How to Properly Clean a Paintbrush

No matter the size or scope of a painting project, clean-up is always an important step in the process. In this post we’re going to share with you how we clean our paint brushes so they’re always fresh and ready to use for our upcoming projects.

How to clean your paintbrush

First, you’ll need to find a place to clean the brush – since there’s a chance of paint spraying onto nearby surfaces, try to avoid the kitchen! A garage or basement sink would work well.

If the paint is still wet, simply use warm water to rinse it off of the brush. If the paint has had a chance to dry and harden, consider using a wire brush in addition to warm water. To effectively clean out the dried paint, move the wire brush downward from the top of the bristles to their base.

Drying and caring for your clean paintbrushes

Once you’ve cleaned the old paint from the paintbrush, place it somewhere to dry. To ensure the brush dries into its proper form, make sure the bristles are straightened and the brush is lying flat.

When it comes to caring for your equipment, we always recommend planning ahead. Always make sure to clean your paintbrushes as soon as you’re finished using them – this makes it easier to remove the paint from them and keeps the bristles healthy for a longer period of time. Dry and store your brushes somewhere safe so you get as much future use out of them as possible!

We hope this sheds some light on cleaning and caring for your paintbrushes. Check in to the Painting 101 Blog next week to learn how to clean paint from concrete!

Note: Peak Pro Painting is not responsible for damage caused to paintbrushes due to improper cleaning.