Keep Your Brushes Like New!

I use a product I found through my lovely plein air teacher, Brigitte Curt. This product is amazing. The best part is that it is ecologically safe and harmless to your brushes. It even gets out dried oil paint in your brushes and clothes. This means I don't have to make all my clothes into paint clothes, ha! I will tell you how to use it on your clothes and dried up brushes that you thought you'd have to throw away at the bottom of this post. But first, let's go through my procedure for regular brush cleaning.

I have a little bucket that I put a small amount of Brush Flush into.

Now I take my first brush that I've been using all week, just cleaning off between paintings in the odorless mineral spirits. This means it is NOT clean. It is only a little cleaned off from the mineral spirits. Then it usually will sit around until I make time to do the real cleaning.

Now, dip your brush into the Brush Flush and get it saturated well.

Next, take a leftover kitchen sponge and wipe your brush into it, back and forth. You will be amazed how much paint is still in your brush.

Rinse, and repeat until the brush and suds are paint free.

I will put the brush and sponge right under the warm running water to rinse.

Then wipe to make sure all the paint is removed.

Now your brush is clean. It might be stained, but the paint has been removed and your brush will last you! Wipe it dry, gently.

Lie flat on an absorbent surface.

After you have cleaned all your brushes, dip your fingers into the Brush Flush. Now wipe your brush with your fingers, shaping it.

Squeeze the tip, and the hairs will stick together and dry correctly.

Give them a day to dry in a sunny place if your can. If the paint is dry because you forgot to clean it at all, just saturate the brush hairs with the Brush Flush and let is set for a day, dip again, loosen into the soap and let it set again. When the hairs are nice and soft, follow the above directions.

If you have dried paint on your clothes, pour a little Brush Flush into the paint, scrub, and let set. Repeat until the paint loosens up. Then wash as unusual.

I am a Brush Flush distributor and sell it to my students for $12.95 for the 32 oz size. This will last a long time and save your brushes. If you want to order from the company it is $9.95 plus tax and shipping. About the same price in the end.

Happy painting!