# Cleaning Paint Brushes



## irish79 (Apr 27, 2010)

I am currently working at a local college and have been having trouble with the students cleaning paint brushes. I have them scrape the paint out of the brush when they are done with it and then send them to them to the sink to wash with warm water and tell them to wash the brush until the water runs clear out of the brush. The problem i have is that i am constantly finding brushes that have not been cleaned enough and are stiff. So I have two questions, is there a better way to haveve them clean the brushes without me standing over their shoulder and sayin that the brus is clean? And is there any way to save the brushes that have not been washes after they dry?


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## Footer (Apr 28, 2010)

When I taught at a school I bought the cheapest brushes possible from home depot knowing that they would not survive the week. Best thing to do is to tell them to wash them until the water runs clean when you squeeze the bristles. One other way to get around this is to issue each person a set of brushes. At my college brushes were built into our class fee for our painting class. If we wanted good brushes, we had to keep them clean. That is really the only way I know how to do it. 

Also a "The road to hell is paved with unwashed brushes" sign above the paint sink does not hurt.


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## venuetech (Apr 28, 2010)

This is purdy much what i was taught by pro painters but we did not use the comb 
The key was forcing clean water into the heal of the brush with the hand cupping. flip and repeat till the water from the heal runs clear.

the brush in the video did not have very much paint on it to begin with.

I keep my good brushes locked up, and a set of cheap brushes near the paint bench for the casual users.


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## mstaylor (Apr 28, 2010)

Have them rinse them to the best of their ability then hand them in a bucket of water by the handle. They must be completely submerged and hanging, not setting on the bristles. The brush will then clean itself enough to be slung free of the water and then reused. The only problem is if they are changing colors they will need to check the heel before reusing to make sure there is none left high that will corrupt a new color. Oil works the same way except use paint thinner. 
If you are using rollers you can have them fill them with paint and cover with tin foil and stand on it's end. As long as it is going back in the same color you just uncover and use. This will keep for up to four days this way.


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## mstaylor (Apr 28, 2010)

If you are going to completely clean them then follow the video by venuetech. I was taught by my Dad who was a professional painter and he passed the psycotic brush cleaning gene on to me. Of course, two things to remember when painting, which will never happen in a school setting, never get paint more than 3/4 of the way up the bristles, you can't paint with the handle. Always take paint out so the only dirty edge is 4 inches long on the back side of the can, the rest of the rim stays clean so you can lay your brush on top and not get paint on the handle. A third thing is never paint from a full gallon, always have a pot to pour it into. Always pour the paint on the back side of the full gallon so you can read the label.


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## Theresa (Apr 28, 2010)

I keep a container of water with about a half cup of fabric softener in the sink. The students put their brushes in there to soak. I rinse them out the next day, because I prefer to clean the brushes myself. 

If brush does get left out but isn't completely rock hard then soaking it in straight fabric softener can sometimes bring it back to life. I've used Aquasol to bring brushes back from the dead.

If the students will be taking a break from painting for a short while I have them wrap their brushes in saran wrap or press and seal.


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## Theresa (Apr 28, 2010)

Footer said:


> "The road to hell is paved with unwashed brushes"



I LOVE THIS!!!

My favorite sign in the shop is: "Your MOTHER does not work here, you will have to clean up after yourself"

(Of course, my own kids say that it doesn't apply to them...)


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## MercyTech (Apr 28, 2010)

I buy a few semi-quality good size brushes, and then a load of chip brushes each show, and ask the crew to put them in two buckets of water places at the foot of the sink after each day of painting. The buckets only have enough water to cover the bristles, then after all the painting is done, a couple of crew wash each brush (pretty much according to the video) and hang them to dry. Rollers are rinsed as best as can be, then placed on a 8' dowel end up to drain down into a drain in the floor. When the rollers are dry, they can be reused for texturing and floor painting.
Stiff brushes (unless they are one big bristle) are also good for texturing.


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## Van (Apr 28, 2010)

Buy a brush comb, they're worth the couple of bucks. Rinse and wash brushes in cold water, Hot or warm water causes the Latex to cure faster. Don't ever "leave brushes to soak" this will only result in the glue binding the bristles degrading then the brushes will shed all over you next project. If you have brushes that have set up there are a couple of products available in most paint store that you can soak your brushes in over night to soften the hardened paint. Fabric softener, ammonia, and paint can also be use to soften dried latex paint on a brush.


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## Theresa (Apr 28, 2010)

Van;176501 Don't ever "leave brushes to soak" this will only result in the glue binding the bristles degrading then the brushes will [autolink said:


> shed[/autolink] all over you next project.



Depends on the brush. I've done it for years and never had a problem. The water/fabric softener should only go to the top of the bristles, not over the ferrule.


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## irish79 (May 14, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice, i have been having them clean the brushes until they think they are clean and then hanging them in a bucket of water. I then go back the next day and wash them the rest of the way. The brushes are usualy clean at that point so it goes pretty quick. I haven't had a stiff brush since i started doing this.


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## Raktor (May 14, 2010)

A good soak in mineral turpentine will often revive a dead brush as well.


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