How To Clean Oil Paint Brushes
A Step-by-Step Guide

When it comes to painting, especially with oil colours, a good set of brushes are an essential tool in any artist’s arsenal & keeping them clean is key to maintaining consistency in your work.

Oil paints, as beautiful as they are, can negatively affect brushes by causing their bristles to stiffen, discolour or dry out.  This is why it’s so important for every artist working in (or adopting) oil paints to understand how best to clean, maintain and monitor their brushes.

Whilst solvents like white spirit or turpentine are traditionally the go-to for this, nowadays, there are an exciting variety of modern, less harsh options available to artists.

This handy guide will walk you through the cleaning process of your oil paint brushes, discussing the benefits of different methods and materials, to ensure you can clean with confidence.

Why It’s Important to Clean Brushes Thoroughly

A good set of brushes can last an artist years, decades even, if properly cared for.

Oil paints (along with acrylics, watercolour and gouache) become much harder to remove once dry, so the best habit to adopt is to clean your brushes thoroughly immediately after a painting session, as this actively prevents pigment build-up and potential future issues.

If you’re planning to continue where you left off the next day, wiping off any excess paint & dipping your brushes in Linseed Oil will temporarily preserve them.  Just keeping mind that Linseed Oil will also slow the drying time of the paint itself.

What You’ll Need

To make sure you’re never caught out with dirty brushes, we recommend the following materials to keep around your home, studio or classroom.

• Paper towels
• Clean, warm water
• Gloves (for solvents)
• A comb or old toothbrush
• Two jars or containers (not plastic!)
• A solvent, like Genuine Turpentine or White Spirit
• A natural cleaner, like Da Vinci Brush Soap or Masters Preserver

Step-By-Step: Cleaning Oil Brushes with Solvents

Let’s begin with the classics & discuss how best to clean oil paint brushes effectively & safely with solvents like white spirit or turpentine.

Step 0: Pre-Clean (remove excess paint)

• Before using any solvent, remove as much paint as possible from the brush.
• Using a paper towel or rag, squeeze & wipe the bristles until little paint remains.
• Taking the above steps prevents contaminating your solvent too quickly.

Step 1: First solvent rinse

• Pour some white spirit or turpentine into both jars.
• Take your first jar and begin swirling your brush in the solvent
• Occasionally press the brush gently against the bottom to release pigment.
• Be gentle, excessive force can potentially bend or fray the bristles.
• After a few seconds, wipe the brush on a clean rag or paper towel.

Step 2: Second solvent rinse (for deep cleaning)

• Now you’ll take your second jar of clean solvent for a more thorough rinse.
• Swirl your brush in the solvent once again to loosen any potential excess paint.
• Take a fine comb or toothbrush & loosen any dried paint near the ferrule.
• Once your brush looks clean, use a paper towel or rag and wipe off excess solvent.
• If you find paint still comes out, repeat this step until the solvent remains mostly clear.

Step 3: Dry and reshape

• Grab yourself a fresh, clean paper towel or rag.
• Gently squeeze out any excess water from your bristles.
• Carefully (and slowly) reshape the bristles into their natural form.
• Lay the brush flat or hang it bristles-down and allow it to dry completely.

Tip: When drying, hang your brushes or lay them flat to prevent permanent bending or fraying of the bristles.  This also stops any solvent from seeping into the ferrule, as this can loosen the glue & bristles over time.