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I got this brush looking thing with my new mouthpiece. Didn't know what it was for but my 5 year old daughter figured it out.

Ha!

Seems like a great idea to me!

It may sound silly, but I've heard it from more than one very successful player: "A clean horn is a happy horn." Goes for the mouthpiece too. I keep a brush, rag and liquid cleaner on my studio cart. I always liked the feel of a new mouthpiece and the way there seems to be a 'honeymoon' period for it. (A time when you feel it is the best mp you ever played.) Aside from dings and nicks, the mp really doesn't change physically, but tarnish can change the surface feel on the rim, and corrosion build up inside changes the aerodynamics. Keeping it clean and shiny I find has a definite effect and helps continue the 'honeymoon.' Obviously, oral hygiene and using a mouth rinse before playing also improves the horn's hygiene. Also, a regular cleaning of the horn's interior can make a serious difference. (Some older horns look as though they are lined with velvet.) Crud also creeps from the mp through the lead pipe and collects in the valves. On newer horns where the tolerance is only 1 or 2 thousands of an inch, film from food, or even a bit of mineral buildup can have serious effect on the valves moving freely or having that occasion sticking. I try to avoid anything entering the instrument and continually keep cleaning the moving parts at least weekly. When I was much younger I asked a repair technician if a chem clean would improve the sound of my horn. He said "I can not guarantee that it would play better, but it would play differently."