Whether you use cheap or expensive brushes, they are still an investment and you should take care of them. They won’t stay in perfect working order forever, but you can make them last longer by taking good care of them, and especially by cleaning them after each painting session. It’s easy to do – just follow these few tips and you’ll end each painting session with (hopefully) a good job done and some nice clean brushes.
1. Rinsing of water-based paints
If you’ve been using water-based paints, all you need is a container, some water, and some soap/dishwasher. Just place your brush in a container. Fill the container with warm water so that all the bristles are completely submerged. Add a little soap or liquid detergent and rotate the brush a little. Take out the brush, empty the water from the bowl, refill it with warm water and repeat the other steps. Keep doing this until the brush is clean.
2. Rinsing Oil-Based Paints
If you’ve been using oil-based paints, you’ll need a container and a solvent to clean your brush. It should say on the paint tube or can what solvent is best for cleaning paint, so go for it. Oil and turpentine are good for cleaning oil-based paints from brushes. Simply fill the container with your chosen solvent and completely submerge all the bristles. Rotate the brush several times, take it out and empty the container. Refill it and repeat the other steps. Keep doing this until the brush is clean.
3. Get rid of paint and other substances
It is important to make sure that there is no paint left on the brush. Keep rinsing well and gently use your fingers to remove any clumps of paint you can see. It’s easy to tell if all the paint is gone: just dip your brush into clean water and if you can’t see any color, your brush is out of paint.
You’ll also want to get rid of any soap brush, washing up liquid, or anything else you used to remove the paint. Again, keep rinsing well and if there are clumps of whatever you used, gently remove them with your fingers.
4. Cleaning the bristles
It’s a good idea to gently comb the bristles once you’ve finished rinsing them. This should remove any paint or anything else you missed and help keep the bristles in their original shape. Always be careful with the bristles, as they can be deformed quite easily.
5.Drying
Once you are satisfied that you have removed all the paint and other substances from your brush, you can let it dry. It’s okay to let your brushes dry at room temperature, but make sure you don’t leave your brushes upright with the bristles pointing down, as this can cause the bristles to warp. The best thing to do is get a kitchen towel or kitchen paper and lay your brush flat on top of that. You don’t have to use a kitchen towel or kitchen paper, anything that is good at absorbing water will do. Once your brush is completely dry, return it to its original packaging and store it safely until next time.
There are quite a few things to consider when cleaning your brushes, but it’s very easy to do and shouldn’t be too much of a problem. These are just a few tips to help you; there are also many other guides.