How to Clean Oil‐Based Paint
Add mineral spirits to a small non-plastic bowl., Dip the brush in the mineral spirits and run back forth on your hand., Pour some dishwashing soap on the brush and rub it in., Squeeze out the liquid from the brush., Rinse the brush under hot...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Add mineral spirits to a small non-plastic bowl.
To help thin the oil paint on your brushes, you’ll need a paint solvent.
Odorless mineral spirits work well, so fill a small glass or ceramic bowl with a small amount of the liquid and place it in the sink where you plan to clean the brushes.You can also use turpentine to remove oil-based paint from brushes.
However, it has an extremely strong odor so it’s important to ensure that you’re working in a well-ventilated area. -
Step 2: Dip the brush in the mineral spirits and run back forth on your hand.
When you’re ready to clean the brush, submerge it in the bowl of mineral spirits to ensure that all of the dirty bristles are coated.
Next, rub the brush back and forth against your hand to work the mineral spirits into the bristles.Make sure that you rub both sides of the brush over your hand to ensure that you work the minerals spirits into all of the oil-based paint stains. , After you’ve worked the minerals spirits into the brush, squeeze a small amount of dishwashing liquid soap onto the bristles.
Use your fingers to vigorously rub it into the brush.Any dishwashing liquid soap that is marketed as being able to cut through grease will work for cleaning your brushes.
The precise amount of dishwashing soap that you’ll need will depend on how large the brush is and how dirty they are.
Aim for a 1- to 2-inch (25- to 50-mm) dollop of the liquid. , Once you’ve worked the dishwashing liquid into the brush, use your fingers to carefully squeeze all of the excess liquid from the bristles.
Try to remove as much of the paint, mineral spirits, and dishwashing soap residue from the brush as possible as you wring it out., After you’ve removed as much of the liquid from the brush as you can, turn the water on in the sink and let it run for 30 seconds or so until it’s hot.
Run the brush under the water to rinse it clean, and squeeze it again to ensure that you remove all of the lingering residue.If the brush is extremely dirty or the paint stains are old, you may need to repeat all of these steps two or more times to remove all of the paint. , When you’ve removed all of the paint that you can from the brush, submerge it in the mineral spirits again.
Next, squirt a pea-size amount of dishwashing liquid on it and work both into the spirits and soap into the bristles with your fingers.After you’ve worked the cleansers into the brush this time, do not rinse them out. , With the minerals spirits and dishwashing liquid still on the brush, set it down on a folded piece of paper towel.
Squeeze the paper towel around the bristles to remove the any remaining liquid.
Leave the brush out to air dry completely.Leaving the film of minerals spirits and dishwashing liquid on the brush to dry will help keep the bristles soft so it’s like new when you use it the next time. -
Step 3: Pour some dishwashing soap on the brush and rub it in.
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Step 4: Squeeze out the liquid from the brush.
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Step 5: Rinse the brush under hot water.
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Step 6: Dip the brush into the mineral spirits and add dishwashing soap again.
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Step 7: Place the brush on folded paper towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.
Detailed Guide
To help thin the oil paint on your brushes, you’ll need a paint solvent.
Odorless mineral spirits work well, so fill a small glass or ceramic bowl with a small amount of the liquid and place it in the sink where you plan to clean the brushes.You can also use turpentine to remove oil-based paint from brushes.
However, it has an extremely strong odor so it’s important to ensure that you’re working in a well-ventilated area.
When you’re ready to clean the brush, submerge it in the bowl of mineral spirits to ensure that all of the dirty bristles are coated.
Next, rub the brush back and forth against your hand to work the mineral spirits into the bristles.Make sure that you rub both sides of the brush over your hand to ensure that you work the minerals spirits into all of the oil-based paint stains. , After you’ve worked the minerals spirits into the brush, squeeze a small amount of dishwashing liquid soap onto the bristles.
Use your fingers to vigorously rub it into the brush.Any dishwashing liquid soap that is marketed as being able to cut through grease will work for cleaning your brushes.
The precise amount of dishwashing soap that you’ll need will depend on how large the brush is and how dirty they are.
Aim for a 1- to 2-inch (25- to 50-mm) dollop of the liquid. , Once you’ve worked the dishwashing liquid into the brush, use your fingers to carefully squeeze all of the excess liquid from the bristles.
Try to remove as much of the paint, mineral spirits, and dishwashing soap residue from the brush as possible as you wring it out., After you’ve removed as much of the liquid from the brush as you can, turn the water on in the sink and let it run for 30 seconds or so until it’s hot.
Run the brush under the water to rinse it clean, and squeeze it again to ensure that you remove all of the lingering residue.If the brush is extremely dirty or the paint stains are old, you may need to repeat all of these steps two or more times to remove all of the paint. , When you’ve removed all of the paint that you can from the brush, submerge it in the mineral spirits again.
Next, squirt a pea-size amount of dishwashing liquid on it and work both into the spirits and soap into the bristles with your fingers.After you’ve worked the cleansers into the brush this time, do not rinse them out. , With the minerals spirits and dishwashing liquid still on the brush, set it down on a folded piece of paper towel.
Squeeze the paper towel around the bristles to remove the any remaining liquid.
Leave the brush out to air dry completely.Leaving the film of minerals spirits and dishwashing liquid on the brush to dry will help keep the bristles soft so it’s like new when you use it the next time.
About the Author
Paul Morris
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
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