Non-Toxic Oil Brush Cleaning made simple
Ready to unlock all the potential in your next landscape painting? Use this quick trick for great results.
Learn how to use your brushes like a Professional Artist to achieve amazing detail in your paintings!
Learn to paint landscapes with step by step instruction. With just a bit of practice you can be happy with your trees, ocean waves, clouds and entire oil painting! For full video and DVD painting tutorial lessons and to order Kevin’s signature art brushes visit our site.
FREE VIDEO:
“5 Things You Must Know Before Your Next Painting”:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
• Instagram:
• Facebook:
source
You may also like
Paint with Kevin – Sunlit Oak Forest
March 31, 2026
Paint with Kevin Hill – The Towering Mountains
March 30, 2026
Waterfall View
March 29, 2026
26 Comments
I have a question, how do you properly dispose of the paper towels that you use to clean your brushes?
One thing I really respect is your video production. Like your paintings, the lighting is perfect.
Hi. Kevin, do you use turpenoid, what disadvantages or advantages in your expert opinion? Thank you.
Never clean again Chris Beaven. He buys AVO 1 gallon of safflower oil for 38 dollars and you leave them in the oil,it doesn't damage them at all.
I love the look of oil but it is just too much cleaning. Too much expense in paper towels and cleaner. I finally decided to just stick with acrylics.
When my granddaddy was a oil painter he used to clean his brushes with dish soap and canola oil and had no problem with his brushes after
Should the cleaning process be different for synthetic brushes? I find they tend to flare out when cleaned in solvents!
I use Geneva brush dip which is a combination of safflower oil and clove oil. Clean up almost as easy as watercolors!
After being diagnosed with bladder cancer last year, I've worried the paint thinner might have been the culprit. I've been really hesitant about going back to painting because of the exposure to paint thinner. Thank you so much for this video!
This is why I moved to watercolors! Vitually no cleanup.
Very helpful. Thank you for sharing
Thank you!
Even simpler & cleaner solution is using {fragrance free} baby wipes.
So much layers of cleaning papers.. so much work in cleaning… why dont you simply buy new brushes….?.. haha…
You used as much towel as you said your use if it was cheaper? I got to say that's a lot of work and time doing it that way
Good lesson ! Thanks
After baby oil got into a painting and ruined it, I stopped using it to clean brushes. I use a plastic $1 household bucket, fill it with warm water and use a bar of cheap, pure soap. Pinch out, then rub out, as much paint as you can on cheap paper towel, then dunk the brushes in warm water. Wet the bar of soap and rub the brushes on the bar of soap until they are really soapy. Rinse the bar of soap and the brush in the warm water and repeat until very little paint is coming off onto the soap. Lather the brush up again and this time rub it into the palm of your hand, massaging the soap right into the bristles. Rinse and repeat until the brush is clean, then rinse in warm clean water. It honestly only takes 5 minutes longer than using baby oil and leaves just enough oil in the brush to keep it in good condition. I'm still using brushes I've had for more than 20 years. Just remember to dispose of the painty water properly – that is, do not tip it down the sink. Much of the residue dries onto the bucket, but I use the same bucket, keeping it just for cleaning brushes. I do this in the laundry and do get a bit of an oily residue in the sink, which is easily cleaned off with some paper towel and soap. I clean my palette and hands the same way. Soap is an amazing cleaner for oil paint.
Very useful. When I run out of my current supplies, this is what I will do. thank you.
🦊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for the tip I learned some more thank you for sharing kathy
You should look at using a simple bar of soap. Scrub the brush, wipe excess on a paper towel, repeat until it seems like there's less paint, then rinse and refresh with that oil (mineral or baby, whatever your preference)
What medium do you use with oils that is non toxic? I find linseed oil has a strong smell.
I like shop towels
Excellent instructions! Thank you, Kevin.
I use non toxic linseed oil soap then wash it with dish soap afterwards. I didn't know that the water was the reason the bristles flare out, I'll try the baby oil next!