TL;DR
The cleaner has to match the medium: water for acrylic, watercolor, and gouache, and a solvent for oils, and nothing else works. Wash paint out all the way to the ferrule, reshape the bristles by hand, and dry brushes flat or bristles-down so water never runs into the ferrule and loosens the glue.
The one mistake that kills brushes
Paint that dries in the ferrule, the metal collar holding the bristles, is what ends most brushes.
Paint works its way up between the bristles while you paint. If it is not washed out, it dries there and forces the bristles apart permanently. The brush splays and never comes back to a point.
The second killer is water in the ferrule. Standing a wet brush bristles-up lets water run down into the glue holding the bundle, which loosens it and eventually sheds bristles.
Both are avoidable in about thirty seconds per brush.
How do you clean artist paint brushes?
Wipe the excess paint off, then rinse in the correct medium: water for acrylic and watercolor, an appropriate solvent for oils. Work a mild soap through the bristles into your palm until the lather runs clear, rinse, squeeze the water out, reshape the bristles, and lay the brush flat to dry.
Acrylics, and why speed matters
Acrylic dries fast, and once it cures it is a plastic film that soap and water will not remove.
Keep a water container on the table and rinse brushes as you switch colors. Do not let acrylic dry in a brush even briefly.
Wash with water and a mild soap or a brush-specific cleaner, working the lather into your palm until no color comes out. Rinse until the water runs clear.
Squeeze gently from the ferrule outward, reshape the tip with your fingers, and lay it flat.
For dried acrylic, some brush restorers can soften it. They work sometimes, and hardened acrylic in the ferrule is often permanent. Never use acetone on a synthetic brush, which can melt the filaments.
Watercolor and gouache
The easiest case. Rinse in clean water until it runs clear, work a little mild soap through the bristles if needed, rinse, reshape, and dry flat.
Watercolor brushes are often natural hair and take particularly gentle handling. No hot water, and no scrubbing on the bottom of a jar, which bends and breaks the bristles.
Gouache is reactivated by water and cleans like watercolor.
Oils, and the fire safety part
Oil paint requires a solvent, and solvent means a real safety procedure.
Wipe out first. A rag pulls most of the paint out before any solvent is used, which makes the solvent last far longer.
Rinse in solvent. Odorless mineral spirits or an artist-grade solvent. Two containers, one for the initial dirty rinse and one for a clean second rinse, is more effective than one.
Wash with soap and water afterward. This removes the remaining solvent and oil.
Ventilate the space. Solvent vapor accumulates fast in a closed room, and every solvent here is flammable. Keep it away from any flame, heater, or spark, and keep containers closed when not in use.
Handle oily rags correctly. Rags soaked with oil paint or drying oils can heat up on their own and catch fire. Never pile or wad them. Lay them out flat and separated to dry completely, or put them in a sealed metal container with water. Check your local fire and waste rules for disposal.
Never pour solvent down a drain. Let the pigment settle in a closed jar, pour off the clear solvent to reuse, and take the sludge to a household hazardous waste facility.
Oil-based painting tools follow the same logic on a larger scale, covered in how to clean latex paint brushes with soap and water.
Why do my brushes lose their point?
Almost always paint dried in the ferrule forcing the bristles apart, or bristles bent by being stood in a jar of water on their tips. Wash to the ferrule every time, reshape the bristles while damp, and store brushes flat or bristles-up in a jar once dry, never soaking tip-down.
Never leave brushes standing in water or solvent between sessions. It bends the bristles and soaks the ferrule.
Palettes
Glass and acrylic palettes are the easiest. Dried acrylic peels off in a sheet, and a plastic scraper or an old card lifts anything stubborn. Wipe with soap and water.
Wooden palettes for oils are wiped with a rag and a little solvent while paint is wet. Never soak wood.
Disposable paper palettes are torn off and binned. Check whether oil-soaked paper goes in regular waste locally.
Stay-wet palettes for acrylic need their sponge and paper washed regularly, since they grow mold if left sealed with damp paper inside.
Porcelain and plastic watercolor palettes rinse clean with water. Dried watercolor rewets, so it does not really need scrubbing.
Craft tools generally
Wipe glue guns while warm with a dry cloth, unplugged and cooled before anything more.
Wash clay and pottery tools with water immediately, and never let clay dry in a sink trap, since it settles and blocks drains. Use a bucket, let the clay settle, and dispose of the sediment in the trash.
Wipe scissors and craft blades clean, dry them, and store them closed. Adhesive residue on blades comes off with a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth, wiped and dried.
Clean cutting mats with mild soapy water and a soft brush, then air dry flat. Do not use solvents on a self-healing mat.
Clean sewing and quilting tools on their own schedule, described in how to clean a sewing machine bobbin case and lint traps.
Source: Manufacturer care guidance for artist brushes and mediums, and local household hazardous waste program guidance
Storage and drying
Dry brushes flat on a towel, or hanging bristles-down if you have a rack. Never bristles-up while wet.
Once dry, store them upright in a jar bristles-up, or flat in a roll or a case.
Reshape the tip with your fingers while the brush is still damp. Some artists use a drop of brush shaper or even a little soap left in and rinsed out before the next use, which holds the point during storage.
Do not store brushes in a sealed container while damp. Mold grows on natural hair.
Keep the whole workspace organized rather than perfectly clean. A studio where tools live in a defined spot gets cleaned; a pile does not, which is the same argument our guide to cleaning tools and equipment around the house makes about a workbench.
FAQ
How do you get dried acrylic paint out of a brush?
A brush restorer product made for cured acrylic can soften it, and it works sometimes. Once acrylic has cured in the ferrule, the damage is usually permanent because the bristles have been forced apart. Avoid acetone on synthetic brushes, which can melt the filaments. Prevention is the only reliable answer.
What do you use to clean oil paint brushes?
Wipe the excess out with a rag first, rinse in odorless mineral spirits or an artist-grade solvent using two containers, then wash with mild soap and water to remove the remaining solvent and oil. Ventilate the space, keep solvents away from any ignition source, and never pour solvent down a drain.
Why should you never stand brushes in water?
Standing a brush on its tip bends the bristles permanently, and water sitting at the ferrule seeps into the glue holding the bristle bundle, which loosens it and causes shedding. Rinse and lay brushes flat or hang them bristles-down instead, and store them upright only once dry.
How do you clean a paint palette?
Peel dried acrylic off a glass or acrylic palette in a sheet and scrape the rest with a plastic card, then wipe with soap and water. Wipe a wooden oil palette with a rag and a little solvent while paint is still wet, and never soak wood. Rinse watercolor palettes with plain water.
Are oily rags really a fire hazard?
Yes. Rags soaked with oil paint or drying oils generate heat as the oil oxidizes, and a wadded pile can reach ignition temperature on its own. Lay rags flat and separated to dry completely, or store them in a sealed metal container with water, and follow local disposal rules.
How do you keep brushes from splaying?
Wash the paint all the way out to the ferrule every session, reshape the tip with your fingers while the brush is damp, and dry it flat or bristles-down. Never let paint dry in the brush, and never leave a brush standing on its tip in water or solvent between sessions.
Craft rooms generate a specific kind of mess that spreads through a house. If keeping up with the rest is the harder job, get a quote or read more about house cleaning services.