When painting do you know how to clean brushes?

[clairebear]

If you are painting a wall and have a trim brush that's wet with paint and you finish what would you do with it? You have to immediately start cooking dinner and don't have a lot of time.

I was at urgent care with two kids after school, then straight to soccer and was home at 6:30. I asked H to pick something helpful to do: clean up hurricane lawn debris outside, paint the baseboards in the playroom ( I just finished installing new flooring and baseboards in the room and really want to get the room back together), or come get the girls and take them to practice. He chose painting, but then left the brush out after finishing. Didn't wash or wrap it and it completely dried out. He's saying he didn't know you had to immediately wash it out. He said it's not common knowledge. So let's say you don't often paint, what would you do? I say it's common sense. Who's right? H did make a delicious dinner, but I'm sad about my favorite brush.

[AdaraMarie]

Common sense

[InBetweenDays]

I'm team you, but maybe it's not common knowledge if you don't generally paint?

But when I'm done I either wrap the brush in a plastic bag (if I'm going to use it again fairly soon after) or wash it out with water and then spin it to dry it.

[circa1978]

Wrap it in foil and put it in the freezer. Ideally clean it but that works in a pinch.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Is it acrylic paint? You can soak it in really hot water for a little bit, then rub the bristles with a bar of soap (I like fels naphtha soap). It’s not a guarantee of course, but HEY DAD MY BFA IN PAINTING FINALLY IS USEFUL!!

[dexteroni]

I’d say it’s common knowledge, and now he knows. Brushes are replaceable.

[mysteriouswife]

I clearly am too far into craft and arts for this post. I thought we were talking water color or oils or something canvas related. I was going to say no on water color.

But yes this should be common knowledge

[gretchenindisguise]

I do, but I am honestly not sure if H would. I think so 🤷‍♀️. He lacks a lot of common house knowledge.

[loira]

I just finished painting DD's new bathroom and bedroom. I had never painted a room before and even I know to wash the supplies afterwards.

[simpsongal]

If he didn’t know to immediately clean or plastic wrap the brush I’d also be concerned about the proficiency of his paint job….

[raleighnc]

You know what is common knowledge? That when you finish a project and think, hmm, what should I do with this paint covered brush, GOOGLE IT and let billions of people tell you exactly what to do. Or if you are really inept and don't know how to Google, you could ask your spouse.

[fernweh]

It is 100% common sense

[felicity]

Has he never painted in a house before? My husband has to learn everything the hard way, so he has probably done this exact thing at some point too. Maybe he was thinking it's like Crayola paint that he might have used as a kid. You can wash that when it's dry lol.

I've used the wrap it up and put it in the fridge trick many times though so I can take a break or wash brushes later.

[wildrice]

I think it's common sense to wash it. Though I have never heard of the plastic wrap method, so if that too is common sense then maybe I'm lacking it too! I have always washed them immediately.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Oct 29, 2024 5:18:43 GMT -5 raleighnc said:

You know what is common knowledge? That when you finish a project and think, hmm, what should I do with this paint covered brush, GOOGLE IT and let billions of people tell you exactly what to do. Or if you are really inept and don't know how to Google, you could ask your spouse.

Yeah, I can see someone not knowing what to do with the brushes if they've never painted before, but I can't see just doing nothing.  If it was me and I didn't know what to do, I'd ask someone/the internet.  When we bought our first house and were painting a room for the first time, I asked my dad about what supplies I needed and what to do with them.  But even someone who has only painted once in their adult lives should know not to just leave the brushes.  

[ssmjlm]

I think that cleaning up after any activity/job, etc is common knowledge. I don't know why he wouldn't include painting in that same situation.

[lavenderblue]

Yeah, I think this is pretty common knowledge. I mean, we learned in like pre-k and k that when you got done painting you had to wash your brush.

[shauni27]

Did he go to an elementary school and paint as a kid in arts and crafts? Did he not learn to clean his brushes then?

[basilosaurus]

Oct 29, 2024 6:58:04 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Did he go to an elementary school and paint as a kid in arts and crafts? Did he not learn to clean his brushes then?

At first I was thinking maybe I just know because my gramma's an artist, and she used to let us use her paints (watercolor at the time). But, no, every kid has had some experience with painting in school and having to wash their brushes.

I don't remember how I old I was when they taught us to use acrylics, but I'm pretty sure it was older elementary.

Can't say I've ever heard about freezing, though. Wrapping, yes.

[candreco]

Cleaning up after a project should be common sense, but clearly the world in general lacks that. Like pp's, you learn to wash out your brushes in art class, painting sets for school plays, etc. I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation to think that an adult would know, or at least figure out, that brushes need to be washed. Like, the paint dries to the touch on the wall fairly quickly, what do you think is happening to it on the brush?

[shauni27]

Oct 29, 2024 7:02:20 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Oct 29, 2024 6:58:04 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Did he go to an elementary school and paint as a kid in arts and crafts? Did he not learn to clean his brushes then?

At first I was thinking maybe I just know because my gramma's an artist, and she used to let us use her paints (watercolor at the time). But, no, every kid has had some experience with painting in school and having to wash their brushes.

I don't remember how I old I was when they taught us to use acrylics, but I'm pretty sure it was older elementary.

Can't say I've ever heard about freezing, though. Wrapping, yes.

I learned about this when I bought my first house. Either my dad or husband taught me. But yeah, if you grew up going to an elementary school in the states, then you should have this knowledge from like age 4.

[brooke77]

I believe cleaning the brushes after you finish is common knowledge.

[SusanBAnthony]

Oct 29, 2024 3:42:02 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

If he didn’t know to immediately clean or plastic wrap the brush I’d also be concerned about the proficiency of his paint job….

Agree.

[donutsmakemegonuts]

Oct 28, 2024 22:06:22 GMT -5 clairebear said:

If you are painting a wall and have a trim brush that's wet with paint and you finish what would you do with it? You have to immediately start cooking dinner and don't have a lot of time.

I was at urgent care with two kids after school, then straight to soccer and was home at 6:30. I asked H to pick something helpful to do: clean up hurricane lawn debris outside, paint the baseboards in the playroom ( I just finished installing new flooring and baseboards in the room and really want to get the room back together), or come get the girls and take them to practice. He chose painting, but then left the brush out after finishing. Didn't wash or wrap it and it completely dried out. He's saying he didn't know you had to immediately wash it out. He said it's not common knowledge. So let's say you don't often paint, what would you do? I say it's common sense. Who's right? H did make a delicious dinner, but I'm sad about my favorite brush.

I recently painted my dining room.  It had been awhile since I had done any painting and I forgot that you immediately need to wash them out.  It was a mistake for sure, but I have washed them out in the past and I'm not sure how I learned that other than having the same situation happen to me before.  Has he ever done any other painting?  Maybe he has never experienced this before.

[sonrisa]

I wouldn’t expect my husband to know this.

However, ‘clean up as soon as you are done. And time your ending so you can do so’ is a good rule in life.

(And I didn’t know the plastic wrap trick. I always wash out between house painting sessions)

[clairebear]

Oct 29, 2024 7:28:07 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Oct 29, 2024 3:42:02 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

If he didn’t know to immediately clean or plastic wrap the brush I’d also be concerned about the proficiency of his paint job….

Agree.

His paint job was fine, but I guess he's a rare breed who missed painting day in elementary school. Gah. I need to let it go, but it was my favorite brush.

[macmars45]

Oct 28, 2024 23:58:57 GMT -5 loira said:

I just finished painting DD's new bathroom and bedroom. I had never painted a room before and even I know to wash the supplies afterwards.

The last time I painted a wall was the outside of my detached garage when I was 10 years old. I know to immediately clean the supplies.

ETA: my parents were repainting the inside and outside of the house and garage. I was only allowed to help with the garage.

[litasail]

Team common sense.

[eb777888]

Well, I do the painting in the house because I enjoy it, so yes. And I'd be pissed because brushes are expensive and it's something that's easily google-able.

Common sense!

[starburst604]

I did what he did when I painted my bathroom recently, but I also KNEW I wasn't doing the right thing lol. I was able to get it clean enough to reuse though by soaking and cleaning it with soap.