How to clean your brushes in 3 easy steps

So you’ve just finished your first painting (elbow bump!). It can be tempting to admire your work and leave the clean up for “some other time,” but waiting to clean your brushes can actually ruin them.

By cleaning your acrylic brushes right after painting, you can save your future self time and money. Acrylic paint dries fast, which is perfect for covering up mistakes but can also leave your brush coated in dried paint that’s difficult to remove. Luckily, cleaning your brushes is hassle-free and takes less than two minutes. 

Cleaning your brushes is as easy as 1-2-3

1. Immediately after painting, take a paper towel and remove any excess paint from your brushes. Removing this extra paint will make the next few steps easier (and less messy).

2. Wet your brush with warm water and add a little bit of soap onto its bristles. Gently wash the bristles using your fingers, getting out as much paint as possible. Repeat this step until there is no more paint left in the brush.

3. Shake and squeeze out any excess water from the bristles, reshape the brushes, and lay them flat to dry. If you store the brushes vertically when wet, moisture will drip under the ferrule, ruining them in the long run.

If you follow these quick steps, you’ll have no problem keeping your brushes in perfect shape for years to come. Plus, when your tools are always ready for your next paint party, you can get to the fun part right away.