Our Top Tips For Cleaning & Caring For Your Paintbrushes

Paintbrushes are a key creative tool for artists and painters but, with frequent use, even the highest quality brushes can be susceptible to wear and tear. Whether you use watercolour, gouache, acrylic or oil paints, in this guide we’ll cover the best practices for cleaning and keeping your brushes in their best condition as well as our recommended cleaning products and tips for reviving old brushes.

 

How do I clean my paintbrushes?

The most important step to maintaining your brushes is to clean them properly as soon as possible after each painting session. This is especially important when painting with fast-drying acrylics, but it’s a good practice in general to avoid letting paint dry on the bristles and metal ferrule. Most paints can be removed with a little water and a mild soap, but for oil based paints you’ll need to use a solvent to properly clean the brush. 

 

How should I clean watercolour or gouache paint from my brushes?

As water-based paints, watercolour and gouache are the easiest to clean from your brushes — but as they tend to be made from softer sable or synthetic fibres, they need to be handled with care when cleaning. This is especially true with long rigger and pointed round brushes, as their delicate shape can be more easily damaged.

To clean watercolour and gouache from your brushes, we’d recommend the following:

• Handle with care to retain the shape of the soft bristles.
• Blot brushes on a rag or paper towel to remove colour before rinsing under water.
• Swirl brushes gently in a water jar or under a running tap until the paint has washed off.
• Let brushes air dry either flat on a table or upside down to avoid excess water soaking into the wooden handle of the paintbrush.
• No need for soap, but this can be used every so often to maintain their softness and quality.

How should I clean acrylic paint from my brushes?

As a quick-drying paint medium, it is essential to clean and look after your brushes when using acrylic paint to avoid causing damage to the bristles. Any dried acrylic paint left on your brushes can be very hard to remove as it hardens and binds the bristles together, resulting in a stiff brush that is no use for painting! Thankfully, acrylic paint is easy enough to remove while the paint is still wet, needing just water and a little soap to remove the paint from your brushes.

To clean acrylic paint from your brushes, follow these steps:

• Clean brushes as soon as you’re finished with them, while the paint is still wet.
• Remove as much excess paint as possible by dabbing on a paper towel, rag or scrap of paper.
• Gently work a little soap or washing up liquid into the bristle with your fingers to remove any stubborn or dried paint. 
• Ensure the bristles are all moving in the same direction and not splayed out of shape by moving side to side when cleaning.
• Rinse brushes under a running tap or in a water jar until the paint and soap has washed off.
• Let brushes air dry flat on a table or hanging upside down to avoid the water soaking into and damaging the wooden handle of the paintbrush.
• For tougher cases, use a solvent-based cleaner or specialist brush soap to remove dried paint and re-condition the brushes.

 

How should I clean oil paint from my paintbrushes?

With oil-based paints, you’ll need to use a solvent to remove the paint from your brushes instead of soap and water. Traditionally turpentine and white spirit are used for this, but there are a couple of eco-friendly solvent options out there if you’d rather avoid harsh chemicals in your painting practice. Our favourite is the C Roberson & Co Studio Safe Solvent — a great, eco-friendly alternative with a pleasant orange smell, this low-toxic solvent is ideal for cleaning brushes and thinning oil paints.

To clean the oil paint from your brushes, follow these steps:

• Remove excess paint by dabbing the paintbrush on your palette, paper towel, scrap piece of paper or a painting rag.
• Dip your paintbrush into the solvent and then gently wipe the brush with a rag or paper towel to remove the excess paint. Repeat until no more colour comes out of your brush.
• Rinse your tools thoroughly with soap and water before leaving them to air dry.
• For tougher cases, you can leave the brush to soak in the solvent before cleaning as above. We’d recommend using a brush washer that can suspend your brushes in the solvent rather than leaving them in a cup, as this can splay and damage the bristle shape.
  

 

 

Which soap should I use to clean my paintbrushes?

A simple white bar of soap works well for cleaning brushes, but any mild bar of soap or mild washing liquid should also do the trick.

For more advanced cleaning, we’d recommend The Masters Brush Cleaner which is great for preserving the quality of your brushes, specially formulated to moisturise and condition the bristles to help maintain their shape and avoid them becoming brittle with age. This cleaner is suitable for removing all paint types on both natural and synthetic hair brushes and is also great for reviving old brushes!

How can I clean off dried paint and bring my old paintbrushes back to life?

The Masters Brush Cleaner & Preserver is our top choice for cleaning and reviving old paintbrushes. This specialist cleaner will help clean, moisturise and condition your paintbrush bristles, breaking down the old paint while conditioning and softening the brushes.

The consistency of his cleaner is similar to a balm and is super easy to use — just take a little of the cleaner and gently rub it into the bristles of your brush with a little warm water, working the cleaner into a lather with your fingers. You can also swirl your paintbrush directly into the balm with a little water and coat the brush with the cleaner this way. Avoid making a pushing motion with the brush, as this can cause your brush to splay and lose its shape, and instead swirl the brush side to side or use a pulling motion. Once the soap has been worked into the brush, rinse it off with warm water.

To remove hard, dried paint, let the balm sit on the brush for longer to break down the paints before rinsing off. If you’ve got a brush that has been bent out of shape, use some of the brush cleaner to reshape the brush with your fingers, and then leave it on to reset the shape.

Old, damaged brushes that have gone past saving can still be useful tools — use them to mix paint together to avoid splaying and damaging your favourite brushes, or use them to add interesting textures and effects to your artwork.

How can I clean the metal ferrule on my paintbrush?

The metal part of the brush which holds the bristles in place is known as a ferrule, and it’s best to keep this as clean and paint-free as possible. If paint is left to dry in the ferrule, it can cause the bristles to splay out, making it difficult to reshape the brush or get a fine point. If you do get paint on the ferrule, make sure to wash the paintbrush with soap and lukewarm water while the paint is still wet, working the soap into a lather right the way up to the base of the bristles to get as much paint out as possible. 

 

Should I leave my paintbrushes to soak in water?

Avoid leaving your paintbrushes in water for extended periods of time as this will not only damage and bend the bristles, but also damage the handle causing the finish to flake off and the wood to rot and splinter. If you’re switching between paintbrushes while you work, we’d recommend using a brush rest or painting cup designed to hold your brushes — our Faber-Castell Clic & Go cup is a great choice, as it has scalloped edges all the way round for holding your brush secure until you need it again.

If you’re soaking your brushes to clean them, we’d recommend instead using a brush washer with a spring, like our Metal Brush Washer. A tool like this is especially helpful for acrylic and oil painters, as your brushes can be held in place by the spring at the top of the washer, suspending them in the solvent, keeping the handle dry and preventing the bristles from resting at the bottom of the pot.

Can I use hot water to clean my brushes?

Avoid using hot water to clean your paintbrushes, as this can soften the glue that holds the brush filaments in place and damage the bristles. Instead, we’d recommend using lukewarm water to help soften the paint when cleaning. If paint is particularly stubborn, try using a brush soap or cleaner rather than hot water.

Can I pour my paint water down the drain?

It’s best to prevent as much paint pigment going down the drain as possible, so we suggest rinsing your brushes in a jar or cup rather than under a running tap. Once you’ve finished cleaning your brushes, leave the pigment to sink to the bottom of the jar or cup and then pour the clean water away, leaving the paint sediment at the bottom. This sediment can then be disposed of separately.

A brush washer can be really handy if you’re painting with acrylics or oils — these come with a small sieve to help separate the excess paint and sediment, and also have a spring above the pot to help you suspend your brushes for cleaning and drying.

How should I store my paintbrushes?

After cleaning your paintbrushes, let them fully dry before storing them upright in a jar, ceramic mug, glass or other container. Most brushes come with a small plastic cap to prevent damage to them before they’re sold, which you could keep and replace between painting sessions to help maintain the shape of the bristle.

If you’re travelling with your paintbrushes, a brush wrap is a great choice for carrying your tools around. Our canvas brush wrap unrolls flat and can store up to 30 tools in the varying width slots, perfect for taking all your favourite brushes, pencils and pens with you on the go.