• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Blog
  • Cricut
  • DIY
    • Basement
    • Building
    • Countertops
    • Floors
    • Organizing
    • Furniture
      • IKEA Hacks
    • Outdoor
    • Paint
    • Stairs
    • Other Home Improvement
  • Home Decor
    • Decorating Ideas
    • My Home
      • House tour
      • Room Reveals
  • Crafts
    • Accessories
    • Fabric and Sewing DIY
    • Holidays
      • Spring and Summer
      • Fall
      • Christmas
      • Winter
    • Silhouette and Cricut Crafts
    • Wall Art
  • Shop

Semigloss Design logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Blog
  • Cricut
  • DIY
  • Crafts
  • Furniture
  • Shop
×
Home » DIY » Furniture Makeovers » How to Clean Dried Paintbrushes

July 16, 2019

How to Clean Dried Paintbrushes

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
pin image - dried dirty paint brush

Learn how to clean dried paintbrushes. Don’t you hate when you stumble upon a paintbrush that you’ve forgotten about?

Dried latex paint can be a pain to clean out, but I have an easy tip on how I do it! No paint thinner needed!

You might also like this post on how to paint French doors.

how to clean dried paint brushes

This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing an item through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

By the way, this method is also a great way to condition brushes between use. It makes the bristles soft again after heavy use.

Think of it as a hair conditioner for your paintbrush. Plus, it smells amazing!

Cleaning Dried Paint Brushes

My husband cleaned up my painting mess last weekend and placed my brushes in the garage where I promptly forgot about them. They’re not completely dry, though this method works for dry brushes too.

Rinsing the brushes removed a lot of the paint on the outside, but the inside was completely dried out.

Supplies Needed:

  • Brush comb
  • Glass jar
  • Murphy Oil Soap
  • Scrub brush
  1. If the brush is still damp, rinse the brush out as best as you can.rinsing paint from brush
  2. Use the brush to remove what paint you can.scrub paint brush
  3. Then soak in a glass jar of Murphy oil.soak brush is murphy oil until paint is gone
  4. This also works for completely dry brushes, but you might need to let it sit for about a week.
  5. Let the brush sit for a few days depending on how bad it is.
  6. Bad brushes will need a clean supply of Murphy oil because the paint leaks to the bottom of the jar.
  7. Rinse the brush well with water.
  8. Use the brush comb to make sure the inside of the bristles is clean as well. Soak longer if needed.
  9. You can scrub excess paint off of the bristles with a scrub brush.
two brushes soaking in jar to remove paint

Other Solutions for Dried Brushes

I haven’t had as much success with these methods, but I wanted to share them.

Fabric Softener

Let the brush soak in fabric softener. Then rinse well.

Hot Water

Let your brush sit in hot water for about 20 minutes. Scrub with a brush comb. For more details, check out this post.

Paint Stripper

I’ve never tried this tip, but it sounds promising!

If you’re desperate, paint stripper works. Let it soak for a few minutes and scrape it away with a putty knife.

How to Avoid Letting Your Brush Dry Out

  • In between coats of paint, wrap your brush in plastic wrap or place it in a plastic baggie.
  • You can place the plastic-wrapped paintbrush in the fridge if needed.
  • Don’t place the brush is a place where you will forget about it. (Looking at you hubby for putting my brushes in the garage…)

You might also like:

  • The Best Brush for Cutting In Paint
  • How to Paint a Room
  • The Best Brush for Chalk Paint

Pin for Later!

clean dried paint brushes
Emy Flint

Emy is a vintage obsessed mama of 2 DIYer who loves sharing affordable solutions for common home problems. You don’t need a giant budget to create a lovely home. Read more…

« The Best Chalk Paint Brush for Furniture
DIY Pool Float Storage »

Filed Under: DIY Tips, Furniture Makeovers

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pam says

    March 24, 2021 at 11:11 am

    I haven’t tried this method, but I’ve used goo gone and acrylic & artificial nail tip remover. From Dollar General. It was all I had on hand to clean a bunch of brushes my daughter use. Both helped clean dried paint on brushes. I’m going to try Murphy’s Oil next. Thanks

    Reply
    • Emy Flint says

      March 24, 2021 at 11:51 am

      Thanks for those tips!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Let’s be friends!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Looking for Something?

Hi, I’m Emy!

Hi, I’m Emy!

I'm a color loving DIYer who believes that a beautiful home is possible, even on a budget.

Reader Favorites

unfinished basement ceiling painted sherwin williams sea salt

How to Paint an Unfinished Basement Ceiling

can of polycrylic and paint brush

How to Apply Polycrylic Without Streaks

removing chair rail with pry bar

How to Remove a Chair Rail and Repair the Walls for Paint

green shiplap walls

The Ultimate Guide to Installing Shiplap in a Bathroom

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Contact

About Me

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Click here for the Semigloss Design disclosures and  privacy policy.

Looking for a post?

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

Emy Flint of Semigloss Design is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Copyright © 2023 Semigloss Design