How to Clean Paint Brushes and Rollers So They Last

A good 2-inch angled sash brush costs $15 to $20. Clean it after every use and it will last five years. Let paint dry in it once and you just threw $20 in the trash. The same math applies to roller covers, rollers, trays, and anything else that touched wet paint. Cleaning up takes 10 minutes and saves you from buying new supplies on every project.

Here is the right way to clean brushes and rollers, plus tricks for making the job easier.

Latex Paint Cleanup

Latex and acrylic paint is water-based, so everything rinses with warm water. Do this as soon as you are done painting, not hours later. Paint that starts to dry in the bristles takes much more work to remove.

Brushes

1. Scrape excess paint off the brush back into the paint can using the edge of the can or a putty knife. Get as much wet paint out as possible before any water touches the brush.
2. Rinse the brush under warm running water, working the water into the bristles with your fingers. Point the bristles down so paint flows away from the ferrule (the metal band at the base). Paint that dries up inside the ferrule is nearly impossible to remove and is the main reason brushes get stiff over time.
3. Use a brush comb to work through the bristles from the base outward. You will see colored water coming out, which gradually clears as the brush cleans.
4. Add a drop of dish soap and work up a light lather. This pulls out any remaining pigment.
5. Rinse until the water runs completely clear. This step matters: paint left in the bristles will dry and gradually build up.
6. Shake out excess water, reshape the bristles with your fingers, and hang the brush to dry. Do not stand it on the bristles to dry, because that bends them permanently.

Roller Covers

1. Roll the cover back and forth on newspaper or cardboard to offload as much paint as possible before rinsing.
2. Take the cover off the frame and hold it under warm running water, rolling it between your hands to flush paint out. You can also work it over the edge of a bucket or sink to squeeze out paint.
3. Keep rinsing until the water runs completely clear. This takes a few minutes on a fully loaded cover.
4. A roller spinner tool speeds this up by using centrifugal force to spin water out, but hand-rinsing works fine.
5. Stand the cover on end to dry. Lay it flat and you get a permanent flat spot.

Trays and Liners

If you used a plastic tray liner, just peel it out and toss it. If you used the tray directly, scrape out the wet paint with a putty knife back into the can, then rinse the tray with warm water until clean. A stiff nylon brush helps dislodge dried bits. Dry before stacking.

Oil-Based Paint Cleanup

Oil-based paints require solvents like mineral spirits or paint thinner, not water. The process is slightly different and needs more care for safety and disposal.

1. Work outdoors or in a very well-ventilated space. Solvent fumes are flammable and unhealthy.
2. Pour enough mineral spirits into a metal or glass container to cover the bristles or roller.
3. Swish and work the brush or roller in the solvent to dissolve the paint. You will see the solvent turn colored quickly.
4. Move to fresh solvent and repeat until the solvent stays clear.
5. Wash the brush in soapy water afterward to remove any remaining solvent residue and condition the bristles.
6. Let the used solvent sit in a sealed container for a few days. The paint particles settle to the bottom, and the clear solvent on top can be reused. Pour the clean solvent into a fresh container and let the sludge dry completely before disposing of it as hazardous waste. Check your local rules for drop-off sites.

Never pour solvent or oil-based paint residue down the drain or into the ground.

Short-Term Storage (Between Coats)

When you are coming back in a few hours for the next coat, full cleanup is wasteful. Use these quick storage methods.

Plastic Wrap Method

Tightly wrap the loaded brush or roller in plastic wrap, pressing air out around the bristles or cover. Latex paint stays workable for 4 to 6 hours wrapped this way.

Refrigerator Method

For overnight storage between coats, wrap the brush or roller in plastic and put it in the refrigerator. The cold slows drying so the paint stays wet for 24 hours or more. Let it warm up to room temperature before using so the paint flows normally again. This trick saves serious time on multi-day projects.

Reviving Hardened Brushes

If you forgot to clean a brush and it has stiffened up, you can often save it. The brush has to still have some flex. Brushes that are completely solid are usually not worth rescuing.

1. Soak the brush in warm water with fabric softener (1 part softener to 3 parts water) or in a commercial brush cleaner like Winsor Newton Brush Cleaner. Fully submerge the bristles, not the handle.
2. Leave it for several hours, or overnight for stiff brushes.
3. Work the bristles with a brush comb, pulling out softened paint.
4. Rinse thoroughly in warm water and repeat the comb-out.
5. If the brush is still stiff, repeat the soak. Stubborn cases can take 2 or 3 rounds.

The same process works for oil-based paint but uses mineral spirits as the solvent.

When to Throw It Out

Some brushes and rollers are not worth saving:

• Disposable "chip" brushes (the cheap $2 brushes with unfinished wood handles). Toss them. They were made to throw out.
• Foam brushes. These do not hold up to solvent cleanup and fall apart after one use anyway.
• Cheap thin-shell roller covers. The cardboard core soaks up water and falls apart during washing. Toss them.
• Brushes with bristles bent permanently sideways. Even clean brushes with splayed bristles will not cut clean lines. Retire them to rougher work or toss them.
• Rollers with matted nap. If the nap is compacted and will not fluff back up, the cover is done.

Bottom Line

Ten minutes of cleanup after each paint job keeps quality brushes and rollers working for years. Rinse with warm water for latex paint, use mineral spirits for oil-based, and always get the paint out of the ferrule so it does not stiffen over time. For quick breaks between coats, plastic wrap and the refrigerator trick save you from cleaning at all. Buy a good brush once and it will outlast a dozen cheap ones.