Easy Paint Clean up Tips

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

05 Nov 2007 06:12 AM

Want to spruce up your home before the holidays? There is almost nothing faster that makes a big impact like a new coat of paint. It looks clean and fresh, no matter what else you do to a room. New paint is the perfect backdrop for all of our holiday decorating.

Here at Romansville, I have been trying to get my daughter's room painted. It isn't an easy task, since I have two little ones at home all day and another one at school. So I have been taking the painting in stages, literally doing one wall at a time. It certainly extends the time it takes to paint, especially when I factor in all of that clean up time. Instead of cleaning up once for the job, I have to clean up multiple times.

Because of this, I discovered a short cut to cleaning up, that I think you can take advantage of no matter if you paint one room at a time or an entire house. Before I add paint to my roller pan, I line the pan with aluminum foil. Then I pour the paint in the pan. When it comes time to clean it all up, all I have to do is pour the excess paint back into the container and lift the foil clear from the pan. There is no rinsing or scrubbing, making the clean up go very quickly. Too bad I can't line the brush with aluminum foil as well.

One thing I can do with the roller and the brush, if I really don't have time to rinse them is to place them in plastic freezer bags, seal the bags and place them in the freezer. The paint won't dry on the brush or roller that way. A quick thaw while I get the rest of my painting supplies ready is all that it takes before I am ready to paint again.

What are your paint clean up tips?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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QueenAngie Central Illinois, USA (60106) 05 Nov 2007 07:59 PM

Great tips!

Make certain that the paint is lead-free and able to be scrubbed when small children live in the home setting.

When you get done w/ all your walls, care to come to Illinois to paint?

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 06 Nov 2007 06:10 AM

Sure, we could have a work frolic! As far as I understand it, all paint for indoor household use must be lead free. But am I wrong?