The container should have a tightly fitting lid to enable dirty solvents to settle, so the clean solvent can be poured back into the bottle and reused. Leave the sediment to dry before disposing of it at your nearest hazardous waste disposal service. Don’t be tempted to pour it down the sink, as the chemicals in solvent can contaminate water supplies.
How To Clean Paint Brushes & Post-Decorating Tips
Dreading the paint clean-up? These tips make it easy.
Most of us don’t want to think about how to clean up after painting, especially when all we want to do is stand back and admire our decorating skills! The good news is, a few simple tips under your belt is all it takes to have it done in a flash. Plus, when you clean up the right way, you won’t have to deal with crusty brushes when inspiration strikes again. Ready to roll up those sleeves? We’ve got the answers to the most common paint clean-up dilemmas.
How to clean paint brushes
The best way to prolong the life of your paintbrushes and make the overall clean-up easier is to remove excess paint from the bristles, before it dries. To save paint, run the bristles along the edge of the tin straight after use. Then, scrape off as much paint as you can with an old cloth.
If you’ve been using water-based paint, pop on some rubber gloves to prevent staining your hands and wash the brush in warm, soapy water. Give it a rinse and repeat the process until the water runs clear. Solvent-based paint requires the use of a white spirit or solvent-based brush cleaners. Make sure you wear gloves and only use solvent in a well-ventilated area. Let your brush air dry thoroughly before storing it.
How to clean paint roller and tray
As soon as you’ve finished painting, pour any unused paint from your tray back into the tin, providing it’s not contaminated by pesky flies or dirt. Run water over your paint tray, use a scrubbing brush to remove the rest of the paint and dry the tray off with an old cloth. In terms of tips for cleaning paint rollers, first scrape the unused paint back into the tin with a putty knife and roll it on a rag to remove excess.
Disassemble the roller, rinse with warm water, add detergent and work it into a lather to remove the rest of the paint. After the final rinse, let it air dry standing upright to avoid crushing the fibres. For solvent-based paint, pour the solvent into the paint tray, circulate it through the roller and let it soak for a few minutes. Squeeze the excess solvent out of the roller and repeat the process with new solvent until it’s clean. Don’t forget your gloves, goggles and plenty of air to combat those fumes!
3 Easy Steps to Clean Dried Paint Brushes
After paint has dried on a brush, it may still be possible to clean and reuse the brush. Here’s how to clean dried up paint brushes in three simple steps:
- Remove as much paint as possible from the brush by running the brush firmly against the rim of the paint can several times.
- Clean paint out of the brush bristles using the appropriate cleaning agent:
- To clean water-based paint out of a brush, use warm, soapy water.
- To clean oil- or latex-based paint out of a brush, use mineral spirits (also known as paint thinner).
- To clean shellac or varnish out of a brush, use denatured alcohol or household ammonia.
- Work the cleanser through the bristles using your fingers. Rubber gloves are handy for this task.
- Rinse the brush with fresh water until the rinse water runs clear.
How to Soften Paint Brushes
There’s a big difference between a brush that has paint that’s started to solidify on it, and a brush that has paint on it that dried up a long time ago. Don’t worry – petrified paintbrushes are not necessarily destined for the trash can. If you have mineral spirits on hand, soak the brush in a jar full of it. The trick is to suspend the brush so that the bristles are not resting on the bottom of the jar. Just throwing the brush in the jar will curl the bristles over and destroy the brush, which defeats the point of this project. To suspend the brush in the solvent, attach a large clamp to the brush handle and rest the clamp on the mouth of the jar.
If you don’t have mineral spirits at home, there are products on the market made specifically for cleaning brushes. Some of these products are biodegradable, emit far less toxic fumes, and are considered greener options.
How to Store Paint Brushes
Practicing smart paint brush storage techniques will extend the useful life of all your brushes. The first and most important step in paintbrush storage is to clean the brush properly and thoroughly after use. When you have a clean brush that you need to store, get some heavy paper. A paper grocery bag or craft wrapping paper work well. Fold the paper to conform around the shape of the bristles, and then tape or tie the paper closed around the brush. Make sure the paper doesn’t squeeze the bristles. This storage method ensures that the brush will retain its shape as it dries.
If your painting project is incomplete but you need to briefly step away, place your wet paint brush in a plastic bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. You can leave the wet brush in the plastic bag for a few days, and then pick back up where you left off.
If you don’t have mineral spirits at home, there are products on the market made specifically for cleaning brushes. Some of these products are biodegradable, emit far less toxic fumes, and are considered greener options.
