How To Clean Oil Painting Brushes

High-quality oil painting brushes can be expensive, but with a little care, they can last for years. Art suppliers like Dick Blick Art Materials and Michaels are good places to shop for cleaning supplies. Here’s how to do it:

What You’ll Need

Tear some newspaper sheets in half and keep a pile nearby while you work. You’ll also need liquid hand soap, a pair of gloves, and a small can of paint thinner, turpentine or mineral spirits.

Remove Excess Paint

Wrap a piece of newspaper around your brush, firmly enclosing the metal ferrule at the top of the bristles, and pull the brush out of the newspaper. Repeat this process using additional newspaper if needed, until you get as much paint out of it as possible.

Loosen and Repeat

Dip your brush into the can of paint thinner or other thinning medium and swish it around, rubbing it against the bottom and sides to release paint from the bristles. Grab a new sheet of newspaper and repeat the squeezing process. The paint will be runny.

Wash Your Brush

Finally, put a dollop of plain liquid soap in the palm of your hand and sweep the brush back and forth in the soap. When the soap fills with paint, rinse it and repeat with more soap until no more color appears in your palm. Give the brush a final rinse and squeeze out remaining water with a fresh sheet of newspaper. Let it air dry.

By: Tammy Grubb

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