Brush cleaning tips – Water based


Continuing on from my previous post regarding cleaning your brushes with oil based paints, this will explain how to treat water based paint with some handy tips along the way.

  1. Like with oil always clean off excess paint, into the can or pot then wipe excess off onto some old newspaper. *note* don’t stab the brush just use a back and forth method, you don’t want to spoil the bristles.
  2. using water from a tap (i prefer warm) keep stroking the brush back and forward and applying pressure on the side to reach the paint higher in the bristles, this will seem like and endless task sometimes depending what colour you use (darker seems worse).
  3. Dry the brush on an old cloth or take into the garden and shake the brush onto the grass ( avoid the path in case there is any paint left in the brush) to get rid of the excess water.
  4. store the brush bristles up with an elastic band around the bristles to protect them. 


Tips

  • if you are planning on using the paint brush the next day or in a couple of day with the same paint, its not necessary to clean just cover up in cling film or tightly with a plastic bag, or as i found out works just a well place the brush in a bag and freeze in a freezer, this also works for paint rollers, just bare in might its take a little while for them to defrost in the morning. usually im seen with a paint brush in my back pocket to help the thawing out process.
  • If you have a couple of paintbrushes that you’ve left off to the side that have dried and caked-on paint on them however, a little vinegar will bring them back to life. A good soak in vinegar to soften the bristles, and then bringing some vinegar to a boil while the brush bristles are soaking in it will loosen up the paint enough that you should be able to comb the paint off with your fingers when you remove the brush from the hot vinegar.(source lifehacker.com)
  • using a brush come will also keep your brushes in pristine condition, but i find that if paint has dried on further up the bristles and a white residue line can be seen, then the use of a wire brush works great, just place the brush on a hard surface under running and gently stroke the bristles from the base towards the end in slow soft motions and hey presto the dried on paint comes away.