How to Clean Paintbrushes - Water-Based Paint

Removing water-based paint from paintbrushes is easy as long as you clean them immediately after use. This is also essential for maintaining the quality and durability of your brush.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brushes
• Paints Can Or Bucket
• Plastic Wrap
• Water
• Plastic Wrap
• Water

1. Plunge bristles of paintbrush into bucket of clean water.

2. Thoroughly comb out paint from bristles with a wire brush.

3. Throw away used water and clean out bucket.

4. Repeat process, omitting Step 2, until all paint is removed.

5. Hold handle of paintbrush between both palms of your hands and rub palms quickly back and forth.

6. Place paintbrush back in cover or wrap with plastic.

[Thetaskman]

on 9/13/2007 Ever tried a product called "Labr Savr"? This stuff works like nothing I've ever seen, even on dried paint. Even better, it's reusable and biodegradable. Sherwin Williams and Miller have it. I don't know who else.

on 7/21/2006 When painting with latex paint, hang the brushes in a pail of water overnight. When you're ready to paint the next morning, spin the brush and you are ready to paint.

on 12/8/2005 Take a bucket, and drill two small holes parallel to each other, about three quarters of the way up the bucket wall. Then take a standard guy from a tent kit. Run the guy through the two holes you've drilled and hold it in place with a wooden peg on the outside of the bucket wall. The purpose of the guy is to hang your brushes in water under their own weight. Just make sure the level of clean water isn't above the stock, to prevent it from getting water logged. By doing this your bristles won't lose shape, and you don't have to rinse your brushes in water (before painting) for easier cleaning later. If you have a lot of brushes, you can run two guys through one bucket; there's plenty of room.
NOTE: this can only be done to brushes with holes in the handle. If there are none, drill your own.

on 11/22/2005 I clean my brushes every day after use. On the weekends I give them a good cleaning in this manner:

After the paint has been pumped out, take your brush and soak it in a mixture of warm (not hot) water and 3 tablespoons of laundry powder, let the brush soak for 20 minutes. Remove the brush from the solution and wire brush the bristles and the ferrule (to bring it up like new again). The laundry powder softens any built up paint on the ferrule, which makes for easy cleaning. After wire brushing, wash in fresh water to remove any excess solution. Air dry, and your ready for the next job.

on 11/22/2005 Instead of soap, use liquid softener (for example, Downy). This does a better job than soap, and it leaves the brush in beautiful condition.