Protect your floors

The first thing you want to do before cleaning your walls is to protect your floors from cleaning chemicals along with falling dirt and debris. You would not want your wall cleaning to end in having to clean your floors also especially if you have carpets laid down below the walls which are made from sensitive materials. The best way to protect your floors from chemicals and falling debris would be to cover your floors in materials such as plastic, newspaper, or garbage bags. Any long large material which can simply be rolled up and tossed into the garbage but also strong enough to prevent liquids and dirt from reaching your floor.

Clean without liquids

The next thing you should do when cleaning your walls is to brush all walls with a dry and soft brush to remove all dry and loose dirt from your walls. The more dirt and debris you can knock off of your walls gently the less dirt may get smeared into your walls while scrubbing with liquids and soaps. What the brush cannot remove you can attempt to remove with a soft dry sponge by rubbing the sponge in a downward motion on the wall.

Liquid cleaning

When cleaning the wall for hard to remove dirt and liquids which cannot be removed by using dry materials you will have to use cleaners mixed with water. To do this you should gather yourself a soft sponge or cloth, a medium sized bucket, some soap, and water. Mix a tiny bit of soap with warm water in your bucket and only dip the front half of your sponge into the mixture until your sponge is only slightly wet. Then use this sponge to begin carefully cleaning any leftover dirt and stains. Once your walls have been cleaned simply use a absorbent towel to dry off your walls. You do not want to leave your walls wet because it can ruin the condition of your walls.

Brand Name Cleaning Solutions

Of course there are lots of expensive cleaning solutions sold in the art stores but in all honesty you don’t need to spend your life’s savings to keep your brushes in good condition. Don’t be afraid to experiment with other, less costly, methods of cleaning brushes for something that works well for you.

Mineral or Petroleum Spirits

One method of cleaning your brushes is to soak the brushes in a solution of mineral spirits over night. Wipe the brushes clean with a paper towel in the morning. One thing to keep in mind when using mineral spirits is that this is a petroleum solvent, not only poisonous, but also highly flammable and should be used with care.

Baby Oil

A much less abrasive alternative to the mineral spirits is unscented generic baby oil. If you can’t find an unscented oil, the scented oil could be used as well, but it does, of course, scent the brushes. You can knock off any access oil on container set aside for this, then clean the paint off with a soft cloth or paper towel.

Vegetable Oil

For the really struggling artist, any household vegetable oil will do the job. Simply dip the brush in the oil and wipe out the paint with a paper towel. Repeat until the paint is gone. Shape the brush into the nice puff or blade shape it was designed and stroe cleaned brushes in a container, brush head up.

After the Oils

Rinse the excess oils out of the cleaned brushes before using the next time with a gentle soap and water. If you prefer, you can with a generic brand oil soap. It is best to mix the oil soap with water using one part soap and one part water. Run the brush under clear warm water to get out the soap.

Don’t Mix Your Mediums

One last thing for the artist who works in several mediums. Choose different brushes for each of the mediums you are working in. Do not use your water paint brushes for oils. Water and oil don’t mix, not in a lake and not in art.

Finally, proper care of your brushes will ensure that they will be ready and waiting for you for many years to come.