Cleaning Brushes

Does anyone know the best way to clean oil/acrylic brushes?

I rinse mine with turpentine first and then wash them with soap for final clean.

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Comment by Candi Hogan on February 13, 2015 at 6:37: Thank you Steinunn, I'll try that next time I paint with my oils!

Comment by Steinunn Einarsdottir on February 13, 2015 at 6:03: Hello Candi, no I can not get Murphy´s Oil Soap but, I received a good advice how to keep the brushes soft and clean, it is with a "Sunflower Oil". Put some oil in a jar, when finish painting, clean the paint off with a paper towel then dip it in the oil (do not shake) and clean with paper, do this a few times until clean and then leave the brushes in the oil until you are ready to paint with it again. Wolah!

Comment by Candi Hogan on February 13, 2015 at 3:23: Can you get Murphy's Oil Soap? I had some nasty brushes, that i had not cleaned properly, found this remedy on the internet. Soak your brushes over night in the Murphy's Oil Soap, and they will be like new (with a little scrubbing) the next day!

Comment by Steinunn Einarsdottir on November 27, 2014 at 9:10: Hello Shelly, thank you for information, the oil thing sounds very interesting I might just try it.

Thanks again

Steinunn

Comment by Steinunn Einarsdottir on November 27, 2014 at 9:06: My apologies for not replying sooner but I have been away.

Thank you very much Sharon for your mail, I have not seen "The masters" Brush Cleaner" here in Iceland.

Thanks again.

Comment by Sharon Repple on November 24, 2014 at 13:54: I use "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver for acrylics. It says it cleans oil and watercolor brushes also. Comes in bar or round flat beige jar. Love the way it cleans my brushes.

Comment by Shelly Wierzba on November 24, 2014 at 6:18: I do one thing differently than what I read in the other comments. I don't clean my brushes often. I just wipe out some of the paint with a paper towel and them hang them in a brush holder with the bristles in food grade mineral oil. On the next painting day I simply clean them on another paper towel and dive in. I clean them with OMS followed by brush soap about every month or so. This method saved me a lot of time over cleaning brushes every time I painted!

Comment by Steinunn Einarsdottir on November 19, 2014 at 10:08: Thank you both Ann and Jon, lovely to receive such good feed back.

I like the idea to try Simple Green, Dish washing soap and baby oil Ann.

Comment by Jon Main on November 19, 2014 at 7:00: One thing I always do is, when I get new brushes is I soak them for 5 minutes in the medium in which they will be used (OMS/turps for oil brushes, water for acrylic and watercolor brushes) and then leave them with bristles pointing up to dry. The idea is that the part of the bristles inside the ferrule will absorb the liquid and expand - thus helping to resist the ingress of paint into the ferrule - I feel it's imprtant so I've never forgotten to do it!!!

Comment by Ann Turner on November 19, 2014 at 6:22: Hi Steinunn, I use turp, wipe and then clean with a mix of 1part Simple Green / 2parts Dawn dish soap, rinse. If a brush is getting out of shape or has lost its chisel edge you can work baby oil into the bristles and reshape then place flat to dry. The oil helps to add moisture to the natural brushes and helps them to keep their shape. Like conditioning your hair. Just wipe clean with soft cloth when ready to use.