For years, I have used plastic sandwich bags to store wet paintbrushes until the next coat was ready or until the next workday. I would just open the bag and stuff the brush inside. The problem is that this method is messy. Paint gets all over the opening of the bag and on the brush’s handle.
Here’s a method I’ve devised that allows me to minimize the mess while achieving a virtually airtight seal. As shown in drawing 1, I cut a small wedge from the side of the bag about 1-1/2 in. above its corner. Now I can insert the brush handle first (2), with the opening of the bag wide enough to keep the wet bristles from making contact with the self-sealing strip. Once the brush is in the bag, I pull down the handle until the brush neatly tucks into the corner against the bottom of the bag (3). Next, I wrap the bag around the brush, seal its locking strip, and wrap a piece of tape around the whole thing to keep it tightly bound (4). The wet brush stays fresh for days.
This technique also works great for clean brushes that are dry and ready to store. Just wrap the excess part of the bag around the brush, and secure with some tape or a rubber band. The clean brush’s bristles are now protected, and the bag is ready if you need to reuse it to store the brush when it is full of paint.
Don R. Simon Jr., Bremerton, WA
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #210
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I've been using plastic bags from grocery stores for years. Turn bag inside out then stick the bristle end into one of the corners and grab the brush by the outside of the bag then wrap bag around the brush and squeeze the air out then tie it off using the bag handle end. Seals without using any tape and saves the cost of the sandwich bags.