ZenART's Membership Plans Terms & Conditions

(Updates effective 17/08/2020)

These terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”) govern the ZenART Supplies Rewards & Referral Plan as well as Subscribe & Save Plan (“Membership Plans”), and members of the programs will earn zen coins in connection with the purchase of qualifying online products and online activities that are redeemable towards the purchase of certain products online. For the re-occurring members (Subscribe & Save Plan) this includes exclusive gifts & content.

1. REWARDS & REFERRAL

  • Free. No purchase is necessary to obtain membership in the Rewards & Referral Program, but you must establish an account at https://shop.zenartsupplies.co/account/register . Please see our privacy policy, located here, to understand how information you provide us will be used. This program is void where prohibited.
  • Eligibility. In order to be eligible for the Rewards & Referral Program, you must create an account as outlined in these Terms and Conditions. You may create an account if you are at least seventeen (17) years of age, have Internet access, and have a valid mailing address. If you are between the ages of 17 and 18, you must have your parent’s permission to register for an account. If you choose to create an account, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account, username and password and for restricting access to your account. You are responsible for keeping such information current, complete, accurate and truthful. You agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account, username and/or password. You agree to provide only current, complete, accurate and truthful information. If you are accessing and using the Site on someone else’s behalf, you represent that you have the authority to bind that person as the principal to all Terms and Conditions provided herein, and to the extent you do not have such authority you agree to be bound to these Terms and Conditions and to accept liability for harm caused by any wrongful use of the Site or Content resulting from such access or use. You may only have one member account per natural person. Persons who are discovered to have more than one account forfeit their zen coins and will be unsubscribed from the Loyalty Program.
  • How To Enroll in the Rewards & Referral Program. (a) Create an account: Visit www.zenartsupplies.com (the "Site" or "Online") and become a registered user of the Site. Click here to be taken directly to the registration page. You will be asked for your first and last name, your email address, and a password. You will also be given the option to sign up for our newsletter. Once you have submitted the requisite information, you will be sent an email to the address you listed confirming your membership. Once you have confirmed your email address, you are automatically enrolled in the Reward & Referral Program and are a member (“Member”).
  • How to Access/Change Your Member Information. You must keep your personal information on your Account up-to-date. To do so, click on the "My Account" section and access your account by entering your registered email address and current password. From your dashboard you can access your account information; review your current and past orders; change your profile; manage your subscriptions and applications, and access your previous purchases.
  • How to Cancel Your Membership. You may cancel an account at any time. To cancel your account, please send an email to support@zenartsupplies.co and write “cancel membership” in the subject line. The email must come from the account currently listed on our servers as being associated with your Rewards & Referral Program. If you no longer have access to that email address, please email our customer service department and we will verify your status and cancel your account. Upon cancellation, you are no longer a member, and any unused zen coins accrued in your account will be forfeited and cannot be redeemed. Zen coins maintain their value only on valid accounts in good standing, and except as otherwise provided here for redemption, have no cash value outside of their redemption value on the Site.

2. EARNING ZEN COINS

  • General Members can earn zen coins on the purchase of qualifying online products at zenartsupplies.co. To receive zen coins for your Online purchases, you must be signed into your account. You may check at any time to see if you are signed in to the Site by looking in the upper right-hand corner of the site. Gift cards do not qualify for zen coins. Other products that do not qualify for zen coins are noted on the Site.
  • Earning Rate. Members earn 5 sen coins for every $1.00 spent on qualifying purchases (in other words, one (5) zen coins for every one dollar ($1) spent). Zen coins are based on your order subtotal, after any discounts, only. Zen coins are rounded down to the nearest whole number. For example, if you spend $9.99, you will receive 9 zen coins. The calculation is as follows: $9.99 x 1 zen coins per dollar = 9.99 zen coins, which is rounded down to 9 zen coins. This program started on August 17, 2020, and initial levels were set on the 2020 amount spent on ordering products. Note: Shipping and Taxes are not taken into consideration. If an item is return and/or price adjusted that will also be removed from your rewards calculations.
  • Gift Cards. Gift card purchases are not eligible to receive zen coins. However, once a gift card is redeemed, zen coins will be awarded to the recipient for the subtotal after any gift card values, provided s/he is logged into the account, as outlined in these Terms and Conditions.
  • Addition of Zen Coins to Accounts. Zen Coins will be added to your Account under the following conditions, and will generally show up immediately. You will receive zen coins:
    • At the time of account registration
    • During the purchase of qualifying products
    • For other activities outlined on the Site that may show up from time to time. Note that for these other activities, including “bonus zen coins” accumulations and other zen coin promotions, zen coins may show as “pending,” depending upon the activity.
    • Joining the Birthday Club. Birthdate must be entered 30 days before your Birthday to qualify.
    • For Liking the ZenART Supplies Facebook page and sharing the ZenART Supplies Facebook page with your following. This is good one time only.
    • Following ZenART Supplies on Instagram. This is good one time only.
    • Referring a friend to ZenART Supplies. Your account will be automatically awarded the discount only if the referral friend used the link sent to them from your referral account and makes a qualifying purchase. Discount will automatically be applied to account if stipulations are met.
  • Exclusions. Members earn zen coins only on the purchase price of: (i) qualifying online products. Calculation of zen coins excludes payment by the Member for shipping charges and all taxes, including without limitation, federal, state, and local taxes or use taxes. Zen Coins will not be earned on any discounts or other credits offered in connection with a product or service. For example, if a product that is normally $50 is on sale for $25, a Member will only earn zen coins on the purchase price of $25. Purchases of gift cards, redemption of vouchers, and any type of price adjustments, including merchandise returns, are not eligible for zen coins. All purchases made: (i) by a Member prior to such member joining the Program, (ii) Online without a Member being logged onto the Website with the Member's Account number linked to the Member's Online account, are not eligible for Reward & Referral Program credit. The purchase of ZenART Supplies products outside the Zenartsupplies.co website are not eligible for the Reward & Referral Program.
  • Returns/Order Cancellations. Zen Coins earned for a purchase that is then the subject of a return, cancellation, refund, declined credit card or gift card, or other credit will be deducted from your account in an amount equal to the zen coins earned for the original transaction, including any bonus zen coins that may be applicable. Any rewards discounts that are applied to the order, will be distributed equally to the applicable items in the order when completing a return. Zen Coins redeemed on an order will not be reapplied back to your rewards account for any reason on a returned order. If a return/cancellation will cause your account to have a negative zen coin balance, you will not begin earning zen coins again until your zen coins balance is returned to zero (0), by making purchases, or engaging in other promotional activities offered from time to time. If an item is exchanged (different product) any redeemed rewards on the initial purchase may be transferred to the exchange one (1) time only. Rewards used on an order that is canceled cannot be reapplied as they are good for just one use.
  • Bonus Zen Coins Promotions. From time to time, ZenART Supplies may run certain bonus zen coin promotions. Under bonus zen coin promotions, Members can earn additional or "bonus zen coins" in connection with the purchase of certain online products. When you purchase these specially marked products or make the purchase during a bonus zen coins time period, you will earn bonus zen coins on each product, as specified in the offer. Bonus zen coin promotions are subject to the terms and conditions of the offer and may be offered at any time in ZenART Supplies sole discretion. Bonus zen coin offers cannot be combined with any other offer.
  • Limitations on Bonus Zen Coins and Zen Coins, Generally. These terms apply to zen coins and bonus zen coins accruals. If you purchase a product during a promotion and the product comes with an additional, free product, zen coins will not be issued on the retail value of the free product. If you redeem zen coins towards the purchase of a product and pay a portion of the retail price after the zen coin's redemption, you will receive zen coins only on the leftover retail amount you pay, and not on any value attributed to the zen coin you used. If you redeem zen coins towards the purchase of a product in an amount equal to the full price of the product, you will not earn any zen coins.
  • Non-purchase Options for Earning Zen Coins. You may also earn additional zen coins on non-purchase activities. From time to time, ZenART Supplies may offer you the chance to win various prizes, and earn zen coins, for entering into promotions. For sweepstakes promotions, there is NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PLAY OR TO WIN. Rules and restrictions will apply to such promotions and may be found on the entry page of any promotion.
  • Referring a friend to ZenART Supplies. Email a friend an $8 off coupon on $50 order by clicking “ Earn Zen Coins” then “ Refer a Friend”. Enter the email address of a friend who has not purchased with ZenART Supplies before (if your referral has shopped with us before the referral link will be automatically voided by the system). A referral link will be sent to your friend with an $8 off coupon on a $50 order. $8 off coupon on $50 order will automatically be rewarded to your account only if the referral friend used the link sent to them from your referral account and makes a qualifying first-time purchase with ZenART Supplies. Your Referral friend will receive an $8 off coupon on $50 order, 200 zen coins for signing up, and zen coins from their first purchase made while signed into their new ZenART Supplies account.

3. REDEEMING ZEN COINS

  • How To Use Your Zen Coins. Zen Coins must be used in increments outlined in these Terms and Conditions. The maximum number of zen coins that may be used in a single transaction is 10,000 zen coins. Zen Coins may only be used Online at the ZenART Supplies website. Zen Coins towards Products: Members can use their zen coins to reduce the purchase price of a product or to receive a product for free based on the following scale:
    • 500 zen coins = $5.00 off
    • 1,000 zen coins = $10.00 off your at least $50 order
    • 1,500 zen coins = $15.00 off your at least $50 order
    • 2,500 zen coins = $25.00 off your at least $50 order

    Zen Coins can only be redeemed in any combination of the zen coin and increment amounts set forth above. Redemption of zen coins towards purchases of products is subject to product availability. Any rewards discounts that are applied to the order, will be distributed equally to the applicable items in the order when completing a return.

  • Gift cards. Once available, zen coins cannot be used towards the purchase of gift cards. Gift card redemption, however, is eligible for zen coins. Zen Coins accrued pursuant to the use of a gift card will benefit the gift card user, provided the user has an account in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
  • To Redeem your Zen Coins. Before you begin shopping with us, sign in to your Shop account on our site. Select “Redeem Zen Coins” from the red tab housed in the lower left-hand corner of the screen and select the amount of zen coins you would like to redeem. You will be issued a custom code that you can copy and paste into the discount bar during check out (Please note - only one code can be used). Your total payment amount will be discounted by the amount of zen coins you allocate to the purchase. Note that zen coins may only be redeemed for the purchase price of the product. Sales tax, shipping, and other handling charges assessed in addition to the price of the product are your responsibility and zen coins may not be used to discount these additional charges.
  • Exclusions. Only one account per natural person. Only one discount code can be redeemed per transaction. Rewards redemption codes may not be combined with any other discount codes. Zen Coins may not be transferred or gifted at this time. Zen Coins cannot be used on past purchases. Zen Coins accumulated on different accounts by different members may not be combined or aggregated to make purchases of products or for any other reason. Zen Coins earned in a transaction cannot be redeemed in the same transaction. Redeemed zen coins cannot be retroactively applied to any past order or receive a price adjustment on any order where redeemed zen coins were not applied. Zen Coins have no cash value outside of the ZenART Supplies website and are available only to members in good standing.
  • Zen Coins Expiration and Time Lapses. All zen coins acquired, whether standard zen coins or bonus zen coins, shall expire 180 days from the date the zen coins are added to your account. Zen Coins expire 180 days from the date in which they were assigned to your account. Specific onsite activities in which zen coins will be awarded are set to accrue zen coins based on a time-lapse at the discretion of ZenART Supplies.
    • Sign up: zen coins are added to your account instantly
    • Order: zen coins are added to your account when your order is placed.
  • Once zen coins are redeemed, a discount code will be assigned and we are unable to cancel the discount code and reapply the zen coins to your Reward & Referral account. Discount codes generated by redeeming zen coins do not expire until used. They are a one-time use code, so once it is used it is gone. If an order is returned zen coins will not be reinstated.

4. Subscribe & Save Plan

  • Re-occurring purchase. Purchase is necessary in order to participate in this plan. The plan is worth $6.95 and will be charged to your account on the same date of the month that you purchased the plan, i.e. if you purchased the plan on 19th of January, you will be charged for the plan on the 19th of each month you are a Subscribe & Save Plan member.
  • 15% re-occurring discount. As a member of the subscribe & Save Plan, you are eligible for a 15% discount every time you put an order in place. You are qualified for the discount as soon as you purchase the plan.
  • Cancellation. After a purchase made with a Subscribe & Save Plan, you are not able to get a refund for the plan for the month the purchase was valid for but you can cancel for the following months.
  • Free samples & accessories. These are included for members of Subscribe & Save Plan only. These are not included in each order but the member will be informed when they will receive "extras" in their order.
  • Access to exclusive content. Exclusive access to tutorials, guides, tips & tricks in video, pdf, or audio format will be part of the membership program. Not all exclusive content is available but what is and will be available is up to ZenART Supplies sole discretion.

5. GENERAL

  • By registering with Zenartsupplies.co and joining the Reward & Referral Program, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth in these Terms and Conditions, as well as any other terms that may be associated with the Reward & Referral Program. ZenART Supplies reserves the right to cancel, modify, suspend or restrict the Reward & Referral Program, your account, the redemption of zen coins, or any aspect of the Program, including, without limitation, the zen coin conversion ratio and the zen coin expiration policy at any time. Any changes can be made without advance notice. ZenART Supplies may make these changes even though such changes may affect your ability to use zen coins already accumulated. You are responsible for remaining knowledgeable about the Program Terms and Conditions. A Member's zen coins balance, as reflected in ZenART Supplies records, shall be deemed correct. ZenART Supplies reserves the right to determine the amount of zen coins in any Member's account based on ZenART Supplies' internal records related to such Member's account. In the event of an inconsistency between the amount accrued in a Member's account as stated on any Member's receipt and ZenART Supplies internal records, ZenART Supplies internal records will control. ZenART Supplies assumes no responsibility for errors caused by incorrect Member information. Your right to transfer zen coins earned or granted under the Program is strictly limited. The sale of zen coins is prohibited and may result in the confiscation or cancellation of your zen coins as well as suspension or termination of your membership, which in each case shall be final and conclusive. All transactions involving zen coins and all Member accounts are subject to review and verification by ZenART Supplies. The zen coins balance in a Member's account may be unavailable for use when an account or transaction is under review. ZenART Supplies may revoke any Member's membership in the Reward & Referral Program at any time if such Member engages in abuse of the Reward & Referral Program or fails to follow the terms and conditions of the Program. Fraud or abuse relating to the accrual of zen coins or redemption of rewards may result in revocation of membership in the Program and may affect a Member's eligibility for participation in any other ZenART Supplies program, present or future. Zen Coins are non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. The interpretation and application of the Program's Terms and Conditions are at the sole discretion and determination of ZenART Supplies. For more information or other questions, click on Contact Us.
  • The Terms and Conditions of the loyalty program are subject to change at ZenART Supplies’ sole discretion at any time and without notice to customers. Upon customer’s at-will termination of their Zenartsupplies.com registered account, or if a customer is termination for violation of these Terms and Conditions or other activities in violation of the intent and good faith intended use of this Site, all zen coins will immediately be forfeited and will no longer be redeemable. ZenART Supplies will make reasonable efforts to award zen coins as outlined above to all 1. registered and 2. qualifying Zenartsupplies.co customers but is not responsible for any technical or unforeseen errors that may occur.
  • Zen Coins are nontransferable, nonredeemable for cash, are nonrefundable and are not valid outside of Zenartsupplies.co. Purchases made outside Zenartsupplies.co are not valid for zen coin accrual (this includes, but is not limited to Facebook resell groups, Ebay, and Amazon).
  • Employees of ZenART Supplies are not eligible to participate in the Reward & Referral Program.

Subscribe & Save Plan

Membership Benefits for Just $6.95/Month

For other currencies, the respective conversion applies.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL TERMS & CONDITIONS
Toolkit

How To Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes

How To Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes

How To Wash Acrylic Paint Brushes | Cleaning Dried Acrylic Paint Off Brushes | How To Clean Acrylic Paint Off Your Palette 

Before finding out how to clean acrylic paint brushes, you might like to check out our previous Toolkit article. Learn about the different Oil Painting Brush Strokes and Techniques to achieve the results you're looking for in your oil painting journey!

Once you've invested in a set of good quality acrylic brushes, you'd want to keep them for as long as you can. So it's very important to learn the best way to clean acrylic paint brushes, I'm sure you don't want to keep on buying new ones all the time. You can use that hard-earned money to replenish your paints and buy other painting materials instead!

acrylic brushes on top of a dark palette
Badger Mix and Chungking Hog brushes from the Renoir Collection of ZenART Supplies.

In this day and age of throw-away and single use mindset, let's do our small part of minimizing the waste that we contribute to the environment. We can do it, every small bit counts!


TABLE OF CONTENTS: TABLE OF CONTENTS: Looking for something in particular? Jump ahead using the links below:

How To Wash Acrylic Paint Brushes
Washing Acrylic Brushes Thoroughly
Lay Them Flat To Dry
Cleaning Dried Acrylic Paint Off Brushes
How To Clean Acrylic Paint Off Your Palette


How To Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes

Unlike oil paints, acrylics dry quickly, like really quickly. It's great when you want to paint something that dries fast. But it's not so great when the paint dries on your brushes in just a few minutes. It's such a difficult process to remove what you can at this point. And your brushes will never be the same, so it's best not to wait for this to happen. It's also fairly easy to clean them compared to brushes used with oil paints.

How To Wash Acrylic Paint Brushes

While Painting

Once you're done using it for a certain color, wash your brush right away. First start by wiping off as much of the paint as you can on some scrap paper. I keep old newspapers, brown paper bags, and kraft paper used for wrapping just for this purpose. Let's be kind to the environment and limit the amount of paint that goes down the drain. Then rinse it thoroughly, swish it around your jar or bucket of water to remove the paint. 

Using scrap paper to wipe acrylic paint off a brush
Wipe off in pulling motions, no pushing or stabbing.

You don't want to be doing this half-heartedly and leaving leftover paint stuck in the bristles, especially near the ferrule. I have two jars/buckets just so I can give it a proper rinsing. One regular repurposed glass jar and a special one designed for brush cleaning with ridges as the bottom. Those bumps and ridges are very helpful! Do this several times to get as much of the paint out as you can. This is enough if you're still painting and planning to use it again shortly during the session.

A big jar with water beside a jar holding acrylic paint brushes
I save and reuse the big pasta sauce jars.
Multi-function paint brush washer and cleaner
These come in different styles, sizes, and colors. The brush holding slots are quite handy, too.
Wash your acrylic brushes as soon as you're done using them!
For The Next Day

If you're going to be using them for painting the following day, you have to rinse your acrylic paint brushes as well as you can using warm water - warm, not hot. Then wipe them off on a paper towel or a cloth you set aside just for this purpose. You can see if there's still paint left as it will rub off and stain your towel/cloth. Repeat the rinsing and wiping off until they're clean. 

Rinsing paint out of a brush using a jar and a paint brush washer/cleaner
I'm using the #6 Filbert Badger Mix brush from the Renoir Collection and the Artist's Choice Set of Filbert Brushes for this brush cleaning guide. I usually rinse first using the jar, then the blue tub.

Some prefer to use their palm/fingers to help dislodge the remaining paint from the bristles/hair. Wear rubber gloves if you're worried about the paint getting into your skin. Or you can use specially made paint brush washers (as I mentioned above) that come with ridges or bumps at the bottom of the bucket to help with the acrylic paint cleanup. You can even create a DIY setup if you're up for it. 

Wiping off a rinsed brush using a paper towel and a rubber gloved hand washing the brush bristles
I have a pair of rubber gloves that are just for paint cleaning purposes.

Don't leave your acrylic paint brushes standing in the water indefinitely no matter how much in a hurry you are. This will speed up the degradation of your paint brushes' integrity. 

  • Firstly, the glue that holds the bristles/hair together inside the ferrule will be loosened, and that will cause them to start falling out.
  • Next, the coating on your brushes' handles will be weakened and may cause them to slowly start flaking off. This will leave the wooden handles exposed and unprotected.
  • Finally, your brushes' shapes will be ruined. If you leave them dunked in the water head down for a long time, the brushes' hair/bristles will most likely splay, become bent or misshapen.

I'm sure you don't want any of the above to happen, so try to keep them in mind whenever you're in for some painting time.

Washing Acrylic Brushes Thoroughly

Have you ever wondered why your brushes slowly harden over time even though you wash them as detailed above? That's because of stubborn leftover paint, the trickiest part to remove is the area around the ferrules. And they dry up and build up over time, until one day you just end up with a stiff and unwieldy brush. So how to clean acrylic paint off brushes thoroughly? Read on!

If you don't plan on using them for a few days, I suggest you do a deeper cleaning of your acrylic paint brushes. You can use a mild regular soap that doesn't contain harsh ingredients and added coloring, or you can get a brush cleaning soap specifically made for cleaning artists' brushes. The added benefit of brush cleaning soaps are they're also moisturizing and double as brush preservers. You can also use dish soap, but I suggest using it only for synthetic brushes as it can easily strip the natural oils of the brushes with natural hair/bristles.

A brush cleaner and preserver soap
This soap is so worth it (The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver), not only does it clean really well, it reconditions as well.
Lathering Up

Wet your brush in clean water and then drag it back and forth on your soap to lather it up. Don't use stabbing or pushing motions, be gentle with your acrylic paint brushes and use pulling motions instead.

A brush being swiped on a brush cleaning soap with a jar of water beside it
Just swipe directly on the container.

You can use the palm of your hand (rubber glove protected if you're not sure about your paint's safety level), a rounded container, or a special paint puck brush cleaner (I reused an extra one I had that was for make-up brushes). Use any of those to properly work the lather into the brush's hair/bristles, use circular motions. You'll see the lather changing color as leftover paint is slowly being removed, especially from the area near the ferrule. 

Make-up brush cleaner tool repurposed as paint brush cleaner
Hurray to repurposing things you already have at home!
Using the palm of a rubber gloved hand to lather up the brush cleaning soap
Use a glove to protect your skin from absorbing the paint. It's better to err on the side of caution.

Then rinse your brush thoroughly. Repeat this process until you're satisfied that your brushes are totally clean and paint free. Use your fingers to check between the bristles/hair, remember to be gentle! 

Fingers checking the bristles of a brush for leftover paint

Now, that's the hardest part of the how to clean acrylic paint brushes process. 

Lay Them Flat To Dry

Now that your brushes are as clean as you can make them, it's time to let them dry properly. First gently wipe off excess water from the brushes with a paper towel or clean cloth. Just like the clothing that you have that are labelled "lay flat to dry," you'll be doing the same with your acrylic brushes. Lay them flat to dry on a clean paper towel or cloth so the dripping water is absorbed and won't pool around and under your brushes. 

Wiping off excess water from brush with paper towel and laying brushes flat to dry on paper towel
The #6 and #10 Filbert Badger Mix brushes from both the Renoir Collection and Artist's Choice of ZenART Supplies.

Don't leave your brushes to dry standing in a jar, instead of the water leaving the brushes, it will go down inside the ferrule and loosen the glue. Which you already know will lead to loosened hair/bristles, and then cause them to fall out while painting. Another reason is that the brush hair/bristles will hold their original shape better when they are allowed to dry this way. 

Our Renoir Collection and Artist's Choice brushes can be used both for acrylic and oil paints. Cleaning paint brushes used in oil painting requires a different method. Find out in our How To Clean Oil Paint Brushes article what those steps are.

Oil Paint Mixing Guide

Cleaning Dried Acrylic Paint Off Brushes

How to get dried acrylic paint out of brushes? Is it still possible? Yes! So don't throw them out just yet, you can still try saving those precious brushes. There are several ways that you can try to remove the dried acrylic paint from your brushes. Below I will list down the different ways that several artist friends swear by. Keep in mind not all your brushes will be restored to their former glory, it all depends on how much paint there is and how long they've been left to dry. 

Synthetic brushes are more sensitive to solvents, thankfully they are also cheaper so it's not too painful if you don't get to successfully rescue them. While brushes with natural hair/bristles are much sturdier against solvents. So keep that in mind when trying to remove the dried up paint.

  • You can use acrylic paint brush cleaners and restorers that are specially designed and created for this reason - removing dried up paint off brushes. Thankfully there are many products to choose from nowadays. Just soak the hair/bristles for some time (take care not to submerge the ferrule) and then rinse in warm water and soap. Repeat as needed.
Hand holding Bristle Magic Brush Cleaner & Reconditioner
Bristle Magic Brush Cleaner & Reconditioner is one of our co-founder Ardak Kassenova's personal brush cleaning product preferences. It's non-toxic, doesn't emit strong vapors, and great for cleaning both wet and dried up acrylic and oil paints.
  • Some artists swear by rubbing alcohol. Using a diluted solution first, soak your brushes for a few minutes and work it thoroughly through the bristles/hair. Then rinse just as thoroughly. Repeat the process and use a stronger solution if the diluted one didn't work out too well, keep repeating until you get as much of the paint clumps out. Follow with a soap and warm water cleaning after.
A gallon of alcohol and a brush suspended inside a jar with alcohol to soak the bristles
I have a big container of alcohol that I use to refill my small bottles. I use clips to control the brush's level of submersion in the liquid - until just right below the ferrule. The brush shown above is a #10 Filbert Badger Mix from the Renoir Collection of ZenART Supplies.
  • You can use an old fine toothed comb or a fine toothed metal comb to gently remove the dried up paint after you've soaked them. It can help pry loose some of the stubborn paint from the bristles/hair.
Metal fine toothed comb and plastic fine toothed comb
The finer, the better.

If you end up with some that seem beyond saving, don't give up on them. You can still use them, just in a different way - maybe they'll be great for creating certain textures or effects.

How To Clean Acrylic Paint Off Your Palette

First off, I myself don't use wooden palettes for acrylic painting as it's near impossible to properly remove acrylic paint off wood. It's going to take a lot of elbow grease and major scrubbing, and you still won't end up with a clean palette. Wood is porous and it easily absorbs the acrylic paint, so take that into consideration when deciding which kind to use. I prefer to use ones made of clear acrylic (mimics the look and feel of glass), plastic, ceramic, palette paper, and my personal favorite - a stay wet palette.

This step is applicable to all palettes listed below: If the paint is still wet and you're about to clean it up, first wipe off the paint with scrap paper or paper towels. Then wash with warm water and soap, dish soap is great for this. You can also use a sponge to help you scrub off the paint properly. Don't use an abrasive scrub especially with the acrylic, plastic, and ceramic ones as it will scratch up their smooth surfaces.

Cleaning up a tempered glass palette

If nearly dry, you can try wiping off what you can. Or you can wait for the leftover paint to completely dry and then scrape it off using a razor blade, the smooth and hardy glass surface will make it a relatively painless experience. Acrylic paint clean up is easier as tempered glass palettes are fully flat. You can also use this palette when painting in oil. Then follow with a soap and warm water washing up.

Removing acrylic paint from clear acrylic palettes

Though it looks and feels like glass, it's not as hard. So I don't suggest using a razor blade as it will scratch up or chip the smooth surface. Instead peel off as much dried up paint as you can (I actually find this therapeutic), sometimes they just come off in big patches just like that. Then use a solvent - alcohol - to remove leftover paint, and then a soap and warm water washing up. Just like the tempered glass one, you can also use this palette for oils.

Acrylic paint being wiped off and peeled off from an acrylic palette
The paint has been dry for about a week already, I couldn't peel much so I soaked it in alcohol twice.
Acrylic paint on acrylic palette being soaked in alcohol and being washed with dish soap
Old toothbrushes are also reused, they're useful for gentle scrubbing to help loosen the alcohol soaked paint.

Acrylic Paint Cleanup On Plastic Palettes and Ceramic Palettes

Plastic palettes are a popular choice as they are quite cheap, come in various shapes and sizes. They have wells for controlled color mixing, and are quite light on the hand - perfect for plein air painting or when painting while standing. You can use them for other mediums as well if you like to switch around between acrylic, watercolor or oil. Ceramic palettes are heavier and more expensive, they are more popular with watercolorists. 

Similar to acrylic palettes, you start by peeling off the dried paint, then followed by using a solvent to help remove the rest. Don't use anything sharp to remove the paint, you'll end up with a scratched up palette and it will make it much harder to remove the paint next time. I also use warm water and soap for extra cleaning after.

Acrylic paint being wiped off, soaked in alcohol and removed from a plastic palette
As you can see, alcohol soaking does wonders.
Acrylic paint being removed from a ceramic palette
Always first wipe off as much as you can.

Personally, I mainly use my ceramic palettes for my watercolors, I like to have assigned palettes for each medium that I use. Curious to find out what the differences are between watercolor and acrylic? Read about it in Acrylic vs Watercolor - The Key Differences.

Watercolor Mixing Guide
Which Palette Is Easiest To Clean?

I hear that the tempered glass one is the easiest to clean as it doesn't get scratched easily and the paint cleans off much faster and easier. But I personally haven't had the chance to try it out, I'm already happy with my acrylic palettes. They're perfect for bringing along for plein air painting or when I know I'm going to be holding one for an extended period of time. Try different ones to see which palette suits you best and to better get acquainted with the clean up process. 

A set of acrylic brushes with a palette knife and different kinds of palettes
And here they all are, squeaky clean and paint free! All the brushes and the palette knife are from the Renoir Collection, a well-curated 14 pc brush set that's ideal for both oil and acrylic use. And with a beautiful satin case to keep them organized.

My synthetic brushes don't last as long as my natural hair ones, but I still try to keep them with me for as long as I can. I tend to have my favorite brushes when painting, and I become so familiar with them that it helps make the creative process that much easier. If you take care of them and learn how to clean acrylic paint brushes properly, they'll perform better too. I hope you found the instructions useful, may this guide you through the proper cleaning and care of your brushes and palettes. 

We'd love to hear back from you!

What kind of brushes do you use for acrylic painting - synthetic or natural hair? Do you have your own method of cleaning your brushes? Which palette/s do you prefer to use? What future content would you like to see from us? Let us know what you think, we'd love to hear back from you. Leave a comment or any questions you have below and we'll happily get back to you! Join our friendly art community Painting Inspiration Daily on Facebook. You can share your art and ideas, watch LIVE tutorials, and be inspired to paint! 

Learn the different basic watercolor techniques plus some interesting textural effects on our next Toolkit article - Watercolor Painting Techniques - The Essential Guide. Until then, keep up with the caring and cleaning of your acrylic paint brushes and palettes! 


- MEET THE AUTHOR-

Kathleen is the Wordsmith at ZenART, resident artist and art editor. When God sent a shower of talents, Kathleen made sure she got a basketful of them! She's a visual artist with practical knowledge on various fields from painting and sculpture, to costume and set design which comes in very handy when writing about various art techniques and theories. She also shares her passion for the arts through teaching. She runs her own brand of handmade wirework jewelry designs.


Leave A Comment

Special Discounts