It is very important to your work to keep your brushes in good condition. Cleaning brushes after each painting session will extend their useful lives. I use Grumbacher brush cleaner, Pink Soap by Mona Lisa Products and Brush Plus by Plaid. In a pinch, I have even used dish soap, but I don’t recommend using it all the time. Brush cleaners have built-in conditioners that keep your brush’s bristles soft and pliable and help them to hold up longer. Ivory bar soap was recommended to me over 45 years ago and I still use it periodically. Ivory is very soft and does a better job than dish soap, but I recommend springing for the specialized cleaner if you can, it makes a difference.
When you clean your brushes, the technique I use is to take the brush and run it under cool (not cold) water, squeezing the bristles with your fingers to loosen the paint. When the water seems to run clear, put a bit of brush cleaner in the palm of your hand and gently scrub the bristles into it, massaging the lotion into the bristles. Rinse well until the water again runs clear. Depending on the condition of the brush, you may need to repeat this process several times to get it fully clean. Strong reds and blues tend to take repeated cleanings to get the dye out completely.
One surprising thing to use when cleaning brushes I found quite by accident. I was trying to clean a brush that had been overlooked and the paint had dried in it, and using the palm of my hand to scrub the brush wasn’t cutting it. A flat seashell from the decorative basket I keep beside the sink worked perfectly though! The ridges on the shell made a perfect washboard for the bristles, and the edge could separate down to the ferrule without damaging them. With very little work, the brush became useable again. If you happen to have a few on hand, give it a try!
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