Is oil paint difficult to clean from brushes?

Not if you know how. Many artists have their own brush-cleaning rituals, often involving a mixture of oils and soaps, and these can take anywhere between five minutes to an hour from start to finish.

Winsor & Newton’s Brush Cleaner helps to speed things up and eliminates waste by packing everything into one bottle. It’s also far less toxic than solvent-based alternatives and is biodegradable.

You can also use rags to vigorously wipe brushes free of oil. A small amount of cooking oil can help to release a bit more of the paint into the rag, then finish with soap and water. A bar of soap is a great tool because bristle brushes can be pushed into it in a circular motion to help remove anything that is left. Any rags with oil paint or cooking oils should then be put into a lidded metal bin to avoid spontaneous combustion – especially in the home.

If you are too tired from a long session of painting and can’t face cleaning brushes, you can wrap a damp cloth around them and put that in a plastic bag. You can even stand them in a jar of water – since oil and water don’t mix. Finally, try to let the brushes air dry before using them again.