Best tips for cleaning up after painting

It is much easier to clean the paint brushes if you don’t switch back and forth between the two types of bases.

A paintbrush comb is one of the best ways to clean a paint brush. It cleans through the centre of the brush and removes any residue near the ferrule’s edge. Paint residue left in the brush hardens, causing the bristles to ‘set’, which makes them lose their bend recovery. Once clean, use the paintbrush comb to straighten the bristles or filaments. Reshape the paint brush to its original shape and lay flat to dry.

What about rollers and trays?

For rollers, disassemble and rinse with warm water, add detergent and work it into a lather to remove the paint. Air dry it standing upright to avoid crushing the fibres. For solvent-based paint, pour the solvent into the paint tray, circulate it through the roller and let it soak for a few minutes. Squeeze the excess solvent out of the roller and repeat the process with new solvent until it’s clean.

PAINTING & DECORATING

By Steve Dahllof

The job of painting your home doesn’t finish when you stand back and admire your smooth, newly coloured walls and ceilings. There is a whole lot of stuff to do after the last brushstroke before you can celebrate your painting project being fully completed with a glass of wine or beer.

What do I do with cloths, sheets and tape?

Even while you are painting, you can make your final clean-up easier and quicker by having a damp cloth handy to wipe up drips and spills straightaway. Drips on dry or non-porous surfaces can be wiped off with mineral spirits or paint thinner.

Before the paint dries, remove all masking tape. This will minimise the likelihood of the new paint film lifting off with the tape. No problem if it has dried – just score the edge of the tape with a sharp knife or razor blade before removing the tape. For glass surfaces, wait until the paint is completely dry before using a knife or paint scraper.

When you remove the drop cloths or sheets, fold the corners into the middle. This prevents sills or drips from flicking onto surrounding areas.

Oily rags can spontaneously combust (catch on fire) if piled up or left in a closed container or space. Not fun! You can safeguard against this by immersing oily rags in an open container filled with water or drying them before putting in the washing machine.

How do I clean paintbrushes?

There are few things more tedious than getting your brushes, rollers, edgers, scrapers and paint trays out for a new job and discovering that you didn’t clean them after your last one. When you’ve finished painting, clean whatever equipment you used immediately so that paint doesn’t dry permanently on them, and dry them thoroughly to prevent rust.

If you used latex paints, you will need warm soapy water; oil paints need turps, mineral spirits or paint thinner. Don’t soak brushes in solvent or water as this can damage the bristles. Pour the soapy water or solvent into a container and dip the paintbrush into the solution. Work it through the brush bristles, dipping up and down in the container several times. Spin the paint brush in a waste area to remove excess water or thinner and then repeat process with a clean container and clean water or thinner.

A useful tip is to use one set of synthetic painting tools for oil-based products and another set for water-based products.

Pour unused paint from your tray back into the tin, providing it’s not contaminated by insects or dirt. Run water over your paint tray, use a scrubbing brush to remove the rest of the paint and dry the tray off with an old cloth. Discard tray liners when dry.

After using the appropriate cleaner on your hands, wash them with soap and water.

Of course, to save time and effort, you could hire a professional painter who will do all this for you!

For more painting advice on cleaning up after painting, contact Dahllof Painting Services at sjd67@bigpond.net.au We will be happy to answer all your inquiries.

By Stacey Dalton

By Tim & Narelle Knott

Financial Planner

By Warren Strybosch