Best Tips for Cleaning Your Paint Brushes

Painting can be a wonderfully expressive and soothing past time. It can also be messy. Whether you are a professional artistic or just beginning to explore a new hobby, it's important that you learn the proper ways to care for your equipment and clean up your messes.

Art materials can be expensive, so you should treat them with care to make them last longer. Unwashed brushes can dry into unusable clumps of hard paint that need to be thrown away. Don't let that happen. If you are unsure how to do things the right way, check out these guidelines.

Clean Them Immediately

You absolutely must clean your paint brushes immediately after use. Some people may put them aside in a cup of water, or wrap them in plastic to keep them from drying out, but this is a mistake. These methods may delay the drying of the paint, but they still cause damage to your brushes. The best option is the clean them as soon as you have finished painting. This prevents the paint from drying in the bristles.

Wrapping and soaking your brushes can weaken the bristles and cause them to start to fall out. Not only does this deteriorate your brush, causing you to need to replace it more quickly, but the bristles can fall out while you are painting and become stuck to the canvas. This leaves you with the choice to risk ruining your work by removing them, or letting them there. It's best to just avoid this if possible.

Don't Forget to Disinfect

When you paint, you likely set your brushes aside and they can fall to the floor or come into contact with germs and other substances that you just don't want on your hands. Take an extra step to cleanliness by disinfecting your paint brushes. You can choose cleaners that include a disinfectant, or use one after they have been cleaned. It's a good idea to look into disinfection services of your whole studio space to keep you and any visitors healthy.

Use the Proper Cleaners

The type of paint that you are working with will determine what cleanser you need. Oil based paints usually require paint thinner to get all of the paint out of the brush. Linseed oil is a good alternative, but a bit more expensive. You may have some luck with a dish soap, but this will take a much longer time to clean and you may end up bending or stripping the bristles from your brush during the process.

Acrylics and water colors have a must easier clean up with simple soap and water. You can use regular hand or dish soap, or invest in one meant for brushes. A good technique is to put the soap in your hand and rub the brush through it and under some running water until the colored paint has all been removed.

Let Your Brushes Dry

Many people get impatient with the clean up process and want to toss their freshly cleaned brushes into their case. This is a mistake and can cause mold to grow. Let your paint brushes sit out until they are fully dry. This also means they will be ready to go for the next session.

Handle With Care

High quality paint brushes can cost a lot of money. If you purchase a lot of different styles, such as a liner brush, fan brush, filbert, flat, and round, you are getting into a significant monetary investment. Take good care of your brushes so they last a long time. Every brush will gradually break down and need tossed out after time, but good care can extend the life of the brush. Be gentle with your brushes. Don't apply too much pressure or stamp them into the canvas.

Once you learn how to clean your paint brushes after use it will become second nature and you can do it without even thinking about it. Learning to care for your materials and art supplies is just as important as studying technique and developing your skills. Your brushes are the tools you use to bring your dream to reality, so make sure you use the best, and treat them carefully.