Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 21

Thread: Cleaning Brushes and Rollers from Latex Paint

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    N.E, Ohio
    Posts
    3,026

    Cleaning Brushes and Rollers from Latex Paint

    I don't know if anyone else discovered this but when I clean my rollers and brushes from latex paint with soap and water I use some laundry fabric softener to clean out the soap and make the roller covers soft.

    Thought I would share.
    George

    Making sawdust regularly, occasionally a project is completed.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Astoria, N.Y.
    Posts
    316
    Great tip. Thank you for sharing.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    I usually soak my rollers in water overnight...much easier to clean...then hit it with a little liquid Tide and rinse.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    368
    Not so sure about this one, George. I know that you if you use towels that have been washed with fabric softener, it will leave a residue on whatever surface you use the towel on (e.g., drying a car or cleaning a window) - particularly microfiber towels. Even a thorough rinsing won't get rid of the softener (you need soap to do that.) I would think the same thing goes for a paint roller - the softener residue will get into the paint.

    I may be wrong on this one but I'm not sure I'd chance it.
    "Don't worry. They couldn't possibly hit us from that dist...."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Milwaukee, WI
    Posts
    296
    Fabric softener can also inhibit water absorption, you should use it on your towels. To clean paint rollers I just use a little bit of dish soap and it leaves them nice and clean and soft.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Hartland of Michigan
    Posts
    7,628
    Dawn dish soap. Great for cleaning everything.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    N.E, Ohio
    Posts
    3,026
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Turkovich View Post
    Not so sure about this one, George. I know that you if you use towels that have been washed with fabric softener, it will leave a residue on whatever surface you use the towel on (e.g., drying a car or cleaning a window) - particularly microfiber towels. Even a thorough rinsing won't get rid of the softener (you need soap to do that.) I would think the same thing goes for a paint roller - the softener residue will get into the paint.

    I may be wrong on this one but I'm not sure I'd chance it.
    I do not use fabric softener in the towels I use to dry the car because it inhibits the absorbency of the towels. I use dryer sheets to soften those towels.

    Before I started using fabric softener on my rollers they always came out stiff like they hadn't been thoroughly cleaned. I'd rinse the hell out of them and they are still stiff which I attribute to soap remaining in the nap of the roller. I have never had issues with the rollers not absorbing paint to transfer to the wall or and color contamination the first few times I load the roller.

    Keep in mind that when using fabric softener in the wash there is no rinse after the rinse with the softener. When I use the fabric softener on the rollers I work the fabric softener into the roller cover then rinse well to rinse out the softener.

    Bob you point out some things for consideration that I was not considering.

    Thanks to all for your input and comments.
    George

    Making sawdust regularly, occasionally a project is completed.

  8. #8
    I decided a long time ago cleaning paint rollers was a waste of time and money. They never come out like new. I have better things to do with my time.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hatfield, AR
    Posts
    1,170
    I use high pressure water from the hose. I direct it at the roller so it spins full force and slings the paint off. A couple minutes and bam, clean roller and half dry cause it's slinging water off too.
    -Lud

  10. #10
    I do the same as Justin. High pressure water from the hose. I stick it in a five gallon bucket and spin all the paint off. The rollers are just as soft as new when doing it this way.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    4,563
    Quote Originally Posted by Justin Ludwig View Post
    I use high pressure water from the hose. I direct it at the roller so it spins full force and slings the paint off. A couple minutes and bam, clean roller and half dry cause it's slinging water off too.
    I do this in my utility sink. I have a splitter on the faucet, with a 6' section of hose and a spray nozzle on one of the outlets. Then I'll turn the roller bucket on its side in the sink, hold the roller and frame in the bucket (the roller portion is vertical) to contain the spray, and wash it out. Dry enough to use immediately. Many times I'll do this in the morning after letting it soak overnight. When I do it that way, I also have to pull the roller cover off the frame to rinse out the center of the cover and rinse off the frame, but they do clean up even more quickly after soaking. A little dish soap or ammonia can help, but I wouldn't use fabric softener--sounds like a risk of paint contamination later to me.

    Painting is my day job. And sometimes my night job, too...
    Jason

    "Don't get stuck on stupid." --Lt. Gen. Russel Honore


  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    N.E, Ohio
    Posts
    3,026
    Thanks for the response Jason. Input from a professional painter is valuable. I wish I had someplace I could use a spray. I can do that is the summer but most of my painting is done in the winter. I only have a small utility sink in my basement to use to clean up. I do rinse the roller well after the fabric softener but I am sure there is still some in the roller nap.

    From all the negative input on using fabric softener I will stop using it. Maybe I am using too much dish detergent that it is hard to rinse out.

    Here is my cleaning procedure:

    Wash with running warm water
    Dish washing soap and warm water
    Rinse
    Wash again with dish washing soap
    Rinse
    Spin roller to remove as much water as I can

    Doing this procedure when the roller is dry it feels stiff and I was thinking the issue was that I was not getting all the soap out that was why I tried the fabric softener.

    Thanks again to everyone for all the input.
    George

    Making sawdust regularly, occasionally a project is completed.

  13. #13
    I've never used soap, just water. Does the soap really help that much? I just soak/rinse mine until no more paint is coming out.

    I use a lot of the smaller rollers and have a bit of the "frame" I've cut off and I chuck it in a drill and spin them dry.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Hendersonville, NC
    Posts
    331
    I use the Justin Ludwig method posted above -- a jet nozzle on a hose with no soap -- gets all the paint out of the nap and then spins the roller on the frame by holding the jet against the periphery of the roller held vertically and working from top to bottom. Roller spins fast enough to sling all the water out. Will work in a utility sink (set tub depth) as well. Works like a charm and clean up is quick!
    ______________________________
    Rob Payne -- McRabbet Woodworks

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Miller View Post
    I decided a long time ago cleaning paint rollers was a waste of time and money. They never come out like new. I have better things to do with my time.
    Same with me. Rollers just get tossed, and we don't buy cheap ones. The only thing we use rollers for is interior walls if the job is too small or too much trouble to spray, and we always go for the smoothest finish possible, which doesn't get done with a used roller. The best thing for brushes is running hot water, and a small angled bristle stainless steel brush sold in the paint aisle. Brushes get cleaned as soon as they are finished with, and sometimes in the middle of a job if it's more than an hour or two.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •