best way to clean brushes? what's your system?

I had some success with brush restorers, but it depends on the bristle type.
http://www.acmoore.com/p-36206-brush-shaper-brush-restoration-.aspx

aprilmoonflower wrote:curious about something...

is it bad for your brushes to leave them soaking in water?

I usually wash and dry them as I go, as I am really just painting for practice at this point..my kids do this when they paint though, drives me nuts. I am just going to designate them their own brushes at this point, but a couple of the brush bristles have gotten "bent" too...is there a way to fix that?

I have not tried it, but I heard sculpting the bristles into shape with hair gel, letting it dry, then rinsing the gel out does the trick.

modernmagik wrote:Because it stinks???? LOL

And because its not safe for the skin, eyes and mouth.

Actually a bleach solution is one of the approved sanitizers BUT who wants to mess around with bleach when 70% isopropyl alcohol is approved as an equivalent?

And the alcohol is cheap and easy to find - it is Rubbing Alcohol which you can find in most pharmacies and grocery stores.

And I clean my brushes, rinse, and then saturated by swishing in a container of alcohol, and then let the brushes airdry completely before I re-use them.

Never add the alcohol to your rinse water (like Lisa explained it actually will feed the bacteria when diluted!)

You could also use a commerical brush cleaner/sanitizer but the cost of doing than when face painting is too high as you would use it up so fast.

And I never leave my brushes in water for the reasons mentioned... it wrecks the bend of the loofe, can soak up into the handle if it is wood and aside from causing the paint to flake off causes the handle to expand and loosens the ferrule (the metal bit) which can then cause the handles to be loose or fall out, AND... depending on the quality of the brush, the glue will break down over time and the whole brush will fall apart...

Really? I learned never to use it for things like this. That surprizes me, do you think it is approved in Europe as well? It might explain why I learned something different. Not sure how to find that out though.

I use Pears soap it is a glycerin soap and can be gotten at the Dollar store. The glycerin is not harsh but works well and it is mild so it is less destructive than alcohol.

Cheers.
PS
Today is my birthday!

EerinArts wrote:Really? I learned never to use it for things like this. That surprizes me, do you think it is approved in Europe as well? It might explain why I learned something different. Not sure how to find that out though.

In the States, the restaurant standard for cleaning is called the "3 sink method."
The method is:
1. wash in hot soapy water
2. Rinse in clear water
3. Soak, for at least 45 seconds in sanitizer (the most commonly used sanitizer recipe is - mix 2.5 mL <½ tsp> of household bleach to every 1 litre <4 cups> of water)
Then let air dry.
Good to know bartender school was good for something

CreateFaces wrote:

EerinArts wrote:Really? I learned never to use it for things like this. That surprizes me, do you think it is approved in Europe as well? It might explain why I learned something different. Not sure how to find that out though.

In the States, the restaurant standard for cleaning is called the "3 sink method."
The method is:
1. wash in hot soapy water
2. Rinse in clear water
3. Soak, for at least 45 seconds in sanitizer (the most commonly used sanitizer recipe is - mix 2.5 mL <½ tsp> of household bleach to every 1 litre <4 cups> of water)
Then let air dry.
Good to know bartender school was good for something

I think all the above is great for sanitizing purposes. Except the part about the "HOT" water, at the Art Institute and from experience, we were taught not to use hot water because it will loosen up the glue in the ferrule and cause the bristles to come out. Maybe if the rinse water is cold, it would firm up the glue again and not do as much damage? I don't know, I've always stayed away from hot while cleaning my paint brushes.

I use Pink Soap & rinse really well. I also have Brush bath from Silly Farm & put a little in my water. Is this good enough? I really want to have a sanitized kit & brushes & not just have the apperance of clean.

Personally, using ANYTHING in your rinse water is counterproductive. It actually can be a big problem...

1) it may cause batericia to thrive
2) it may contain ingredients that can be an allergen or irritant to some of your clients
3) the scent may put some people off

Keep your rinse water as CLEAN water... change regularly.

And don't dip your brushes in water to wet them, use a squeeze bottle or spray bottle to wet your paints... then the water you use is always clean.

If you want to dip your brushes in some product to clean them, sure, but be sure to let them dry out before reusing if the product requires it, and make sure to read all the instructions and ingredients.

Bleach will also break down the glue in the ferrule faster and cause the bristles to loosen.

I've known several people with sensitivities to Ivory, Dove, etc...many of the bar soaps. I won't use them because I have no clear gauge to prove how rinsed the brushes are.
I've also experienced people allergic to natural hair brushes (camel, horse...), so I use only taklon brushes as (to me) they feel the softest of the synthetics.

I use pink soap and the same 90% isopropyl I use to clean the practice head and skin. Cold water rinse and hang bristle side down to dry.
If the bristles ever need a bit of conditioning, I run them through a slight bit of olive oil with the soap.

I use this on all my make-up brushes as well.

Personally, using ANYTHING in your rinse water is counterproductive. It actually can be a big problem...
Shannon,
Thank you for the info. I won't be buying any more Brush Bath & I'll switch my cleaning practices. I always rinse like crazy & let everything dry completely.

Hi guys!! I know I'm new but I clean my brushes with a homemade cleanser! If you want the recipie here it is:
1 Cup Purified Water
1/4 Cup 70% Achol
1/2 Tsp. Dish Soap
1/2 Tsp. Shampoo
1/2 Tsp Spray On Conditioner
And then just stir it all in a bowl then it's all done! Hope you like it or try it out.

So what is the theory behind your recipe? Seems like diluting the alcohol would be counter productive. I'm currently in love with my Purity soap right now. Works great on "fresh" stains and leaves my brushes super soft.

Hi. I was just reading this and someone asked about bent brushes. Firstly don't leave then standing in the water ever, just rinse/clean them and sit them beside your water pot or have a brush holder and this will avoid the problem.
Secondly to fix bent brushes, fill a cup about half full with boiling hot water and whilst still holding it put your brush in so the Ferrel is covered. Hold for 15-20 seconds and remove. Problem fixed. Then cover it with soap or brush shaper and leave to dry.
Obviously you need to remove the soap or brush shaper prior to using it to paint

courtneybarker4 wrote:Hi guys!! I know I'm new but I clean my brushes with a homemade cleanser! If you want the recipie here it is:
1 Cup Purified Water
1/4 Cup 70% Achol
1/2 Tsp. Dish Soap
1/2 Tsp. Shampoo
1/2 Tsp Spray On Conditioner
And then just stir it all in a bowl then it's all done! Hope you like it or try it out.

Why would you do that?

First, the alcohol will be pointless as it has been diluted so will not serve any purpose as a sanitizer. Straight 70% it the weakest that is suggested as a sanitizer by health regulations. If you don't mean it to be a sanitizer why include it?

Second, dish soap and shampoo are equivalent as to cleaning out oil products and pigments so no point in mixing them together really... one or the other works quite well on their own to clean brushes. I would take shampoo over dishsoap to choose one as it work better on "hair."

Conditioner would only really help natural hair brushes. In make-up school they taught us to use commercial brush cleaner on the job, and then wash with shampoo at home, and for the natural hair brushes a touch of conditioner if we wanted... on the bigger blush and powder brushes it did help keep them soft. But if you mix it in with the soap it will rinse out with the soap, therefore not really doing what it was intended for.

I really think it is a waste of effort and materials as mixing them will lessen the efficacy of each component.

If you like how this mixture works it probably won't hurt your brushes.

just thought I would add for the aussies I recently wrote to Isocol for ther MSDS and advise (for airbrush ink thing - long irrelevant story) and there rubbing alcohol is already min 70% to 88% max.and purified deionised water so don't dilute it.

So we are spose to clean our brushes after every face?? ive only done me and my boys..but wow!! that just seems like more mins added on while your working!

acarreon wrote:So we are spose to clean our brushes after every face?? ive only done me and my boys..but wow!! that just seems like more mins added on while your working!

Only when your local health regulations require it. In the province of Alberta, Canada we HAVE to.

Dear Acarreon:
This is how I learned to face paint at SickKids Hospital. Infectious Disease Control demonstrated how to clean brushes, exactly how Shannon Fennell describes the method. I have a LOT of brushes and I rotate through them. They are always dry before I get back to them. It doesn't seem to add too much time to me.

Happy Painting!
P.S. I lived in Garland, Texas for a year in 1974.

Gotcha! I have to build up my collection of brushes then!

fesspenter wrote:
P.S. I lived in Garland, Texas for a year in 1974.

Until they noticed and sent you back?

Hey you Metric person!
I am American and I and from Detroit.
Now Detroit is a great place to be FROM.
My mum married a Canadian and we moved around to Garland (near Dallas) Texas, then, we moved to Altamonte Springs (Orlando) Florida.
Then, we moved up here to the land of snow and wolves. (The weather is EXACTLY the same as Detroit).
So, as you probably guessed, I was running from the draft to fight in Vietnam. (I was a 14 year old girl when we moved here).
The first year, I took French. About two months into the year THEY CHANGED THE LYRICS OF THE CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM, IN BOTH ENGLISH AND FRENCH. I was very confused. I spoke with a southern accent.
I am so glad I live here. I am so happy for the opportunities my daughters have up here in Canada (like the goalie scholarship offered to my middle daughter).
I feel that the education system is much better here than in the states. There is more of a World View in the Canadian schools, compared to the US, in my experience.
I just hijacked another thread, did you notice?

xoxo

Dear Lisa,
I so enjoy your notes.
I enjoy even more when you and Shannon kibitz.
I am a born and raised Canadian and love that you love it here. In my part of Canada, it snows only in the winter (where snow belongs), and it reaches 35-40 degrees ('Celcius', 95-104 Fahrenheit for those from elsewhere) in the summer most days. We have fabulous weather (if you like true 4 seasons), and it is my personal heaven on Earth.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program....

I cope much better since I have come to the Dark Side and begun to play hockey.
It is so much fun.
It is not easy.
It is the swirling snow and howling wolves and the Metric system that get me every time.
xoxo