Painting is something that we all have had to do at some point in our lives. Maybe it was to change up the aesthetic of a room, helping a friend out, or prepping a property to sell or rent. In any event, getting a little paint all over the place is a commonality.

It’s safe to say that one thing we have all struggled with is getting latex paint off of the brushes that we used. We all know the scenario: standing with the brush under running water, paint splashing around, yet the brush doesn’t get any cleaner.

Never deal with that scenario again. Use this handy guide the next time you paint with latex colors and you will be able to get your brushes good as new, ready to take on the next job and stand up to the test of time.

Gather Your Materials

Generally speaking, you should be able to get latex paint off of a brush with just some soap and water, but for more difficult cleanup efforts, get a wire paint comb, some latex gloves, your paintbrush, and the can of paint that was used in the project.

It should be noted that any time you go to clean paintbrushes of any kind, make certain that you do it as soon as the painting is done. When the paint begins to dry on the brush, that just makes it infinitely harder to get the paint off and there’s a good chance the brush will be ruined in the process.

Removing Excess Paint

The very first step is to get any excess paint that may be on the brush off. This is done for two reasons. The first is that you don’t want to waste any paint if you don’t have to. Paint can be quite expensive to purchase and if you end up needing it again, every little bit will matter.

The second is that any excess paint on the brush just means more cleaning that needs to be done. Save yourself some time and hassle by removing that excess paint on the edge of the paint can as soon as the job is finished.

Rinse and Comb

From here, run your brush under the warm water. You should notice it begin to sluice off, though the current won’t do all of the work. Use your comb to remove any of the excess paint that may still be on the brush itself.

Keep rinsing the brush off until you notice the water turning clear. It helps to spread the bristles out occasionally so that the water can get into the tough to reach spots.

When you feel confident that your brush is clean, tap out any excess moisture from the brush. That’s all you need to do to ensure that your paintbrushes are completely clean and ready to go for the next job. Nothing too complicated; just a little bit of thorough cleaning to get the job done.