brushes can't really be stored in normal sponge racks. That's why we recommend brushes with open handles, capable of being hung on S-hooks. 

For those of you without any area to hang brushes such as the one we described above, you could also purchase one that comes with its own holder or stand. 

Surprisingly, the most troublesome part of washing bottles is rinsing them out after you're finished. It could prove quite difficult rinsing out larger bottles and also costly. In order to minimize effort in this area, try purchasing a brush that doesn't require you to use dish detergent. Brushes like these can get your bottles clean without it. 

However, a lot of brushes out there that don't require dish detergent come with hard, bristly heads, which could scratch the inside of your bottle. Make sure to check what material the brush is made of before purchasing. 

This time around, we examined brushes specifically for cleaning bottles, but if you're in the market for products to help you out around the home, why stop there? Check out these other articles!

Author: Nao Kondo/Translation: Andrew J. Tinkler/Photos: Taisei Hoshino, Koichi Miura

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