How to Clean Paint Brushes and Rollers the Right Way

Quick answer: To clean paint tools, first check the paint type. For latex or water based paint, rinse brushes and roller covers in warm soapy water, work the paint out with a brush comb, and spin or squeeze dry. For oil or alkyd paint, clean with mineral spirits first, then wash with soap and water. Reshape bristles, wrap them, and hang the brush to dry so it keeps its shape. Cheap roller covers are often not worth saving.

Good tools cleaned well last for years, which lowers the real cost of every job. If you are pricing painting work, our free estimate builder helps you account for supplies, and our paint calculator sizes how much paint a room needs.

First, identify your paint type

The cleaning method depends entirely on whether the paint is water based or oil based. This is the first thing to check, because using the wrong solvent wastes time and can ruin the tool. The label on your paint can tells you which you have, and the two families clean in completely different ways.

• Latex, acrylic, and water based paints clean up with plain warm water and dish soap. No harsh solvents are needed, which makes water based the easier family to work with.
• Oil based and alkyd paints do not dissolve in water. They need a solvent like mineral spirits or paint thinner to break the paint down, followed by a soap and water wash.

Clean tools right after you finish, not the next day. Wet paint rinses out easily. Paint that has started to dry into the bristles or the roller nap is far harder to remove and can permanently stiffen the tool. The single best habit is to clean your brushes and rollers as soon as you stop painting, before the paint sets.

How to clean brushes used with latex or water based paint

Warm soapy water does almost all the work. For a brush used with latex, acrylic, or any water based paint, you do not need solvents. Run the brush under warm water and work the paint out toward the tips of the bristles. A little dish soap helps lift the paint, especially deep in the heel where bristles meet the metal ferrule.

Use a brush comb to clean deep into the heel. Paint loves to hide in the heel of the brush, packed up near the ferrule, and if you leave it there the brush slowly stiffens and loses its shape over many uses. A brush comb (or the comb teeth on a multi tool) drags the bristles open so you can flush paint out of the base. This is the step most people skip and the reason their brushes go stiff.

Rinse until the water runs clear. Keep working warm water through the brush, flexing the bristles with your fingers, until no more color comes out and the water runs clean. Leftover paint in the brush is what dries hard later, so rinse thoroughly.

Spin or shake out the water. Once clean, remove the excess water by spinning the brush handle between your palms, by using a brush and roller spinner tool, or by giving it firm shakes into a bucket or sink. Getting most of the water out helps the brush dry faster and hold its shape. Reshape the bristles before drying, covered below.

How to clean brushes used with oil or alkyd paint

Oil paint needs solvent first, then soap. Water will not touch oil or alkyd paint, so you start with a solvent. Pour a small amount of mineral spirits or paint thinner into a container, work the brush in it to dissolve the paint, and press the bristles against the side to release the paint into the solvent. You may need a second container of clean solvent for a final rinse.

• Work the solvent through the bristles. Swish and press the brush in the mineral spirits, using a brush comb to open the bristles and release paint from the heel just like with water based cleanup.
• Do a clean solvent rinse. Once most of the paint is out, dip the brush in a second batch of clean solvent to flush the last of it.
• Then wash with soap and water. After the solvent has removed the paint, wash the brush with warm water and dish soap to get the solvent residue out. This leaves the bristles clean and soft.
• Spin or shake dry and reshape. Remove excess water and reshape the bristles, exactly as with a water based brush.

Ventilate and handle solvent safely. Mineral spirits and paint thinner give off fumes and are flammable, so work in a ventilated space away from any flame or spark and keep them off your skin. Used solvent is hazardous waste, covered in the disposal section below. Never pour it down a drain.

How to clean a roller cover, and when to just toss it

Roller covers hold a surprising amount of paint, so push it out first. Before washing, scrape as much paint as you can back into the can or off the cover. A curved 5 in 1 painters tool or the edge of a putty knife run down the length of the cover squeezes out a lot of paint that would otherwise just rinse away and waste material.

Then rinse by paint type. For latex and water based paint, run the cover under warm water, squeezing and working it with your hands until the water runs clear. For oil based paint, clean the cover with mineral spirits first, then a soap and water wash, the same sequence as a brush. A roller spinner tool makes rinsing and drying a roller cover much faster.

Decide whether the cover is worth saving. A quality roller cover with a good nap is worth cleaning and reusing. But a thin, inexpensive cover often is not. By the time you have spent water, solvent, and ten minutes cleaning a cheap cover, you may have been better off tossing it. As a rough rule, save good covers, and let very cheap ones or covers used with messy oil paint go.

Dry and store clean covers standing on end. Once a cover is clean, stand it on its end or hang it so it dries without flattening one side. Storing a damp cover lying down can leave a flat spot in the nap. For more on getting a smooth roll once you are painting again, see how to use a paint roller and how to avoid roller marks.

Drying and storing tools so they keep their shape

The shape you store a brush in is the shape it dries into. A clean brush left to dry in a heap will dry splayed and bent, and it never quite recovers. The whole point of careful drying and storage is to keep the bristles straight and the tip crisp so the brush cuts a clean line for years.

• Reshape the bristles while damp. After cleaning and spinning out the water, use your fingers or the brush comb to straighten the bristles back to their original shape and point the tip.
• Wrap the brush. Slide the brush back into its original cardboard keeper, or wrap the bristles snugly in a piece of paper or a paper towel. The wrap holds the bristles straight as they dry and protects the tip.
• Hang the brush to dry. Hang the brush by the hole in its handle so it dries bristles down with air all around. Standing a wet brush on its bristles bends them permanently, and laying it flat can dry a flat spot.
• Store roller covers standing or hanging. As above, keep covers off their side while drying and in storage to protect the nap.

Store dry tools where they stay clean and straight. Once fully dry, keep brushes hanging or lying flat in a drawer, and keep roller covers in a bag or bin so dust and lint do not embed in the nap. Quality brushes and covers, cleaned and stored well, easily outlast many cheap ones bought and thrown away. To choose tools worth keeping in the first place, see how to pick a paint brush and a paint roller.

How to revive a hardened or stiff brush

A brush that has dried stiff is not always dead. If you forgot a brush and it hardened with dried paint, you can often bring it back, especially if the paint is water based and not too old. It takes patience and a soak rather than scrubbing.

• For dried water based paint, soak the bristles in warm soapy water, or in a brush cleaner solution, for a period to soften the paint, then work it out with a brush comb. Repeat the soak as needed.
• For dried oil based paint, soak the bristles in mineral spirits or a dedicated brush cleaner to dissolve the hardened paint, then comb it out and finish with a soap and water wash. This can take longer and several soaks.
• Use a brush comb to work the softened paint free. Once the paint softens, drag the comb through the bristles to pull the loosened paint out, then rinse and repeat until the brush flexes freely again.
• Know when to give up. A cheap brush or one hardened with old oil paint deep in the heel may not be worth the effort. If the heel stays rock solid after soaking, it is usually time to replace it.

Reshape and dry a revived brush carefully. A brush you have rescued is more likely to keep its shape if you reshape, wrap, and hang it exactly as you would a normally cleaned brush. Treat it gently on its next use until you confirm the bristles flex evenly.

Disposing of solvent and paint water responsibly

Never pour solvent or oil paint down any drain. Mineral spirits, paint thinner, and oil based paint are hazardous and must not go into household drains, storm drains, or the yard. They can contaminate water and are often illegal to dump. Used solvent is treated as household hazardous waste.

• Reuse solvent before discarding it. Let used mineral spirits sit in a sealed, labeled container. The paint solids settle to the bottom and the clear solvent on top can be poured off and reused for the next cleanup, which cuts waste.
• Take leftover solvent and oil paint to a hazardous waste site. When solvent is finally spent, take it and any leftover oil based paint to a local household hazardous waste collection point. Many communities run drop off days or permanent facilities.
• Handle latex paint rinse water carefully too. While much gentler than solvent, the rinse water from latex cleanup still carries paint. Many guidelines suggest letting paint settle out, and checking local rules rather than dumping large amounts of paint laden water outside.
• Dry out and harden leftover latex paint before trashing it. Small amounts of leftover latex paint can often be dried out (with a hardener or by leaving the lid off) and then disposed of in regular trash where local rules allow. Check your area guidance.

Always follow your local rules. Disposal rules for paint and solvent vary by location, so when in doubt, check with your local waste authority. A responsible cleanup protects both your drains and the environment, and it is the last step of a job done right after you have followed your prep and painting routine.

Frequently asked questions

How do I clean a brush used with latex paint?

Rinse the brush under warm water with a little dish soap, working the paint out toward the bristle tips and using a brush comb to clear paint from the heel near the ferrule. Rinse until the water runs clear, spin or shake out the water, reshape the bristles, and hang it to dry.

What do I use to clean oil based paint off a brush?

Clean oil or alkyd paint with mineral spirits or paint thinner first, swishing and pressing the brush to release the paint, then doing a clean solvent rinse. After the solvent removes the paint, wash the brush with warm soapy water to clear the residue, then reshape and hang it to dry.

Is it worth cleaning a roller cover or should I throw it away?

It depends on the cover. A quality roller cover with good nap is worth scraping out, rinsing, and reusing. A cheap, thin cover, or one used with messy oil paint, often costs more in time and solvent to clean than it is worth, so tossing it is reasonable.

How do I keep my paint brush from going stiff?

Clean it thoroughly before paint dries, paying special attention to the heel where paint hides near the ferrule, and use a brush comb to flush it out. Then reshape the bristles, wrap them in the keeper or paper, and hang the brush to dry so it holds its shape.

Can I save a brush that has dried hard?

Often yes. Soak the bristles in warm soapy water for dried water based paint, or in mineral spirits or brush cleaner for dried oil paint, then work the softened paint out with a brush comb and rinse. Repeat as needed. If the heel stays rock solid after soaking, it is usually time to replace the brush.

How do I dispose of used paint thinner and oil paint?

Never pour them down a drain. Let used solvent settle so you can pour off and reuse the clear liquid, then take spent solvent and leftover oil paint to a household hazardous waste collection site. Always follow your local disposal rules, which vary by area.