Synthetic paintbrushes can be used with any paint really, but they are best known for use with either latex, acrylics, or water-based paint varieties. These paintbrushes have high absorption capabilities and provide a smoother finish with fewer brush strokes. Synthetic brushes are more cost-effective and they work well no matter your level of expertise.
How To Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes – Best Acrylic Brush Cleaner
Every painter or artist knows the worst thing about cleaning up after painting is cleaning your paintbrushes. When using acrylic paint cleaning up can be very difficult as it dries so hard and just using water will not be sufficient in removing everything when cleaning acrylic paint brushes. Luckily for you, we are going to walk through some easy methods and tips so that you become an expert on how to clean acrylic paint brushes.
Table of Contents
- 1 Cleaning Acrylic Paint Brushes
- 1.1 Paintbrush Type
- 1.2 How to Pick Your Paintbrushes
- 2.1 Storing Your Brushes
- 2.2 Trimming and Conditioning Your Bristles
- 2.3 Washing Your Paintbrushes
- 2.4 Use Water While Painting
- 2.5 Check Your Brushes
- 2.6 Do Not Soak Paintbrushes
- 2.7 Only Dip the Tip
- 3.1 Cleaning Acrylic Brushes with Soap and Water
- 3.2 Rubbing Alcohol to Clean Dried Acrylic Brushes
- 3.3 Cleaning Acrylic Brushes with Hand Sanitizing Gel
- 3.4 How to Clean Dried Acrylic Paint Off Brushes Using a Comb
- 4.1 Best Acrylic Brush Cleaner Set: PAINT PUCK Paint Brush Cleaner Set
- 4.2 Brush Cleaner and Restorer: WINSOR & NEWTON Brush Cleaner and Restorer
- 4.3 Cleaning Dried Acrylic Paint: GENERAL PENCIL B&J The Masters Brush Cleaner
- 5.1 How To Clean Dried Acrylic Paint Brushes
- 5.2 What is The Best Acrylic Brush Cleaner?
- 5.3 What Paintbrushes Work Best With Acrylics?
Cleaning Acrylic Paint Brushes
When it comes to cleaning your paintbrushes, there are some helpful things to remember. the methods you choose will be based on your paintbrush type and paint medium. Below we are going to take a closer look at the paintbrushes we would use for acrylic paints and how to clean them.
Paintbrush Type
Paintbrushes come in different materials and bristles types. For instance, there are bristles specific to oil painting, watercolor painting, and of course acrylic painting. The two options of bristles are either natural hair or synthetic paintbrushes. Natural hair paintbrushes are made usually using hog, badger, or weasel hair. This is what makes natural paintbrushes coarser and firmer. Natural brushes are the best option to use for painting with chemical-based paints as they are more durable and are not sensitive to working with solvents in your clean-up process. The small grooves in the animal’s hair is what allows these bristles to hold and dispense a thicker load of paint than synthetic brushes would be able to.
Synthetic brushes are made with polyester or nylon. These have much softer bristles and when using them it is best to continuously rinse them while you work with your acrylic paints. This keeps them supple and in good condition for longer use. These bristles absorb more of the paint, making them more likely to stain. Thus, they are much harder to clean once the paint has dried.
How to Pick Your Paintbrushes
Although natural brushes can be more expensive, they do have their advantages when working with certain mediums. Natural brushes can handle the use of chemicals, be it within your paint or in a painting medium. These brushes are best used with oils or watercolor paints as the bristles are more pliable. Acrylic paints can be used with natural paintbrushes too, although some say they are prone to be damaged.
Synthetic paintbrushes can be used with any paint really, but they are best known for use with either latex, acrylics, or water-based paint varieties. These paintbrushes have high absorption capabilities and provide a smoother finish with fewer brush strokes. Synthetic brushes are more cost-effective and they work well no matter your level of expertise.
Tips on Maintaining your Brushes
Now that we know the different brush types, we can go through some tips on how to keep them in the best condition to optimize your acrylic painting.
Storing Your Brushes
- The way you are storing your paintbrushes will affect their longevity and durability in the future.
- Paintbrushes should always be left lying down on a towel when they are drying. And upright or on their sides when being stored so the bristles are not being squashed or misshaped.
Trimming and Conditioning Your Bristles
- Trimming bristles is a good way to get the most out of your paintbrushes. Natural haired brushes often gain split ends on their bristles from general use and chemicals. This is an easy way to prevent further damage.
- Make sure to not cut too much off.
- Another way to add moisture and retain brush shape or even revive older brushes is to condition them. Using oil mediums or even a small amount of fabric softener will condition your bristles and keep them strong. Applying some hair gel can also have the same effect protecting your bristles and smoothing them out.
- Make sure to rinse your paintbrushes after applying these conditioning agents and wipe them down.
- If you would like to use a specialized product, there are brush conditioners and moisturizing soaps available on the market that are made specifically for acrylic paint cleaning up.
Washing Your Paintbrushes
- Cleaning up as soon as you are done painting will make things much easier.
- Leaving brushes to dry with paint still on them, will damage them and make future use much more difficult if not impossible.
Use Water While Painting
- Rinsing and wiping in between painting is a good way to get into a routine and preserve your brushes.
- This will also prevent paint buildup on your bristles which makes them harder to clean if left to dry.
Check Your Brushes
- Just because you have gotten into a habit now of cleaning your paintbrushes, doesn’t mean there aren’t some forgotten dried-out ones that may need cleaning and possibly reviving.
- Going through your brushes monthly or even every few months will assist in better brush maintenance and care.
Do Not Soak Paintbrushes
- Leaving paintbrushes in water or other liquids for long periods, causes their bristles to move out of shape or worse damage your bristles or brush handles. This can be a problem when doing long paintings and working with different brush sizes or colors.
- Be sure to work with and clean each brush individually while painting, to avoid any problems.
Only Dip the Tip
- When painting it can be tempting to cover your entire paintbrush with paint. however, getting paint in your handle or ferrule is damaging for the brush itself as it is highly difficult to clean off.
- Dipping just above your hallway mark on your bristles is sufficient and will be much easier to remove when you are done.
Now that we know all about brushes and how to take care of them, let’s take a look below at some methods for cleaning acrylic paint brushes.
Why You Should Keep Your Brushes Clean
Keeping your brushes clean is important for a few reasons. First, it ensures that your paint goes on smoothly and doesn’t get muddled with old pigment. Second, dirty brushes will wear out more quickly – and we all know that the cost of art supplies can add up fast! Paintbrushes can last for a very long time if they are taken care of properly.
What are Artists Brush Cleaners and Soaps?
There are a variety of different brush cleaners and soaps on the market, but they all basically do the same thing. They break down the oils and waxes that build up on your brushes, which allows the paint to be washed out more easily. You can find artists’ brush cleaners and soaps at most art supply stores, or online.
No, you don’t have to use an acrylic brush cleaner. In fact, there are a few ways that you can clean your brushes without any special products. However, using an acrylic brush cleaner is a good way to make sure all the paint is removed from your brushes. It also helps to protect the bristles from wear and tear.
Other Brush Cleaning Accessories
In addition to brush cleaners and soaps, there are a few other brush cleaning accessories that can come in handy. A good quality paintbrush comb can help remove any stubborn paint from the bristles, while a wire brush can help clean out the ferrule (the metal part that holds the bristles).
