f you’re anything like the bloggers at DecoArt, your paintbrushes have been through the wringer and some are a little worse for wear. Overtime, things like acrylic paint, stain, wax finishes and decoupage will build up on your brushes. Keeping them clean can be a chore, and sometimes it’s easier to get new brushes than to clean them.

Until now! Here are our top tips for taking care of your paintbrushes.

1. Have separate water dishes for different colors and mediums. Often we think we are rinsing out our paint brushes between colors and mediums by swishing them in a jar of water, but if we are reusing that water over and over, we are just cross contaminating.

2. When rinsing out your brush between colors or mediums, never jam the bristles down at the bottom of the jar or glass. Always gently swish and use more than one jar of water if you need to.

3. Dry your brushes lying down, slightly elevated on the end, with the bristles hanging over the side of a sink. This will ensure your bristles stay together and will prevent fraying. The elevation will ensure water doesn't seep down into the wooden handle.

4. Always slide the plastic jacket that your brushes came with over your dried brush. Again, this will protect your bristles and ensure that your brushes stay in perfect shape

5. Dedicate your brushes to one material. I have one brush that is my chalkboard paint brush, others for general purpose and acrylics, but separate brushes for Decou-page products. Try to avoid cross contamination as much as possible.

Using DecoArt DecoMagic Brush and Stencil Cleaner can extend the life of your paint brushes even further. This product is an all purpose cleaning solution that is perfect for crafters who use paint frequently and sometimes forget to clean their brushes.

Effective on both wet and dry paint, DecoMagic Brush and Stencil Cleaner gently cleans your brushes and leaves bristles soft and pliable. For dry paint, saturate your brushes with the cleaner, then let sit for several minutes to allow the cleaner to penetrate and soften the dried paint. Once you’ve worked the cleaner through the brush bristles and no more color comes through, rinse thoroughly.

For wet paint, saturate your brush, work through and rinse thoroughly.

For more information on DecoMagic Brush and Stencil Cleaner, go here!