Painting your room or doing any DIY-friendly home-improvement projects is liberating, yes. But it’s not likely you’ll do it every day. There is the important matter of cleaning your brushes after calling it quits for the day. The rising price of quality brushes is shocking, and if you don’t want to waste money, it’s essential to know how to clean your paint brushes.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide for getting the longest life out of your brushes.

Choose your cleaning agent based on the paint type you used:

For water-based paints:

These include latex and acrylic, which most projects call for. Plain water will do the trick, all you need to do is;

  1. Just fill a small bucket with soapy water, preferably warm water.
  2. Press the brushes into the bottom of the container in a rapid back-and-forth motion. That will work the water into the heel of the brush, all the way to the ferrule, where the bristles connect to the handle.
  3. Replace the water and continue to press and work the brushes back and forth until most of the paint is removed.
  4. Squeeze the bristles by hand. Then, rinse the brushes thoroughly at the sink, again using warm water.

For oil-based paints:

These types of brushes are hard, durable and suited for furniture, stair bannisters, and other high-touch surfaces. To clean them just

  1. Fill a small cup or bucket with a chemical cleaner. Submerge the brush for 30 seconds.
  2. Remove the brush, and wipe the bristles against a hard, clean surface.
  3. Repeat the process until the paint is gone. Then rinse at the sink in warm water.
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