Best Paint Brush Cleaner. Remove Dried Paint
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Best Paint Brush Cleaner. How to clean a paint brush with dried paint on it. Testing products to see what will clean an old paint brush with dried paint. Simple paint brush restoration test. Paint Brushes I use: t.ly/sYnl / My interior tool kit: t.ly/4IzE
Joshua One:Nine
SHORT ANSWER: Use Acetone (10:15) or Reducer 54 (7:17) and the paint will literally brush right off with ease. After that apply warm soap & water and scrub with a wire brush until content.
Omg thank you
Thanks
Even for dried on latex paint?
@@travisk5589That's what they tested. 5+ days dried latex paint.
Thank You!
I watched this video over yesterday and I immediately ran to my garbage can and pulled out 2 brushes I had thrown out due to dry oil base polyurethane. I had a can of acetone, so I poured it in a 2-quart tub, and let it sit for 24 hours. The acetone did the job, and the brushes are back to normal. Thanks for the tip!
Awesome
I've tried every product known to man to remove stuck on latex from paint brushes. After watching your video, I tried acetone; the only product I've never tried. You guys were spot on!! Let the brush soak for 2 hours and combed out 99.9% of the crud!! Worked perfectly!! Brush is like new! Thank you!!!!
What I like to do after an acetone wash is coat the bristles in hair conditioner. I feel like it really makes the brush feel brand new after that
You taught me how to paint my house in 2016. This week, my sick friend's house was painted by me, her brother, cousin and adult grands. Both houses turned out great! Thanks!
I clean everything with recycled acetone, i get a 5 gallon pail from my painters supply for $45 and clean the spray guns, brushes, roller frames, spray tips and guards. It works great just soak for 30 minutes, take them out and brush off then rinse with soapy water
Your correct I've been doing the same method with acetone too.
Thank you. I've never had to do a deep restorative clean on any of my brushes until I saw what my brother-in-law did to some of mine that I lent him a year ago. This is a really helpful video. Hopefully I can get them back in working order. Thanks.
(And my brother-in-law gave me $60 bucks in case I needed to buy new brushes so he's not a jack-ass or anything. Just a home owner who doesn't know any better.)
This was the exact information I was looking for. I pulled a rookie mistake and completely forgot to clean my brush out before I went to bed last night. It's one of my good ones too. Thank you for this! having this
Your welcome thank you for sharing🤙
@@Idahopainter cheers! Merry Christmas =)
Of coarse it was your favourite brush because why would use any other brush. Kind like when you’re looking for something and it’s always in the last place you look.
Thank you! This is the best video I’ve seen so far for cleaning brushes. Actual scientific research.
Awesome video! I needed this as I left a couple brushes in the fridge for next day use. I’ve learned to clean my brushes more often. Now, i can salvage the brushes in the fridge. Thank you
Thank you for this video you saved my ass. I was painting my room my dad let me use 2 of his paint brushes and said you ruin them your buying new ones and they are hard as a rock... Good thing I have acetone
Thanks for this. I might also add that when using acetone or other strong solvents, make sure it's in a well ventilated area. It's not something you want to be inhaling.
im a new painter, this info is so very helpful, thanks for posting.
I used liquid fabric softener on a brush that had dried for over a year. Soak in straight liquid for 24 hours, then use a hair comb to remove softened paint.
I have used orange paint striper gel diluted in water with great success. Makes the brush smell like oranges as well. Highly recommend you try it.
Thank you for doing this .
Looking forward to tuning up some brushes......
I remember going into Sherwin Williams one day thinking " they'll have something".......
Well to my disappointment
They didn't or much for advice surprisingly....
So thanks for sharing the knowledge
Wayne
I have tried your solution with Acetone......2 old Purdy brushed are usable again. Bought a qt at local hdwe and was skeptical but tried it and IT WORKED. thanks for the useful info. I have several brushes that have been cleaned previous..I cleaned them and didn't let "help" do it. Thanks again.
Thanks for the great information! I've got at least 4 brushes that I need to put in Acetone to restore.
Karyn McDonald perfect
Thank you sir. You again saved my sanity. Acetone worked within a few minutes (mine wasn't left out as long) and got most of it out. I really wish those of us that just wanted to paint one room didn't have to go through all this expense with rollers and brushes. Obviously you get what you pay for, but I hadn't planned on 100 dollars worth of paint and supplies. Purple paint is the worst to cover. Thankfully the guys at the store have been amazing so no regrets on going to a professional place instead of a big box store.
I just painted over my granddaughter's purple room, and I was blown away how Sherwin Williams Showcase covered with only ONE coat!
Saved my favorite brush after watching this ...thought the brush was headed for the trash but Acetone to the rescue. Looks almost brand new.
Awesome! Great to hear🤙
I miss the old days ( the sixties) when i had my first business as a house painter .
Things were easy then . Latex and oil base paints . that was pretty much it.
one could clean up with water or paint thinner in a few minutes . My partner and i had the same brushes for years . two 3 inch sash brushes , one nylon, one bristle. 😂😂
Thats how my gpa did it. I used to watch him clean his hands with paint thinner and water when i was very young
On the live show I was the first to mention acetone. I'm just starting off with my business. Can't even afford a sprayer. I get brushes from clients that showed me their attempt at painting and the brushes they forgot to clean. They give them to me and bam I get new brushes that way. Glad I could give support for the paint life community.
btrim1974 thanks for your tip
Paint Life TV your welcome. I seen others mentioned it in the live stream. I knew it worked and was excited to have seen others used the same method. Xylene is a dangerous chemical. And acetone is a lot safer and cheaper in bulk. Glad to help out.
Way to rag on your daughter!!
Wendy Stibbards huh?
Thank you guys for taking time of your Day for this 😌
No problem 😊
Great stuff. Lacquer thinner is acetone with other things like toluene added to slow evaporation. That Krud Kutter brush was is fantastic for a quick dip when cleaning brushes promptly. Really gets every bit out of it.
👊
@@Idahopainter Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate how engaged you are for a guy w/ nearly 500K subscribers.
I had some Goo Gone sitting around and that worked. A bit more expensive than Acetone but I already had it. Thanks for sharing your experiment results.
Your welcome🤙
As a DYI home owner, during a (acrylic/latex) painting project I wrap up the paint brushes in plastic single use grocery store bags. Then place them in a gallon size Ziploc bag and put them in the freezer to use the next day until the project is completed. When the task is done then I clean the paint brushes by using concentrated Dawn Dish washing soap (2x) directly into the bristles, working deeply into the brush. Rinse with moderate warm water and again soak them in Simple Green overnight. Rinse and put away
Also, I use a Flea Comb For (cats) from Wally World or 99 cent instead of the expensive paint comb
Yes, acetone works well. But I generally prefer not to use it due to both the odor and health concerns, not to mention environmental issues with disposal. I recently (October 2023) had a $25 Purdy brush that a friend allowed to harden into a virtual board, dried latex paint from tip to ferrule. (It got left in the garage for, I dunno, 3 months or somesuch. So the paint was fully cured). My solution: I put it brush-side down into a quart-sized Ziplock bag, filled the bag with Murphy's Oil Soap, suspended it in a quart can for about 30 hours. Removed and cleaned it with a wire brush. Good as new: bristles are clean, soft, perfect all the way to the ferrule. Set side-by-side with a new Purdy you can scarcely tell the difference. This is only for water-based latex paint, of course, but it is a cheap and safe alternative folks might want to try.
good tip, wondered about using that
Thank you thank you thank you!!!! Finally I can clean my favourite brushes !!!
Very useful video thank God I can buy nail varnish remover anywhere and try it on four dried out brushes used with gloss. I find water based paint so much less hassle and I always clean the brushes after use. Gloss smells and white spirit sinks as well but they have to be cleaned if you dont want to waste your brushes.
I have had the most success with Acetone on latex paint brushes. Evaporation is an issue, but the Acetone does soften the brushes after soaking for about 12 hours. I was interested in what other cleaner to soak the brush after the Acetone as Acetone alone can cause bristles to dry out and go wild on me. I think I will try the Simple Green as a post-Acetone soak and see how the bristles survive the process. Thanks for the video. It was very helpful. I also use Acetone to clean off the brush ferrule. The dried latex paint comes right off.
You saved my favorite art brushes that my sweet daughter used and left paint in *insert sob fest here*. I'm now mourning the lose of all the great brushes that met their end in a dark trashcan before I knew the acetone trick.
What do you do with the spent chemicals after you're done cleaning the brushes ? Thanks
For latex, I fill a can with hot water, add some Tide or other detergent and let it sit for a day or so. Then, rinse under running hot water, followed by cleaning with a paintbrush comb. This worked well on brushes that were rock hard from months ago.
16:40 I'm glad you asked. If you have a paintbrush with DRYED PAINT on it (oil or latex) there are two things that will remove that paint. One is "Brush Cleaner" It smells like nail polish remover. The second is gasoline. Now, this is where the quality of your paintbrush comes into play. A quality brush will survive this procedure many times over (Purdy) A cheap brush will not. I learned this from an Old Timer/ Old School painter.
I've been using acetone and laquer thinner to flush my brushes and guns since the 70's. You rally should make sure that you have eye protection and both evaporate rapidly.
very well done - thanks very much from South Australia
Thank you for this video. I tried vinegar but it wasn't what works. I will try acetone.
I've used goof off works extremely well on dry paint
I’ve seen that white vinegar works if you boil it first and then submerge the brush in it and then wire brush it.
Thanks so much for the experiment!
Seen a painter putting hair conditioner on his brushes after washing them out at the end of the day and the wrapping them in plastic/cellophane. Cheers lads
I’ve used conditioner to revive a brush a little. It works great. I’ll usually put it on a brush just after I’ve washed if I feel like the product has stripped the bristles(dried them out) a little. It does work. Cheers.
Love the videos man. Looks like you have a great group of guys working with you. Which in rare in our trade.
Thank you!🤙Paint Life!
Thank you for the info! I have a couple of brushes to try with acetone.
Restored an old bristle brush with Diggers "brush restorer". Took a week or so of soaking and a few wire brush treatments as it went along gradually getting softer. But eventually it ended up like a great brush fully restored and worn in ready for use. Was a perfect small glossing brush all worn in ready to go. was not as caked as the ones in this vid but was definitely solid and useless. So it can be done if one really wants it. And you can't buy em like that any more so that was worth it.
I have a question I thought about the other day when looking at different bristle types. With your combined experiences has there even been any type of brush bristle you've used that got deformed when soaked in any time of cleaner or solvent? separate from the effect on the dried on paint. Thanks!Painter Pete
Murphy's Oil soap took rock hard latex paint off a brush of mine. It gave me like new bristles as well.
Thanks for the tip!
Are you using plastic cups to soak the brush in.
Try murphies oil soap it is marvelous.
Smells good non toxic works over night.
My next choice is acetone.
Hi guys I have been watching on and off for a while good content. I just went through the sds of reducer 54. It is 50 % a ketone (same chemical family as acetone), 20% ethanol, 20% xylene, and something they will not specify. That said the reducer 54 should be a much strong dissolving agent. The xylene in there is an incredible remover. I would guess it would work well on just about everything, like you saw even the brush materials. For your money and ease of knowledge acetone with maybe specific use cases for reducer 54. Thanks for the info and video.
Jared Godwin awesome info
Hi guys wanted to follow up I just looked at xylene's chemical structure it's an extreme solvent. It isnt really much good for water based stuff but anything oil based it should be like kryptonite. That would be the use case. I would probably just stay away from it as acetone will work on water and oil based materials. I have a chemistry back ground if that helps or matters to you. Thanks for the vids.
I’m curious, why did you not try lacquer thinner?
Hey gotta question for disposal. We recently moved to a house with septic tank and a well water. How do i clean paint brushes and safely dispose of any water or cleaning agents used to clean brushes? ??
Skibbidy Pap yes thank you!!
Is this in latex paint do you have any videos of brushes in oil paint
Can u make a video how you store your sprayers and if you use something special in the hoses. Thx
I saw one of his videos last year where he recommended running antifreeze (normal diluted ethylene glycol) into the sprayer before storage. I did this last winter and it worked perfectly.
RPG 37 we have
Thank you for saving me so much time and money !!!
Simple green purple and grafiti remover cleaner work very good
A paint store guys told me to use 1 part hot tap water and 1 part fabric softener (like downy). It works wonderfully! No harsh chemicals.
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
*.....pleased mention the cost analysis? Is it worth the cost of the acetone and lost time...*
I have found Pure Castile soap and very hot water works the best, it softens the dried latex paint then comb it through it conditions as it cleans.. for even better results after cleaning I put more Pure Castile Soap on the brushes and wash them when I need them..I also use Downey fabric softer in my wash water it’s great for brushes and roller sleeves. My customers love it because my work area smells great.
Awesome, thanks for sharing Theresa!
Use a brass bristle brush to clean brush instead of wire brush. The wire brush frays at the ends and grabs and pulls out the bristles where the bras does not do.
TSP original. I hate carrying tons of chemicals around. And being I use it when painting kitchens and bathrooms, I always have a box of it on hand. I use it on my brushes and it works great. And yes, I've used it to clean hardened brushes as well.
Good idea, thanks for sharing Glenn!
". . . .that's what you get, when your daughter uses your paint brushes. . . ."
hahaha -- EXACTLY!
🤙
Or your husband who refuses to accept that the wife might know more than him about painting.
He trashes brushes, it's embarrasing. He's 52. Men that refuse to listen, sheesh.
@@sigh_anna Killing paintbrushes is equal opportunity lol! But their daughter and your husband (and I) had the same problem, didn't know any better XD
Before finding this video, i tried a paint stripper on a brush wrapped in plastic so it sweats.lets see if i find another solution or sacrificed brushes
I’m just curious if putting the brushes into different containers of chemicals without washing in between is harmful in any way? Skin, inhaling...?
Thanks for doing this experiment. Oil u have had trouble restoring, but latex I just use denatured alcohol and they clean up no prob.
ThAnks for sharing and watching 🤙
Do you use denatured alcohol for cleaning latex paint brushes? Or will that damage the brush? If you do use it,do you allow denatured alcohol to soak in the brush overnight? Was wondering how to clean my new an older latex brushes?
Great video! I always use chinex brushes, wonder how they would have cleaned in the experiment...
True day. Chinex cleans up very easy.
Does acetone work with synthetic brushes, or too harsh?
I was thinking lacquer thinner - which is very similar to acetone. I wonder what chemicals work best with natural bristles vs synthetic. Best cleaner of all - clean your brushes often!
I have Wooster brush that I used with oil based primer paint called killz clean the brush with mineral spirits and it did the job but now it’s hard nothing crazy but hard what’s recommended for softening the brush?
Lacquer thinner is my go to for cleaning dried paint.
Nice
I boil water and add a few ml of acetone into the water once boiled then just leave the brush in it.
Recuperating brushes on work sites and restoring them ^^
Edit: Just finished the video, not surprised that acetone worked.
It's always done wonders for me, and the reason I use boiling water is because it helps soften the brush.
It depends on the bristles. i.e. whether you wanna put the brush into water that’s just come off a boil. I know that hot, hot water can ruin some brushes.
you mustn't use hot water with synthetics
Should I assume that the ferrule (metal part of the brush) shouldn't be put into the boiling water, as it may loosen the glue holding the bristles? Thanks in advance!
@@Artistram3d1 Well, it's usually advised not to, but more so not to get any water seeping past the ferrule, the densely compact bristles, then into the end wood which usually isn't treated like the rest of the wood (this being if you use high end brushes). Wood expansion can loosen the ferrule on some brushes so ... and because heat opens pores, and expands metals, it is indeed ill advised.
Either way, you don't need much water and acetone for this to work. And if you're working with water based paints, the acetone / WS won't do much, so you might not have as good of luck.
can we mix simple green and acetone ?
I've also heard soaking a brush in hot water and oxiclean works great too.
Where do you get your brushes
I tried Kleen strip brush cleaner and it didn’t phase it. What’s bad is that’s what it’s intended for.
I’m trying mineral spirits and is doing a little but not that great.
I’ve used purple power to strip paint from model cars over night but I’ve never tried it on a paintbrush.
Take us through the dust brush part of the business. When, how much, other options etc...... You guys are so entertaining
Good idea!
How about Murphy's Oil Soap. I use that for oil art brushes.
Good tip
keep up the paintlife brother.informative vids.
would some cleaners you tried destroy the bristles? maybe melt them ?
What do you do with the acetone after done using it?
Keep resusing it
Id rather buy a new brush than sit and fool with it. Congrats Purdy, you win.
LOL
thanks for doing this guys
How about oil based, dried?
When i 1st started painting many years ago i was with a co .we did chevron gas stations. Nothing but oil base back then well when i worked with 1 guy after hed clean the brushes in laquer thinner hed dump 30 wt motor oil in the paint thinner to rinse the brushes. He said it kept the bristles soft. I dont remember if it ever did that was a long time ago. Maybe youve heard of this?
Great video. Going to try the Acetone to restore some brushes. It would be great not to have to throw good brushes gone bad. Save $$$
Thanks for watching Peter!
Thanks for putting out your videos. I have watched a bunch and they have been very helpful and informative.
Acetone is used all the time to thin epoxy use it in boat work and fiberglass work daily. I'm not sure what reducer 54 is. I would think it is just some sort of offshoot of acetone anyway
Thanks for sharing
You videos have been very helpful to me, so I will return the favor. Get some lacquer thinner, which you probably have. It eats latex paint.
Last night I had to clean a very expensive paint brush my husband failed to store correctly.
I found that goo gone worked pretty good too loosen it. In then I used a very fine tooth metal doggy comb. Works ok. But that's why I'm here, I'm looking for something more guarantee.
Can I leave my new purdy nylon brush soak in soapy water bucket to after work n just clean at my house cause it says dont let it soak
Well this is gonna sound crazy but if you get oil based paint dried on your hands, don't use any solvent to get it off. Go in to the kitchen and get some olive oil. Pore it on your hands like you are washing your hands. It will remove the paint without you absorbing any VOCs . Then just wash you hands with soap and water. I wonder how it would do with a paint brush that has been used but not dried. Of course how would get the Olive oil out of the brush, simple green.
I tried to wash my 4inch roller real well and it didnt work now its hard as a rock. Im sad.
Thanks for the video it was really helpful !
Hey, I love your video's. I have put some of your tips to use. To clean my sprayer and brushes I use Benefect Atomic degreaser. It will loosen even a shellac in 24 hours. I miss poly clens though.
Well done
would the acetone create a bomb if the container has a lid on it to help evaporation.. I have several brushes treated badly I bought at auction.
No more dangerous than the acetone in a sealed bottle of nail polish remover.
For dried up latex. I put the brush in fabric softener. Any available from the dollar store.
Leave brush in overnight. Next day, paint comes off easy. And brisles stay soft.
Interesting
Just got finished painting my dining room. New brushes and rollers all came clean with Pinesol. Try it you'll be amazed.
Is it safe for a DIYer to leave their brushes soaking in acetone overnight?
Did you soak it in cider?
I've used 10:1 diluted ammonia with great success to clean up old hard latex drips on wood and tile. Would you consider adding that to your next test?
Good idea, thanks for sharing!
Makes me wonder what MEK would do. Probably ruin a synthetic brush. Tried using a synthetic brush to apply some muriatic acid once. Very bad idea!
So which was the best? Acetone?