Perrysburg Painter

how to clean paint rollers

Pro Tips How to Clean and Store Your Paint Rollers and Paint Brushes

Perfecting the trim or taking off painter’s tape carefully is not enough to get the paint on your walls right—whether you are a professional or a homeowner planning for DIY, all your efforts could go in vain if your paintbrushes and rollers are not on point. An unclean or damaged roller or brush can make it difficult to paint and may result in undesirable patchy paint. For those in the pursuit of smooth walls and pro paint jobs, we will discuss all the details about cleaning a paint roller or brush, preparing them before a paint, storing them during a painting to avoid, and more in today’s blog.

The Need for Cleaning Paint Brushes & Rollers

Wondering why it is even important to clean paint brushes & rollers—after all, you could use the same later. Using unclean brushes & rollers can result in poor paint application and undesirable results. If we don’t clean them after use, the paint on them might dry in some time and could become extremely difficult to remove from the rollers/brushes. As a result, it might even make them redundant, requiring a visit to the hardware store again for new ones. This way, you are wasting both resources and money in the longer run.

So, whether you are a professional or a DIY-er, it is imperative to know how to maintain your paintbrushes and rollers during or after the painting process. This way, you increase the longevity of your tools, enhance efficiency and achieve great results without wasting money on buying new equipment every time. Experts suggest that your tools like paint rollers & brushes can last p to 6 months with proper care—so they are not a cost but an investment that you need to nurture to get returns. From prepping your tools to storing during painting and post that—bookmark this blog as it will be your bible for all these and much more.

Prepping Your Tools For Paint

Have you ever noticed that the bristles of a paintbrush sometimes become hard when not used for a long time? What do you do then? If you are just dipping that right into your paint, then you are up for massive trouble. According to an industry expert, it is crucial to soften the bristles before beginning to paint. Here’s a trick to achieve this—a little fingerwork can help you break in a brush with hard bristles. Further, to avoid loose bristles spoiling your paint, you can pinch the ends of bristles and pull them away slightly to remove loose strands, if any. Also, if you are using latex paint for the job, you can even dip your brush in water to loosen it.

While this was about paintbrushes, the major problem with rollers is the occurrence of lint on the surface. To remove this, wrap a piece of painter’s tape on your hand with the sticky side out. Now, run it over your roller to remove the lint.

Storing Brushes During a Project

Do you clean your brushes every time after use, even during a project? While that might seem a nice practice, it is not really so. You can save yourself from all the cleaning in the middle of a project by keeping it fresh and not letting the paint on the roller or brush dry. For this, you can wrap it using heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap. If the gap duration is longer than 24 hours, then make sure to store it in a vacuum bag and place it in the fridge to keep the paint from drying. 

Clean Your Brushes After Project

Best Paint roller

You never know when you might use them again, so it is wise to clean your paintbrushes properly. First, you should start by removing all the extra paint on the tool by brushing it back into the container. Where you wash your brushes is an important consideration. Some areas have strict restrictions against washing paint into the drainage. Other areas with extensive waste management systems in place do not have such concerns. The method of rinsing your leverage depends on the type of paint and tool.

Water-based paint can easily be rinsed using warm water and a teaspoon of soap. When cleaning a brush, mere running it under the water might not suffice, and you will have to use your fingers to force the paint out of the bristles and scrub the paint stuck on the outside of the bristles using a sponge. The curved blade of a 5-in-1 tool could come in handy to remove the excess paint to clean a roller. Further, you can run it under the water and use your fingers to remove the paint from the fibers. Here are some tips that you must live by, no matter the kind of paint or tool:

  1. Clean your tool before the paint dries so that it could be removed easily. The immediate steps to remove the paint would be running it against the rim of the paint can remove excess paint and then brushing it criss-cross on a newspaper to clean it further.
  2. Once we have removed all the excess paint, you need to clean the brush or roller thoroughly using water in the case of latex-based paints and the appropriate solvent for oil-based paints.
  3. To remove any leftover solvent, wash it more with soap and water and slap it against the edge of a strong object like a deck railing or table to remove excess water.
  4. Reshape the bristles carefully using your hand or a paintbrush comb so that they are not disfigured after drying.
  5. Hang your tools vertically with bristles facing downwards.

Last but not the least, once your tools are completely dry, you must store them in their original covers to protect them against external elements and enhance their longevity. Don’t worry if you’ve lost it. Here’s a pro tip to create a DIY protective cover—use cardboard and duct tape to create a strong cover for your brushes and rollers.

Another problem most DIY-ers or professionals face is dealing with leftover paint. We often receive questions like—should we discard the leftover paint? Is there any way we could store and reuse it? There definitely is! Click here for a complete guide on reusing leftover paint and ways to prevent it from damage.

Hire Professional Painters in Ohio

Are you planning to paint your home or office? Are you struggling with questions like how to paint, what tools to use, what paint to use, how to clean tools, and more? We understand all of that. At Perrysburg Painting Company, we have helped multiple clients through end-to-end painting services for home and commercial spaces. We make quality services available at affordable prices so that you don’t have to worry about any of those questions or go through the DIY trouble to save some bucks. Connect with our experts today!

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