Realized I was cleaning my brushes wrong for 10 years

Last week I was scrubbing my paintbrushes in the sink like always, getting frustrated that they kept shedding bristles. My neighbor who paints murals saw me and said I was using too much pressure and the wrong soap. She showed me her trick: just let them soak in warm water with a little dish soap for 15 minutes, then rinse gently. I tried it on three old brushes that were practically ruined and they came out almost new. Has anyone else been making this dumb mistake their whole life?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_linda18d ago

Wait, so all this time I've been scrubbing them like I'm trying to get a stain out of concrete and I could have just soaked them? That actually explains why my good brushes from the art store always ended up looking like I'd been using them as weed whackers. The bristles were basically begging for mercy. What kind of dish soap did she say to use, because I'm pretty sure the stuff I have is probably too harsh for anything that isn't a greasy pan. Also, does this work for the really cheap brushes you get from the dollar store, or will those just fall apart in the water?

alex30718d ago

I've had good luck with just a tiny drop of Dawn and warm water for both kinds, your mileage may vary though.

sean_torres7118d ago

Man I did that once and it totally wrecked my blender gasket no joke.