How to Clean a Paint Brush: The Art of Preserving Your Most Essential Painting Tool
I've ruined more paint brushes than I care to admit. There was this one sable brush—cost me nearly forty dollars back in 2018—that I left sitting in turpentine for three days because I got distracted by a commission deadline. When I finally remembered it, the ferrule had loosened, the bristles splayed out like a bad haircut, and the handle had started to crack. That expensive mistake taught me something fundamental: cleaning brushes isn't just maintenance, it's an investment in your craft.
The relationship between an artist and their brushes is intimate. You learn how each one moves, how it holds paint, where it tends to shed a bristle or two. A well-maintained brush can last decades. I still use a flat shader my grandmother gave me in 1995, and it paints as smoothly as the day she handed it to me, wrapped in tissue paper with a note that said, "Take care of your tools, and they'll take care of your art."
The Chemistry of Paint and Why It Matters
Paint is essentially pigment suspended in a binding medium. With oils, that's usually linseed oil or similar drying oils. Acrylics use polymer emulsions. Watercolors bind with gum arabic. Each of these behaves differently when it comes to cleaning, and understanding this saves both time and brushes.
Oil paint doesn't actually "dry"—it oxidizes and polymerizes, forming long molecular chains that harden over time. This is why you can sometimes revive a brush with dried oil paint days later, but once acrylic dries, those polymer chains have formed permanent bonds. It's like the difference between butter left out on the counter and superglue. One you can still work with; the other is a lost cause.
I learned this the hard way during my art school days when I treated all paints the same. My professor, a gruff old painter named Marcus who'd studied in Florence, watched me trying to clean dried acrylic from a brush with turpentine. He shook his head and said, "You're performing surgery with a sledgehammer." He was right.
The Oil Paint Cleaning Process
Let me walk you through my ritual for cleaning oil paint brushes. First, I wipe off as much paint as possible on a rag or paper towel. Some artists keep a telephone book for this purpose—the absorbent paper is perfect, and you get hundreds of pages. Though finding a phone book these days is getting harder than finding affordable cadmium red.
Next comes the initial rinse. I keep three jars of mineral spirits on my painting table, labeled like a bartender's setup: "Dirty," "Cleaner," and "Clean." The first jar does the heavy lifting. I swish the brush around, pressing it gently against the bottom in a figure-eight pattern. Never jam it straight down—that's how you end up with splayed bristles that paint like a toothbrush.
The second jar removes most of what's left, and the third gives a final rinse. By keeping this three-jar system, the last jar stays relatively clean for weeks. It's economical and better for the environment than constantly dumping solvents.
After the mineral spirits, I take the brushes to the sink. Here's where opinions diverge wildly in the art community. Some swear by dish soap, others insist on specialized brush cleaners. I've found that good old Murphy's Oil Soap works brilliantly. It's gentle, conditions the bristles, and cuts through oil without being harsh. Work up a lather in your palm, swirling the brush in circles. The soap will turn the color of whatever paint you were using—keep going until it runs clear.
Acrylic Paint: The Race Against Time
Acrylic paint is unforgiving. Once it dries in your brush, you might as well hold a funeral. The key is never letting it get to that point. I keep a container of water next to my palette and rinse brushes obsessively between colors. Some artists find this breaks their flow, but I'd rather pause for two seconds than lose a $30 brush.
When I'm done painting, acrylics get the soap treatment immediately. No waiting, no "I'll clean them after dinner." The polymer binders in acrylic paint start setting up within minutes of exposure to air. Warm water helps—it keeps the polymers flexible longer. I use a gentle dish soap, working it through the bristles until the water runs clear.
For stubborn acrylic residue that hasn't fully cured, I've had luck with rubbing alcohol. Soak the brush for a few minutes, then work the bristles gently. This won't help with fully dried paint, but it can save a brush that's been forgotten for an hour or two.
Watercolor: The Gentle Touch
Watercolor brushes, especially those made with natural hair, require the gentlest approach. These brushes can cost a fortune—a Kolinsky sable brush can run over $100—and rough treatment will ruin them quickly. The cleaning process is almost meditative in its simplicity.
Rinse in cool water, swirling gently. If needed, a tiny drop of gentle shampoo (yes, shampoo—these are hair brushes, after all) worked through the bristles does wonders. The key is maintaining the brush's point or edge. After cleaning, I shape the bristles with my fingers and lay the brushes flat to dry. Never leave them standing in water—the wood handles will swell and crack, and the ferrules will loosen.
The Resurrection Attempts
We've all been there. You find a brush you forgot about, rock-hard with dried paint, and wonder if it's salvageable. With oils, there's hope. Soak the brush in mineral spirits for 24 hours, then try working the bristles gently. Sometimes the paint will soften enough to clean normally. I've brought brushes back from the dead this way, though they're never quite the same.
For acrylics, commercial brush cleaners containing alcohol or acetone might work, but honestly? The success rate is low. I've tried everything from nail polish remover to specialized products that promise miracles. Maybe one in ten brushes comes back usable, and even then, they're relegated to rough work.
There's this product called "Brush Restorer" that's basically a stronger solvent blend. It works sometimes, but the fumes will clear a room, and it's harsh on natural bristles. I save it for synthetic brushes I can't bear to throw away, usually for sentimental reasons rather than practical ones.
Storage and Long-Term Care
Clean brushes deserve proper storage. I learned this from a conservator at the Met who showed me brushes from the 1800s still in perfect condition. The secret? They were cleaned properly and stored correctly.
After cleaning, reshape the bristles while damp. For round brushes, twirl them to a point. Flats should be squared off. Then—and this is crucial—store them bristles-up in a jar or holder, or flat in a drawer. Never bristles-down, which bends them permanently.
For long-term storage, I go a step further. Once the brushes are completely dry, I wrap them in acid-free paper with a bit of lavender to keep moths away (learned that from my grandmother). Some artists use hair conditioner on natural bristles before storage. I'm skeptical, but I know respected painters who swear by it.
The Economics of Brush Care
Let's talk money for a moment. A decent synthetic brush costs $10-20. Natural hair brushes start at $30 and go up from there. I once calculated that proper cleaning adds maybe two minutes per brush to my cleanup routine. Over a brush's lifetime—let's say five years of regular use—that's about 10 hours of cleaning time. If that maintenance doubles the brush's life, you're essentially earning the brush's purchase price for 10 hours of work. Not a bad hourly rate.
But it's more than economics. There's something deeply satisfying about maintaining your tools. It's a ritual that closes the painting session, a transition from creation back to the everyday world. Some of my best ideas come while cleaning brushes, when my hands are busy but my mind is free to wander.
Common Mistakes and Myths
The internet is full of brush-cleaning advice, and half of it is nonsense. Hot water doesn't clean better—it can actually set paint and loosen ferrules. Fabric softener doesn't "condition" brushes; it leaves residue that repels paint. And despite what some YouTube videos claim, you cannot clean oil paint with cooking oil. I tried it once. The brushes stayed greasy for weeks and attracted every dust particle in my studio.
Another myth: expensive brushes don't need as much care. If anything, they need more. Cheap brushes are often synthetic and surprisingly durable. Natural hair brushes—sable, mongoose, hog bristle—require gentle handling and proper cleaning to maintain their unique properties.
The Environmental Question
We need to talk about solvents. Traditional turpentine and mineral spirits aren't great for the environment or your health. I've switched to odorless mineral spirits for daily cleaning and a citrus-based solvent for deep cleaning. They work just as well and don't leave me with a headache.
Never pour solvents down the drain. I keep a waste jar where used spirits settle. The paint sludge sinks to the bottom, and the clearer solvent on top can be decanted and reused. The sludge gets disposed of at my local hazardous waste facility. It's a small hassle that makes a big difference.
Final Thoughts
After twenty-five years of painting, I've learned that brush care is really about respect—respect for your tools, your craft, and ultimately, your art. Every well-maintained brush is ready to help you create. Every neglected brush is a small betrayal of that potential.
I still think about that ruined sable brush sometimes. Not with regret, exactly, but with gratitude for the lesson it taught me. These days, cleaning brushes isn't a chore; it's part of the practice. It's the coda to each painting session, a small ritual that honors both the work completed and the work yet to come.
Take care of your brushes. They're not just tools; they're partners in every stroke, every blend, every tiny detail that brings your vision to life. And unlike that forty-dollar sable brush I destroyed, with proper care, they'll be with you for the long haul.
Authoritative Sources:
Gottsegen, Mark David. The Painter's Handbook: A Complete Reference. Watson-Guptill Publications, 2006.
Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. 5th ed., Viking Press, 1991.
Smith, Ray. The Artist's Handbook. DK Publishing, 2003.
Saitzyk, Steven. The Definitive Guide to Artists' Materials. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1987.
National Gallery of Art. "Caring for Your Paintings." National Gallery of Art, www.nga.gov/conservation/caring-for-your-paintings.html.
Golden Artist Colors, Inc. "Brush Care and Cleaning." Golden Artist Colors, www.goldenpaints.com/technicalinfo/technicalinfo_brushcare.