Cleaning Your Tools

TOOL CLEANING FOR WATER-BASED PAINT

It’s what people often dread the most about painting—cleaning up the brushes and rollers. Well, we’ve learned a few things to make this part of the painting process a little less painful.

First of all, for rollers: There is a tool called a 5-in-one that is handy for all kinds of things. It can be used for a scraper, a paint-lid lifter and is very useful for cleaning rollers. It has a handle and a blade with a half-moon cutout that just fits most paint rollers. When you are done with your paint-job, take the 5-in-one and scrape the excess paint off of your roller into the tray. Then remove the roller cover and take it to your sink and begin running warm water over it. As the water begins to wash the paint away, run the 5-in-one over sections of the roller cover to speed the removal of the paint. Continue the process until all the paint is washed away. Turn off the water and run the 5-in-one over the roller cover to remove the excess water and set the roller cover on a newspaper or paper towel to dry.

Now for the brushes and whiz rollers: Run warm water into a 5 quart or larger bucket. Add a small squirt of dishwashing detergent to the water. (Do not put the dishwashing soap directly on the brush. Dishwashing soap is made to be added to water, not used full strength.) Agitate the brush or whiz roller to be cleaned in the soapy water for 10 seconds. Dump out the water and add clear water. Agitate the brush or whiz roller in the rinse water for 10 seconds. Repeat the soap and rinse steps and your brush should be clean. If not, hold it under warm running water to remove the last bit of paint. Hold the brush between your palms, with the bristles down below the edge of the sink. Rub your hands back and forth quickly to make the brush spin and remove the excess water.