Stop Wasting Time Cleaning Paint Brushes! Do This Instead!

Paint Brush Cleaning Hack

[brodystowers]

I use the bob ross method. I clean it out and then “beat the devil out of it”

[goodtobehandy]

This is something a lot of us have forgotten . Back in the day when most paints were still solvent based, this was standard practice. Not water but hanging them in paint thinner.

[peterbarlow]

Old timers had a galvanized box with thinner filled compartments for various colors to hang their brushes in. Decades ago we painted a huge 1905 barn. It took 50 gallons of oil paint. We hung our brushes in gallon paint buckets filled with thinner. You still have to prep the brushes for that by scraping caked paint off the ferrule and tops of the bristle. In some exterior conditions you have partially clean your brushes every few hours of they’ll freeze up. I buy top shelf brushes and wash brushes completely at the end of every day. Disappointed that square cut sash brushes are disappearing from the market. I never use an angle cut. It’s to limiting. If paint is sagging out of the down side of your cutting brush you can’t flip the brush over and continue in the same direction. Also with a square cut brush a twitch of the wrist allows you to reverse direction.

[daybyday--U]

Brilliant! Perfect timing! I’m about ready to prime and paint drywall. Been busy hanging, repairing, mudding, and taping drywall. Thanks for your videos! Old farm house remodel. Jim in Ohio across Lake Erie near Cleveland. . Hello to my Canadian friends across the lake.

[computersales]

Also with latex paint you can wrap a damp paper towel over the brush and leave it in your fridge overnight if you're going to use it again the next day. Works with rollers too.

[deborahamy]

Brilliant!! Thanks for sharing teaching us!!! God bless you and yours!!

[brookelord]

I used to do this until i got a handycup. The magnet suspends the brush and the cup fits in the sink. Or you can put the cup in the bucket if you can't block the sink.

This is only if you change colors. For the same color, suspend the brush in the paint. Cover the cup with plastic. Or dip the brush in paint before wrapping the brush. Old plastic shopping bags work fine.

[NoFateButWhatWeMake]

As tribal dance instructor for the last 30 years, I can say from experience this absolutely works.

[nathanayers]

I found at a box store a centrifugal cleaner for rollers and brushes… best $15 I’ve ever spent. Spin in a bucket under water and bring it out to complete the spin. Awesome!

[granthoughton]

And also soak it it water before use and flick it dry. That helps to stop paint building up in the ferrule.

[Dino_Buk]

Thank you. It's a very good tip 👍🏻
Btw, that will not work on an oil-based paint.
You need to use a paint thinner or a mineral spirits.

[gamer]

I do this too but i add a little bit a dish soap and use a mud bit on my drill to basically make a washing machine. Its amazingly efficient

[Objectivity]

Water absorbs up into the ferrule via wicking action on your brush. Also the wood plug insterted into the ferrule below the bristles absorbs the water and swells and warps the brush.
If you do this you will have water inside the ferrule that will drop down your elbow no matter how well you spin it out.
clean you brush and store it in its original case or throw it in the garbage.

[Zorak]

Great idea for anyone on a septic system, you could add a second pail to do the second rinse. It does mean dumping the water on the ground, so maybe not great, but definitely not great for septics.

[boorennan]

An old art teacher used to warn us that soaking the brushes will damage the bristles, so I'm not sure that this is a great idea.

[patriarchmike]

I never liked this method unless i knew i wasn't going to use the brush the next day, because I do not like to use a damp brush to paint with because the bristles cannot hold form (necessary for easy cut lines) and on top if that, the little bit of water still in the brush will eventually start drip down the handle when you're painting over your head. I will use the water bucket method to store dirty brushes until I have time to clean them, but as for the brushes I'm going to use the next day, I just use a plastic kroger bag or painters plastic to wrap it tightly with the bristles saturated in paint. it's ready to go the next day and no form lost or dried paint to clean off.. this can be repeated for up to five days in a row

[dawns.]

This is a fantastic tip! In the middle of a home renovation project. I keep my bucket of water and soak the brush or brushes in it overnight. This has really helped during colder weather as not nearly so much other work afterwards trying to clean a brush while inside the house as opposed to out in yard during Summer!

[JT.]

I got a 2 foot section 6" pvc(can use 4" or whatever fits your brushes and rollers) glue an end cap on one end and use a threaded plug or clean out cap on the other end. Drill a 3/4 hole in the clean out cap and fit a brass hose connector to it. Drill several 1/4" holes in the end cap. You can drop all your brushes and rollers in, hook up the hose, and it will flush everything out for you. I just let it run while I'm packing everything else up. This works great when you need to clean up quickly and don't have the time for over night. Just make sure to not Drill so many 1/4" holes that you exceed the entry water flow. Bucket method works great too!

[smirkinatu]

Thank you for recording and posting this valuable educational video. Sincerely.

[waldiludwikowski]

Looks like a great idea. Worth trying. Cleaning a brush is always worst part of the painting 😂