How to Clean Paint Rollers

You’ve just finished painting your house. The job, however, isn’t finished. Cleaning your implements will allow you to use them again. Rollers are cleaned differently than brushes. Depending on the paint you’ve used, you’ll have to choose an appropriate method to get the paint off. Cleaning techniques will differ depending on whether you use a latex-based or oil-based paint. As long as you use the proper method, you should be able to completely clean your rollers.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Removing Latex-Based Paint

  1. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Perhaps you have a section that wasn’t completely painted. To get rid of this paint, you should run the roller over this section. You can also paint over an inconspicuous area.
  2. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Your roller might have excess dried paint on its edges. Hold the roller over the paint bucket you used. Use the curved side of your 5-in-1 tool or putty knife to scrape the excess paint off the roller.
  3. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Fill two containers with warm water. You’ll use one container for washing the roller and the other for rinsing. Add about one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to the washing container.
  4. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    First, you should rinse the roller cover with warm water. Now you should place the roller cover in a container filled with cleaning solution. Rub the roller cover with both hands till you remove as much paint as you can. After you do this, dip the roller cover in and out of the water. Once you feel the cover is sufficiently clean, you should put it aside. Clear the dirty water out of the container. Fill the container with more cleaning solution. You should now put the roller cage into the container. Scrub at the cage with a brush until all paint has been removed.
  5. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Place the washed roller cover into the rinsing container and rinse it until it is clean. Make sure to rinse until you have taken off any leftover soap or paint. You should also rinse the cage. Wrap the roller cover in a clean towel to remove excess water. You should stand the roller cover up to dry. Dry the cage with paper towels.
    • Alternatively, you can use a garden hose to rinse any remaining residue from the roller cover. Put the roller on a pole and spray the roller with a hose until the paint starts spinning off. If you run the hose over the entire roller, the paint will be sucked out with the force of the spinning. Then put the stream of water on the very edge of the roller and let it spin fast to leave the roller almost dry, because the water will also spin out.[1]
    Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Removing Oil-Based Paint

  1. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    You can paint over surfaces with the roller. Choose an area that hasn’t been painted properly or that is fairly inconspicuous, and roll the roller on that area. You may have some dry paint that stuck is on the roller. Using a tool such as 5 in 1 or a putty knife, scrape the paint off.[2]
  2. How.com.vn English: Step 2 Determine what type of paint remover you will use.
    Consult the paint label. The label should state what the best solvent for this paint is. Common solvents are mineral spirits, denatured alcohol and paint thinner.
  3. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Get rid of any excess material in your paint trays. Fill two or three trays with paint remover. You should also fill one tray with warm water.
    • When you fill these trays, you should pour in enough fluid to cover an entire roller cover and cage.
  4. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Remove your paint roller cover from the roller cage and place it in the first tray of paint remover. Leave it in for about five minutes. Gently move the roller cover from side to side. Then, put the roller cover into the next tray. Let the cover sit in the tray for three to four minutes. This process should clear the roller cover of paint. If there is still paint on the roller cover, then you should put the cover in another tray of paint remover. You should follow the same procedure with the roller cage.
  5. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    In order to rinse the roller cover, you should place the roller cover in the tray full of warm water. You can use paper towels to dry off the roller cover. After you dry the roller cover, you should stand the roller cover up in a dry place. You should rinse the roller cage in the same manner. You can also dry the roller cage with paper towels.
  6. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    Put your used paint thinner through a funnel into its original container and recycle it for another use. If you don’t want to recycle your paint thinner, then you will need to dispose of it according to the regulations in your municipality. You can generally find these regulations on your municipality's website. If your municipality does not have a website, then you should contact your city's department of sanitation.
    Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Readying Your Supplies and Work Space

  1. How.com.vn English: Step 1 Put on gloves.
    You don’t want to get any paint on your hands. To ensure that this does not happen, you should wear a pair of gloves. Rubber or latex gloves both work. You can find these at your local supermarket. These will keep your hands clean and safe.
  2. How.com.vn English: Step 2 Protect your eyes.
    The chemicals used to get rid of the paint can be dangerous. Protective eyewear will prevent the chemicals from splashing into your eyes. Plastic goggles should work. You can also wear work-glasses as well. You can obtain goggles or work-glasses at a hardware store. Find goggles or work glasses that fit your face, you don’t want them to fall off!
  3. How.com.vn English: Step 3 Prepare the area.
    You don’t want to get your space dirty when you clean the rollers. You may want to toss some old newspapers on the floor where you will be cleaning the paint rollers. Or, you may want to consider cleaning the rollers over paint trays. Any space that you can clean easily should work as well. For example, you might want to clean your rollers in your garage or basement.
  4. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    You will be cleaning the roller cover and its cage separately. By taking apart the roller, you will make it easier to thoroughly clean these parts. Take the roller cover from the roller cage. You can do this over the paint tray. Depending on the type of roller that you have, you will either simply pull the roller out of the cage or unscrew it from the cage.
  5. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Clean Paint Rollers
    If you aren’t going to immediately clean your rollers, then you need to keep them in a sealed off space. To keep the roller fresh, place the roller in plastic wrap.[3] Then, put it in the refrigerator.
    • By preserving your rollers, you can avoid the hassle of cleaning. This is a good option for when you are completing a multi-day project.
    Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Is there a way to get dry paint off a roller?
    How.com.vn English: Ryan Owsiany
    Ryan Owsiany
    Drywall & Painting Specialist
    Ryan Owsiany is a Drywall and Painting Specialist and the Owner of Patch and Paint Pros in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. With over two decades of experience, Ryan specializes in interior and exterior house painting as well as drywall, plaster, and water damage repair. Ryan holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University. Patch and Paint Pros only employ experienced, friendly painters that understand proper preparation is required to ensure client satisfaction on every painting project.
    How.com.vn English: Ryan Owsiany
    Drywall & Painting Specialist
    Expert Answer
    If the paint is just starting to dry, you might be able to scrub it and get it off. If it's been drying for more than a couple of hours, though, it's probably better to toss that roller out and get a new one.
  • Question
    The paint dried on the side of the paint bucket. How do I clean it off?
    How.com.vn English: Lana Beals
    Lana Beals
    Community Answer
    You can get some acetone and a cotton swab to scrub it off.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit

      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • To recycle an empty can of paint thinner, simply allow the container to air dry and then recycle it with other metals or plastics. The residue will not inhibit the recycling process.
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • Always dispose of water-based paint in a sink attached to a sanitary sewer. Never pour waste paint down a storm drain.
      • Check your local ordinances regarding the disposal of oil-based paint.
      Advertisement

      About this article

      How.com.vn English: Ryan Owsiany
      Co-authored by:
      Drywall & Painting Specialist
      This article was co-authored by Ryan Owsiany. Ryan Owsiany is a Drywall and Painting Specialist and the Owner of Patch and Paint Pros in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. With over two decades of experience, Ryan specializes in interior and exterior house painting as well as drywall, plaster, and water damage repair. Ryan holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University. Patch and Paint Pros only employ experienced, friendly painters that understand proper preparation is required to ensure client satisfaction on every painting project. This article has been viewed 163,725 times.
      2 votes - 100%
      Co-authors: 14
      Updated: February 4, 2024
      Views: 163,725
      Article SummaryX

      To clean latex paint off of a paint roller, start by scraping off as much excess paint as you can into the paint bucket using a putty knife. Then, rinse the roller cover in the sink before submerging it in a container filled with warm, soapy water. Use your hands to rub any remaining paint off of the cover until it's clean, then remove the cover and dry it off with a clean towel. To learn how to clean oil paint off of a paint roller, check out the full article below!

      Did this summary help you?

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 163,725 times.

      Did this article help you?

      ⚠️ Disclaimer:

      Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
      Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.

      Notices:
      • - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
      • - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
      • - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
      • - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.

      Advertisement