It is easy to keep a brush clean for many years with simple regular maintenance. The most effective way to keep and clean brushes is by using a mild soap. There are some brush cleaners made especially for cleaning brushed but they can be expensive and are used up very quickly. Brush cleaners are very good for those really hard to clean brushes or for a periodical cleaning if you want to recondition your brushes.

Using 100% pure soap, in bar form is probably the easiest method and if you use chemical products that require chemical clean up, then do so first. These chemicals are especially harmful to brushes.

Begin by cleaning the brush thoroughly with the required cleaner. Wet the bar of soap under running water and then wet the brush bristles. Swirl the brush on the bar. Do this until you see a chemical film being released from the bristles. Rinse and repeat this process until you no longer see any discoloration or film on the soap.

If you use oil paints then you will see color on the bar, as chemicals never completely remove color. You will repeat the swirl and rinse process until the color is no longer visible on the bar of soap.

The brush is clean when you see white sudsy foam on the soap. Rinse one last time and lay out for drying.

The final step and the one that will keep the brush bristles straight and even, is proper drying. Using an old phone book is good. This allows flat brushes to dry flat, retaining their shape.

Place the brush bristles, between the phone book pages. The weight of the book flattens the bristles at the same time as absorbing the excess water. Phone book pages are quiet absorbent and besides what else do you do with an old phone book.

Allow drying overnight, preferably, but brushes will usually dry within a few hours depending on the temperature.

To dry round brushes you might want to dab your fingers with a slight amount of wet soap, then apply to the bristles of the round brush and allow to air dry. Soap helps to shape the brush and discourages the bristles from curling out. The soap will not be noticeable when you use it next. But remember only a dab of soap.

After your brushes are dried you will see that they almost look new again. It will definitely encourage your creative side and will keep you and your brushes going for many years.

This method works well on paintbrushes used for house painting as well, if you are the do-it-yourselfer that loves to paint your home that is.

Cleaning your brushes this way allows you to create at a moments notice. Next time that creative urge strikes, you will be ready with clean equipment and no need to make a creativity defusing run.