How to Clean Brushes That You Used Enamel Paint With

Clean paint brushes after each use to keep bristles soft and supple.

Once you've completed your paint job, it's time to clean up. Not only do you need to clean up any spills or splatters, it is also necessary to clean the paint brushes. Enamel paint is an oil-based paint. Cleaning paint brushes that have been used in enamel paint requires using stronger solvents than just soap and water. Clean paint brushes promptly after painting; removing fresh paint from the brushes is much simpler than removing dried paint.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• Water
• 3 to 4 empty containers with lids (old paint cans or coffee cans)
• Rubber gloves
• Turpentine
• Fine-tooth comb
• Rags
• Dish soap

Instructions

1. Lay out a newspaper on a flat surface. Run the brush over the newspaper several times to remove as much of the paint as possible.

2. Rinse out the paint brush with warm water. Fill an empty container with a lid, such as an old paint or coffee can, with warm water. Place the brush into the container, swish it around briskly several times and work the paint out of the bristles with your fingers. Shake out the brush several times in the sink to remove excess water.

3. Pour some turpentine into one of the empty containers. Ensure the container is one that has a lid.

4. Place the paint brush into the container of turpentine so that the bristles are saturated. Put on a pair of rubber gloves and use your fingers to work the turpentine into the bristles while also loosening the paint.

5. Run a fine-tooth comb through the bristles to further loosen the paint. Clean any paint from the handle of the brush as well. Use a rag dampened with turpentine to scrub the paint from the handle. Continue this process until all of the paint has loosened.

6. Fill another empty container with warm, soapy water. Swish the paint brush around in the container several times. Use your fingers to work the soapy water into the bristles while the brush is submerged in the water.

7. Rinse the paint brush with plain water to remove the soap residue. Shake the paint brush a few times over the sink to remove excess water.

8. Blot the bristles of the paint brush on a clean rag to remove excess water. Hang the paint brush to dry the rest of the way.

Tips & Warnings

• Turpentine and some paints are considered a hazardous waste and should not be placed down drains, into sewers or into the ground. Place the lid on the container of used turpentine or the container of water used to rinse out the paint brush. If you want to reuse the turpentine, allow it to sit for several days until the paint particles from cleaning the brush have settled at the bottom. Pour the liquid into a fresh container with a lid for storage. Contact your local Environmental Protection Agency or local government for the nearest hazardous waste recycling center for disposing of turpentine and paint.

• All of the containers used for cleaning the paint brushes should be disposed of through a hazardous waste recycling center. Do not pour these items down the drain or place them in your trash can.

• Use turpentine in a well-ventilated area.

• Turpentine is flammable. Keep away from extreme heat or open flames.

• Store turpentine in a cool, dark place away from flames, sparks or other sources of heat.

References

• Build Eazy: Painting Walls and Ceilings
• Antique Home: Facts About Paint Brushes
• American Coatings Association: Post-Consumer Paint Management
• United States Department of Labor (OSHA): Occupational Safety and Health Guidelines for Turpentine