I abuse my brushes. Yes, I admit it, I am a brush abuser. But fortunately, there is brush soap to save the day.

There are many ways in which I abuse my brush. From using too small of a brush to accomplish my painting to letting the paint dry on the bristles. Not only does using a detail brush slow my progress,  using it to cram color into areas would be easier with a larger brush.

With two little ones running around the house, it has been on more than one occasion that I didn’t fully clean the brush before chasing after them. Thankfully I found about brush soap a long time ago and has saved me way more than its cost in not having to buy as many new brushes.

The Masters Brush Cleaner

The most common brand of brush soap is The Masters Brush Cleaner which comes in a little plastic container. Inside is filled with a particular type of soap.

The small 2.5oz container is only $5 on Amazon and will last forever.  I bought mine almost ten years ago now and use it every time I paint and just now am I thinking I need to replace it.

Not only does the Brush Cleaner help remove paint from the bristles, but it also acts as a conditioner for the hairs. After all, ‘natural’ brushes are made from animal fur, and just like your hair, need to be shampooed. This conditioning keeps the bristles stay straight longer and less brittle.

How to Use Brush Soap

To use brush soap, wet your bristles and pull it across the soap, rolling the hairs as you go. Rinse it off and use a damp paper towel to rub the bristles. Repeat until the brush is nice and clean.

So if you want to get serious in any way with your painting, consider picking up a container of brush soap. Either grab it on Amazon here or find it in your local art supply store. The soap has probably saved me at least ten times its cost in brushes (yeah I’m that bad on them).