Going Green: Cleaning your Oil Paint Brushes without Turpenoid

Oil paints themselves are toxic, but using terps or even odorless spirits, such as gamsol, ups that toxicity. Eliminating as many toxic elements as possible from your painting space is not only healthier for yourself, but also the environment. Today we are going to talk about why, how, and what to expect when we clean our brushes without terpenoid.

When I first eliminated turpenoid both from my underpaintings and apart of my cleaning regiment, it was an adjustment. However, the trade off has been worth it.

I had first read about cleaning brushes with walnut oil on M. Graham's website (the blog post no longer exists, but it said):

Free your studio of dangerous solvents by using walnut oil in place of turpentine or odorless mineral spirits when cleaning brushes.  Walnut oil removes color from the artist’s brush or tool as effectively as odorless paint thinners, without creating a solvent hazard.  Walnut oil is a natural vegetable oil that neither evaporates nor removes essential oils. 

So let's get to it.

How to Use Oil to Clean your Brushes

Items Needed

Just like with turpenoid you will need the following items: cleaning oil, two cleaning jars, and cleaning soap.

Cleaning with Oil

Any oil medium will work fine, just make sure that it is 100% oil. I would avoid Stand Oil, but linseed or walnut oil will work perfectly. I personally use M Graham Walnut Oil.

Step 1: When finished painting, remove excess paint off of the brush using a rag or paper towel. 

Step 2: While dipping your brush into your cleaning oil, clean as much paint as possible off the brush by scrubbing/wiping the brush onto the side of your cleaning jar. I like to dip my brush only into the top layer of the oil. With time, old pigment will begin to gather and settle into the bottom of your jar, but the top layer will stay relatively clean.

Step 3: In the sink, clean the rest of the paint/oil off your brush using soap such as dawn dish soap, pink soap, master's brush cleaner, or master's hand soap.

I use Master's Hand Soap or dawn dish soap.

Step 4: Allow brushes to dry upright in a holding jar. This will insure that the bristles maintain their shape for as long as possible.

Perks to Cleaning your Oil Brushes Solvent Free 

1. You don't have to breathe in fumes.

2. Your brushes will not dry out.

3. Your brushes will last longer because they are being conditioned while being cleaned.

4. You don't have to clean your brushes as often. I usually only do a full clean of oil plus soap once a week (if I am honest not even that). Cleaning them with oil gets them clean enough to continue on for the next day. I mean a fully cleaned brush is the most ideal, but who has time for that?

Conclusion

Going green is an adjustment and can take some time to get used to, but as I said before, it is worth it. I can have my littles/kittens in my painting space without worrying about what they are breathing in, or what I am breathing in. Especially during the winter when I do not want to open a window. But other than using oil to clean your brushes, what else do you do to "go green" with your oil paints?

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This is a rewrite from my old blog: Going Green: Cleaning your Brushes without Turpenoid