How To Clean Face Paint Off Brushes

There are two primary tools in your face painting kit- sponges and brushes. Take care of your tools – and they will take care of you!

Whether you are doing a small birthday party, or a larger crowd you need clean tools. You will need to clean brushes and sponges on the job, and at home. It's required by some areas, but when you think of all the germs we carry around, it's up to us to not spread germs further.

Here are some tips to keep your kit in tip-top sanitary condition.

On the job care:

Clients and their families take note of how you operate your business. It's part of the wait time, they watch you and look over your kit and tools. They observe how you present yourself, the level of professionalism, and presentation. No one will stop to complain that you're cleaning your brushes before you paint. We all want the best for our families and loved ones. Don't be hesitant to take a minute to tidy up and sanitize your tools. Your professional grade paints should already have antimicrobial agents in them. While it prevents the growth of bacteria, it doesn't stop the spread of bacteria from your brushes and sponges.

Note:
There is no need to double dip the same brush in the paint twice. If loaded correctly there should be enough paint to do the design and then move on to the next brush. As always there are certain circumstances, like spiderman's eyes that to consider, but you can always grab a second brush if you are concerned.

BRUSHES:

Your work area should have 3 containers, one for dirty water, one clean water, and one alcohol. I will go over the isopropyl alcohol later in this article.

Swish brush through the first bath with brush bath or one drop your soap of choice. You can place a silicone brush cleaner wedged in the bottom of water well to assist in cleaning the bristles.

Swish brush though second bath of clean water with surgical scrub brush in bottom.

Wipe or pat on a clean towel to dry up excess water.

Dip in 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and saturate.

Shape then place out of the way to dry. They will be dry in 5-15 minutes depending upon temperature and humidity. You can also place the brushes in direct sunshine for quicker drying speed.

*Isopropyl alcohol leaves no residue in brushes after it it is dry.

Don't leave brushes soaking in water while on the job. This can lead to bent bristles but also can lessen the lifetime of your brush.

You don't have to meticulously clean your station between every client, but getting your brushes clean is a must.

Make sure you have enough stock on hand. It only takes a minute to clean, but if you have multiples of each brush you can leave one set drying and rotate them out:

Here are some examples of how many brushes to keep on hand.

Four 3/4 flat brushes (#12's)

One #12 Filbert

Two Petal Brushes large and small,

Two #10 flats,

One #8 filbert

Three sets of round Brushes #10, #6, #4, #2, #3

2 Script liners

and 3 other misc brushes, for stipple, splatter, or rough work

Sponges:

Place a large bag on the back of your chair, and use a new sponge with each client.

After use, all used sponges go in a bucket of water to soak. The sponges stay wet this way and it makes them easier to clean. Dry sponges can be cleaned at home, it just takes a bit longer.

Do not leave your dirty sponges soaking for days a time, this can lead to bacteria build up.

How many sponges per hour:
20-30 sponges per hour of work per painter. If you are doing a small birthday party you will already know how many kids will be there when booking your client. But for a large event, you will have to estimate how fast you are per hour. It is best to have an abundance of sponges than not have enough.

At home cleaning:

Sponges:

Sponges can be soaked in a hot soapy water. You can use any soap of your choosing, we like Dawn. With the images of an oil spill and baby ducks, it seems to be the best at removing gunk!

Work them into the solution using rubber gloves to protect your hands. Use very hot water and let them sit till the water lukewarm. Then wash them all individually and rinse well, and let dry overnight.

If the paint is being particularly stubborn, you can let the sponges soak overnight.

If your washing machine has a Sanitizing cycle you can use that to help clean your sponges.

You can also put sponges in your dryer on the high heat setting in lingerie bag.

Dye them black so they don't look stained

Make sure they are completely dry before storing them back in your kit. Smelly sponges are gross!

Brushes:

If you are cleaning your brushes well at the event your brushes shouldn't be a big chore when you get home. After the last face is painted do your standard brush bath- they should look great.

Getting in the habit of doing a whole kit cleanup when you get home is something to practice.
Give your whole kit a wipe down and organize it so next event you are 100% certain that everything is clean and ready to go.

At your sink give the brushes a good rub, they had a hard day! At this point, you have time to inspect and ensure that there is no residual paint left hiding anywhere. Check the ferrule of the brush to see if it has loosened from the handle.

There are brush conditioners on the market, that's up to you if you feel it's necessary. One important thing to do, shape the bristles in the proper form before putting them away!

If for some reason you are soaking your brushes and forget about them here is what to do! Note: Please don't use Bleach to clean your brushes. It can ruin synthetic brushes and cause the bristles to fray or break.
Lay brushes flat and allow them to dry, water running up the ferrule can cause the glue to degrade and loosen.

Bent brushes from leaving in water:

If for some reason you do forget your brushes in a soak and find them bent here is what to do. After cleaning/rinsing the brushes boil some water in a saucepan. You want it deep enough to carefully insert your bent brushes, but not quite all the way to the ferrule. Hold them there for five seconds and then remove them. Let it cool for a second, and then use your fingers to make a point. If they are stubborn and are still curved, repeat the process. Be careful not to dip the brush as far as the ferrule, as the glue could melt from the heat and loosen from the handle.

Isopropyl alcohol:

There is some debate on which version of alcohol is best. 70%-90% alcohol is what you will find most available in stores.

Some say that 90% dissipates too quickly and that it's not actually sterilizing the brushes, but only sanitizing.

Drying Time:
Brushes tend to dry a lot quicker with 90%+ than they do with 70%. If you have enough brushes in your kit this shouldn't be a problem.

Sanitization:
Using a higher percentage of alcohol does not help sanitize better. It dries quickly and does not sanitize as well as the 70%. IPA evaporates completely, and it does not leave traces of residue on the paints. Because of this, there is no need to take the extra step to rinse the alcohol out of the brush when finished.

Brush soaps and cleaners:
Ben Nye brush cleaner, pink soap, you name it there are many products out there. I don't think they are a waste of money, but they can be expensive- especially if you have 1000 sponges to clean. You certainly can get by with dish detergent and good ole' elbow grease.

Info on Cleanliness:

Make sure you are painting on a clean face, and never paint over sores or wounds or scabs of any kind.

Never paint a person who is sick.

If this occurs, make sure you have stickers in your kit and have this clearly posted on a sign at your table. If you start painting and the client starts to sneeze, sniffle, or cough finish up as quickly as possible.
Sanitize everything that they may have had contact with before continuing. You are not only protecting your health, but think of the time and money lost if you are out of work being sick?

If you paint near the eyes or mouth, sanitize your brushes.

Q-tips can be used for lip color, they are cheap and disposable.

Other Tips:

Keep your brushes for white and black paint separate. Put a sticker or a paint spot on them so you know that particular brush is for painting black liner, or white dots etc. This keeps your paint pots from getting dull!

Buy Dollar Store sponges made for car washing that are in the shape of a peanut. Carve them into wedge shape for a cheap (if needed disposable) sponge.

Regardless of size, keeping your clean station and sanitary tools will not only impress attendees but also prevent the spread of germs. Taking good care of your brushes can also extend the life of the brush and save you money over time. It doesn't matter how messy you are when you paint, as long as you keep your tools clean.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy painting!