Learn how to wash brushes soiled with acrylic- and oil-based paints, so they stay in great shape after each use.
How to Clean Paint Brushes and Rollers to Last Longer
Experts share their best tips for cleaning paint brushes and rollers, so they’re not ruined and can be used in the future.
Updated on September 27, 2023
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Learn how to clean paint brushes and rollers correctly with expert tips from some of the industry’s biggest paint brands. If paint brushes and rollers aren’t properly cleaned (or if you allow the paint to dry on them), you could be destining them straight for the trash—or, at the very least, compromising the quality of any future paint projects. After investing in (not-so-cheap) painting supplies, you want your gear to last—follow our guide for cleaning paint brushes and rollers.
How Often to Clean Paint Brushes and Rollers
It’s best to clean paint brushes and rollers ASAP post-painting. Paint is infinitely harder to clean once it has begun to dry, and you could risk ruining your tools altogether if you wait until hours later to complete the job.
“Proper cleaning and storage of all your paint tools [are] important,” says Rick Watson, the director of product information and technical services at Sherwin-Williams. “I try to wash my brushes after each use as soon as I’m done.”
How to Clean Paint Brushes With Dish Soap
What You Need:
- Mild dish soap
- Paint brush scraper
- Brush and roller spinner (optional)
Step 1: Wash Brushes
Use warm water and a bit of mild dish soap to clean the paint from your brushes, gently working the soap through the bristles until the water runs clear.
Step 2: Remove Paint From Brushes
Grab a paint brush scraper ($5, lowes.com) to help remove all of the paint more quickly, including dislodging any dried paint bits near the ferrule. Run the scraper through the bristles, then rinse under warm water and repeat.
Step 3: Use a Spinner
Our experts suggest investing in Purdy’s Brush and Roller Spinner ($32, amazon.com), which spins paint brushes and roller covers above a container, helping to remove all of the paint and water more quickly. Just make sure the area and your clothing are protected against flying paint first.
Step 4: Dry Brushes
Once clean, allow paint brushes to air-dry completely before reusing or storing them.
Step 5: Store Brushes
As much as possible, store paint brushes by replacing their protective cover. “Keep the original cover your brushes came with when you purchased them,” Watson recommends. “They’re great for keeping bristles intact and helping the brush maintain its original form.”
If you don’t have the brush’s original cover, make one with cardboard and duct tape to protect the bristles before storing.
How to Clean Paint Brushes When Using Water-Based Emulsion
1. Remove paint
Start the cleaning process by removing as much of the paint in the brush as possible. You can do this by wiping on the side of the paint tin. Next get a newspaper or similar and wipe as much as you can onto the paper.
2. Start washing
Hold the brush with bristles pointing down under a running tap — add in a little warm water. Use your thumbs and forefingers to massage the bristles and help remove the paint. Keep going until the water runs clear. To finish, get a paint brush comb and run through the brush. This helps remove paint that is near the ferrule and in the middle of the bristles, ensuring you have a very clean paintbrush.
3. Shake or spin
Once the brush is clean you need to remove as much of the excess water as possible. First give it a squeeze with your hand. This will remove a lot of the water.
You can shake the water using a flicking motion, this is best done outside as it can leave traces of paint. Another, and less messy option, is to spin dry. Put the brush handle between both hands and move like you are rubbing your hands. Do this in the sink, or a bucket or empty paint can. You can buy paintbrush spinners to do the job.
4. Store properly
Once your paintbrush is dry give it a final comb with your paint brush comb to get all the bristles back in place. Now either hang your brushes or lay flat to dry. One tip is store your brushes in the sleeve that it came in to help keep them clean and maintain its shape. Alternatively wrap in newspaper when dry.
How to Clean Paint Brushes When Using Oil-Based Paints
1. Remove paint
Start by removing as much paint as possible. Once this is done you will need to immerse the brush in the appropriate solvent. White spirit or a specialist brush cleaner work on most oil-based paints. But check the manufacturer’s instructions first.
2. Clean in solvent
Put your solvent in a container. An old jam jar is a good choice for brushes up to two inches. For bigger brushes, cut the top off a two or four pint plastic milk container. Alternatively, use any suitable sized container you have available. Stir the brush in the solvent for around 10-20 seconds to loosen the paint.
3. Wash in warm soapy water
Next you need a sink or bucket of warm soapy water to wash the brush. Be careful when moving the brush as the paint will drip. Run your fingers through the brush in the warm soapy water to remove the solvent and paint. Finally brush through with a paint brush comb to remove any stubborn paint.
4. Spin and dry
Now give the brush a squeeze with your hand to remove as much water as possible. Put the brush handle between both hands and move like you are rubbing your hands. Do this in the sink, or a bucket or empty paint can. Lay flat or hang and leave to dry naturally.
What’s the Best Thing to Clean Paint Brushes With?
What you need to clean your brush will be determined very much by what paint you have been using. If you are using a water-based paint then washing them in water, ideally under a running tap, is the obvious choice.
However, if you are using a non-water based paint such as an oil-based paint you will need to use a specialist solution. Typically this is white spirit or a brush cleaner.
Check the paint container to see what the manufacturer recommends and use that. It’s worth investing in a paint brush comb, as they don’t cost much, to run through the bristles after you have finished cleaning. This helps restore the brush to like new and ready for the next paint job.
How Often to Wash Your Paint Brushes
Not washing your paint brushes every time you use them? Wilhelm says to reconsider. “If you don’t clean your brushes frequently, dried-on paint will harden the bristles and make once smooth strokes look scratchy,” she says. “Also, when a dirty brush is re-wet, old paint residue can mix into new paint and ruin the color.”
But if you can’t clean your brush moments after you’ve finished using it, don’t fret: Gibbons says the next best thing to do is to place the brush in a jar, covering only the bristles with water or cleaning solution (depending on the type of paint used). “Soaking the wooden handle could cause it to warp or cause the ferrule to loosen over time,” she says.
How to Wash Your Paint Brushes
The method you follow when cleaning your paint brushes will vary depending on the type of paint you used: oil-or water-based.
Water-Based Paints
To clean water-based paint, such as latex or acrylic, off of your paint brush, you won’t need much more than a good liquid dish detergent and warm water, says Annie Sloan, paint and color expert and creator of Chalk Paint Annie Sloan. “Rinse paint away and then use a grease-cutting soap or mild detergent and massage into bristles,” she says.
You want to get the bristles as clean and pristine as possible, so Gibbons notes that it may take several washes and rinses until the water runs clear. “When rinsing your brush under a faucet, rinse with bristles facing downward so you don’t end up warping the handle or forcing paint down to clog into the ferrule,” she says.
Oil-Based Paints
For paint brushes soiled with oil paint, Wilhelm says you’ll need to take a different approach when cleaning. “For brushes used for oil paints, dab remaining wet paint off of the brush onto a paper towel or rag, then pour a small amount of cleaning solution, such as General Pencil The Masters Brush Cleaner, into a small non-plastic container,” she says. “Work the brush bristles back and forth in the liquid until the bristles are clean.”
How to Remove Hardened Paint
If hardened-on paint persists, Sloan says to soak the brushes in warm water and white vinegar, which will “melt” the stuck-on paint without using strong chemicals. And if soaking doesn’t do the trick, try a paint brush comb. “A metal paint brush comb is a great tool to loosen up stubborn dried paint residue from bristles,” Gibbons says. “It’s what professionals use when cleaning their brushes. Just comb out from base to tip.”
How you dry your brushes is every bit as important as your washing method. “After cleaning, use your hands to spin out excess water then pat dry using a soft cloth,” Gibbons says. “House paint brush handles should have a hole in the end to hang your brush facing downward to dry.”
For smaller paint brushes, Wilhelm suggests first laying them flat on a paper towel, and then hanging them upside down by the handle with tape or a drying rack, to keep them in tiptop shape. “Never dry brushes standing upright on the handle. Doing so will slowly decay the ferrule and handle of the brush,” she says.
