best way to clean paint brushes

theGrinch

especially gloss or radiator paint off brushes?

Iona_Penny

First you need to check your gloss paint because I believe that some are now not oil based and these will clean in warm soapy water. If it is not then the old white spirit seems to work well BUT.. the mistake people make is to put brush in old jam-jar and fill with white spirit and leave; far better is to use the same volume but spread over 4 or 5 changes while 'working' the brush all the time to get the paint out.
Not sure what you mean by radiator paint as we use satinwood on ours and the above all applies.
Feel sure there are professional Michaelangelos out there who may have some great tips.

rich_jtg

If you want the easiest way to clean brushest, that also gets them the cleanest, what you want is a Dandy paint brush/roller kit.

You can get them from some hardware stores and QVC. They aren't really cheap - about £17-20 for a set IIRC, but makes decorating much less of a chore.

It attaches to an electric drill, and throws the paint off at force.

Clean and dry brush/roller in less than a minute. You just need an old box with a bin liner in to catch all the paint as its spun off.

plumb1_2

I buy a pack of 5 from the poundshop,and put them in the bin when used,cheaper than cleaning.

sarah1

The deffinately best way to clean brushes with gloss paint on is:-
Wipe off as much as you can on old newspaper then find a small container (i use n empty oxo granules pot) put a small amount of WHITE SPIRIT in the bottom , just enough to cover the bristles. Keep pushing your brush into it working the white spirirt into the bristles. Then put some fairy liquid onto the bristles and work in well with your fingers , i wear latex gloves for this . and then just rinse with running water. I know this may sound tedious but it really does the trick and saves you a fortune in brushes.
Also STORING this is the best yet, shake the brushes dry after you have cleaned them and then work in HAIR CONDITIONER ( like you did with the fairy liquid) fold cling film around them loosley keeping the bristles together and fold the top of the cling film over or use a sandwich bag. Then when you ned to use them again just rinse off the hair conditioner a shake to dry. Dead easy and your brushes will last for years. :T

Davidboy

I'm with Plumb1, throw the flippen things away after you have finished the job and buy new next time. Now matter how I have cleaned the damn things, they are always rock hard next time I go to use them!!!

plumb1_2

Only worth cleaning brush,s if the bristles are made from Australian Bush Bady Tails:D
Painters hardly ever clean their brush,s,they just stick-em in a paint kettle with water,ready for next time,and they pay £5 plus for a brush.

nev1_2

I agree with above, white spirit followed by fairy liquid, I then store mine wrapped in kitchen roll wrapped around the brush part, this stops the brush from spreading out at the bottom, the best time to throw a cheap brush in the bin is before you use it, then it cant spoil your paintwork finish

john0612

plumb1 wrote:

Only worth cleaning brush,s if the bristles are made from Australian Bush Bady Tails:D
Painters hardly ever clean their brush,s,they just stick-em in a paint kettle with water,ready for next time,and they pay £5 plus for a brush.

True !! Being a painter means i only clean them out when changing colours, but you can buy a paint kettle from B&Q for aroung £1 put in some turps and press in untill clean. Spin off using your hands, and also a good tip is to put elasticated bands at base and top of bristles to hold them from spreading, but i would only recommend all of that if there good brushes, i'm affraid you only get what you pay for.

Another tip is, try your local dulux decorating center as they always do a "trade" pack of brushes, i tend to find they last well and are reasonably priced.

Peter-Pan_5

I am a "brother of the Brush" like John,I`ve brushes in water for months[oil paint] as long as the bristles are covered no probs,if you are using Emulsion wash with hot water shake dry,if it`s solvent based you will need special thinners,if you read what it says on the tin that will help you too.

You can buy brushes cheap from https://www.screwfix.com do it through rpoints and get points as well.

theGrinch

thanks for the replies. it certainly has given us all something to think about.

Im interested by those that take the disposal brush approach. I have 2 questions here; the first is what kind of price are you paying per brush and how do they compare quality wise with more expensive brushes? secondly, is it a myth that paint brushes should be broken in esp for gloss painting?

I have purchased cheap contractor brushes from screwfix, which tend to last a few uses, but the more expensive brushes I tend to clean and reuse. unfortunately, I have gloss paint hardened on some bristles and white spirit isnt working on them.

yes elastic bands are a good idea esp to avoid paint running back to handle when painting ceilings.