We would like to paint you, pun intended, a clear and concise picture: After hours of undergoing some hard, labored work while in the process of painting all of the walls in your home, in order to get that new Spring or Summer look done right in time to pin it on Pinterest or maybe it might even be just to really spruce up a not so lit room, or any room, with some new colors or an accent wall in order to renew its spark and give the zone a different look and feel; we can all agree in the fact that painting is actually the easiest step of the bunch.
It has happened to everyone. Hours after any real painting has been done, we can see the bucket, tray and roller just sitting around in the same corner we left it hours ago, after we went to take a snack post-painting. Why it is that cleaning paint out seems like such a difficult task to pull off? When in reality, we have big news for you, is actually not so bad. This is why we just felt the need to let you know how to clean paint rollers in a few easy steps and how this means that our procrastination days will -and so do yours too- soon be over when it comes to cleaning the paint out of those rollers.
For best results, it is advised to pay attention to your rollers as soon as you finish using them for any and all painting intended to be done on any given zone of your home. Do your best to avoid letting them sit out on the tray for an extended period of time after you have finished your paint job, as the paint will dry and this will mean a much more difficult job to get the chemicals out of the tool. We also advise not to let the roller sit in the actual paint bucket, and to properly dispose or return the unused paint left on the tray, if any and if possible, back to the bucket. These are the best preliminary steps on how to clean paint rollers for the most part.
Before you do any cleaning, keep in mind a few quality facts about paint rollers. Not all paint rollers withstand washing, so make sure that when you aim to do a paint job at home, you buy and use top notch and the best quality rollers. They will not only get the job done properly and easily, but will also spare you a few bucks when replacing them, as most of these can be washed and reused many times before having to get a refill. Once you have your quality roller all soaked in paint, finish up your color refreshing mission and then let’s get cleaning.
What you will need.
Cleaning a paint roller is done in steps, as most things that are done properly. You will need to gather a few materials to begin with, and it is best to have them all handy for the task to go about smoothly. For tools, you will need some brushes with firm and/or plastic bristles, a putty knife, a bucket, gloves and safety glasses, just as an extra security measure as it might not happen, but paint could splatter to your eyes and clothes while cleaning the roller.
For materials, get together some dish detergent, plastic bottles you can dispose of, newspaper or craft paper (whichever you have or is more accessible for you), some rags and warm water that will help in loosening up any stubborn stains. After all the tools and products have been obtained, go get that roller ready to be used up on another paint job soon enough.
Save on paint.
The primary thing you will need to do when learning how to clean paint rollers is to return any excess paint to the bucket as we have already established previously. This step will not only save you on a few bucks of painting material, but it will also prep the roller for the next step we need to perform in the cleaning process. Taking a 5 in 1 tool, or the putty knife you got from the tool list, scrape the paint off the roller and onto the actual paint bucket. Carefully do this with firm long strides to the whole circumference of the tool, and you’ll be surprised to discover how much paint you are saving after this.
Get it all off.
After scraping, there will definitely still be paint on your roller, and you might think “well, off to cleaning!” Not so much. Once the roller has any excess paint out (this could even happen mid painting or right before you’re finishing) get a spot that is dried off the new paint, or a zone that might need a second coat anyway and pass on the roller a couple of times. You can also use a few newspaper sheets to do this step. Do this until no paint is transferred to either surface, even when you apply pressure.
Actually cleaning.
You might feel that a lot of cleaning has been done by now, but we regret to tell you, these few moves were just done in preparation and we are just now about to tell you how to clean paint rollers properly. So the actual cleaning commences now. Get your gloves and glasses on and add warm water to your bucket, take the roller sponge and separate it from the roller frame to properly wash both tools since it is best to do this with them apart from each other.
Now, adding a few drops of dishwasher detergent to the warm water and enlisting the brush, scrub the paint off your roller frame. This step is much easier done if the paint on the frame is still wet as it will come off easily. We must add a note here on something we will cover next for the sponge but also applies for the roller: if the paint used was oil based, the best way to approach cleaning the paint off any of your tools is with the help of a solvent. Add this material to your list if needed.
It depends on the paint too.
Next up is the sponge. While warm water and dishwashing soap will do the trick for water-based paint colors, oil paint is a much tougher material, so we will cover its cleaning method in a bit. Scrub your roller away with soft pressure or the help of your brush to get all paint material off it. Rinse it well, then use your hands, 5 in 1 tool or putty knife to get any and all water excess out and leave it to dry standing or hanging.
For oil based paint, as it has a special formula, you will need thinner, solvent or minerals to get it off any surface. It is also advised to do this while the paint is wet for maximum cleanliness. Fill your bucket with as much of the liquids needed to soak the roller sponge, you may need to use a flat container instead of a bucket in this case so you only use the needed amount of thinner or solvent to get the job done.
Use the same method described above for your painting tray and handle and you will then have squeaky clean tools ready to be used in your next painting spree. As an afterword, we consider pertinent to give you some quick tips if you don’t really need to clean the whole roller or if you’re performing several paint jobs over many days. For this, putting your tools, separated, into plastic bags or covered in cling plastic film and popped into zip tops will hold off the drying process for at least a weekend, in case you need the roller ready to keep going.
