How To Clean Your Paint Brushes

It is best to clean your paint brushes immediately after they have been used. Soaking brushes in solvent or in water can not only damage the filament, especially if strong solvents are used, but can also cause the wedges inside the head to swell up.  

How to clean your paint brushes after use in oil-based paints (stains, varnishes, shellac):

It is important to follow the coating manufacturer’s instructions as different paints will require stronger or weaker solvents but the cleaning principle is the same for all. Pour the cleaner into a container and dip the brush. Work the brush up and down gradually releasing the paint. Once paint has stopped coming out of the brush, extract the brush and gently spin off excess cleaning agent.

How to clean paint brushes after use in water-based paints (acrylic, latex):

The best combination is a mixture of warm water and soap, although water alone will also do. Dip the brush into the solution and work the filaments so that the paint inside is released. Rinse and repeat until the paint has all been removed. Check the inner filaments carefully to make sure of this as dried paint inside will reduce the performance of the brush when next used.

Once brushes have been cleaned, it is important to store them so that the filament remain in the correct (pointed) shape. This can be achieved by using a plastic hard case storage keeper or paper wrapping in their original sleeve packaging.