Clean brushes thoroughly for longer brush life.
Cleaning your paintbrushes with turpentine correctly results in residue-free brushes. Generally, properly cleaned brushes last longer and perform better than brushes left to dry with paint residue in them. You need only follow a few steps to effectively clean your brushes with turpentine. Though a bit time consuming, your efforts are rewarded with longer lasting, more effective brushes.
Instructions
1. Pour turpentine in a small glass or metal container with a tight-fitting lid. Baby food jars work well. You may wish to have several containers available as turpentine can be reused after paint residue settles.
2. Remove as much paint residue as possible from the brush with paper towels or rags before using turpentine. Grasp the brush by the handle while laying the bristles on a paper towel in your other hand. Grasp the paper towel firmly around the bristles and pull the brush through the paper towel, wiping off excess paint. Repeat until large amounts of paint no longer transfer to the paper towel.
3. Dip the brush into turpentine. Swish and swirl the brush through the turpentine while making a painting motion with the brush on the bottom of the container. Never push the bristle tips straight down into the bottom of the container, which misshapes them.
4. Remove the brush and wipe it from the metal bristle holder, or ferrule, to the bristle tips with a paper towel to remove more paint and turpentine. Make a painting motion with the bristles on the paper towel to remove more paint. Repeatedly dip and swirl the brush in the turpentine, then wipe with the paper towel until no stain of paint shows up on the paper towel when the brush wipes across it.
5. Wash the brushes with soap and water if not using again for several days. Place a small amount of dish soap, hand soap or commercial brush soap in your hand then squeeze it throughout the brush gently. Rinse brush in warm water until no soap, paint or turpentine residue remains. Repeat process as necessary.
6. Squeeze all water from the brushes with paper towels. Always squeeze from the ferrule end of the bristles to the tips so that the brush keeps its shape. Reshape the bristles as you dry and one last time when you finish. Dry the brushes standing with bristles up in a container or hanging by the handle with bristles down so that the bristles maintain their shape.
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