Do you REALLY NEED to clean blending brushes? | Easiest Fastest Way

[@anneslattery7495]

Thanks Jess. This is something I thought about often. Thanks for sharing another great video.

[@gingerpayne7310]

Thank, Jess- great tips. I don’t clean my brushes or stamps either. But now I will start cleaning my brushes.

[@theautisticside]

I use acrylic and watercolor a lot, so I'm used to cleaning my brushes after use. I normally use the Masters Brush Cleaner or Murphy's Oil soap coupled with one of those scrubby thingies you show in the video. Both work exceedingly well and fast. Just be sure to rinse the brushes with a little dish soap afterwards to get the oils off. Otherwise, I would just wipe off the brushes on a textured towel after use if you're not going to do a wet clean right away. I do worry about the brush heads on these ink blending brushes coming loose with too much water/cleaner usage, because they're just glued in there. That's why I use the foam blenders a lot also.

[@lisak2575]

I use brushes with dye inks, not any distress or oxide lines of ink. Basically I just rub my brush on a microfiber cloth. I am not a brush cleaner so will use your cleaning information. I make my own stamp cleaner with glycerin and a mild soap. The soap is either my gentle face soap or baby soap. It does the job when needed. Thanks for sharing your cleaning experience.

[@oricle81]

Hi Jess. Thanks for showing the results! Very interesting. I personally have found that if I do a quick rub on a wet baby wipe after using each time, it helps with the colour keeping true and longer before I have to give a deep clean. Thanks again!

[@JessCrafts]

Hi Sonya, I think I'm going to have to do something like that at least for my oxide brushes. Thanks for the tip!

[@ellen-marie6692]

Thank you, Jess for this - it’s a very timely video for me as I just stocked up on Distress Oxide ink & bought some mini blending brushes for the first time. Your video appeared when I was looking for a slightly different brush related question but I’m so glad I watched it! Love your honest share, the comparisons & tips!

[@barbborja1910]

Now that your brushes are clean, try rubbing them on the microfiber cloths after each crafting session to help keep them clean. I think it’s the resins in the Distress inks and Oxides that cause the bristles to clump together. The pigments in the Oxides increase that clumping. I’m definitely going to try using the stamp cleaner rather than dish soap that I’ve used before. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@jesseb5112]

I make cold processed soap (lye soap). I periodically rub my brushes on a gentle bar of soap and clean them. That works for me. I agree that oxides cause clumping

[@sueb1828]

I was told that if you wash your brushes in water to let them dry with the brushes facing down since excess water may loosen the brush from the glue at the handle. TFS.

[@kittydemeo]

same for makeup brushes!

[@lindas.9313]

I spray my brushes with water using the distress sprayer and then rub them on a microfiber cloth when I'm done using my brushes.

[@ashleyhaskins8618]

Thanks Jess. This is something I have thought about this, sense I got bleeding tools for Christmas. I been using the stamp cleaner and use a stamp cleaning pad.

[@09mclemens]

Interesting video. I had two sets of brushes, one set for dye inks and one for oxides. I noticed the oxide set clumping and the quality of the blending deteriorating as you showed so I've switched back to using foam sponges for my oxides. Some of my dye ink brushes have had similar issues, but with a good cleaning and a bit of a "rough up" on a microfiber cloth, they seem to be okay. I've used dish soap in the past when doing a thorough cleaning but am interested to try a stamp cleaner. I typically will rub my brush on a flour sack cloth or paper towel before using it to see if there is much residual ink on it, especially if I am going to be blending with a lighter color.

[@sandrashaw8343]

Thank you for sharing this. Can I ask, you you have separate brushes for your die inks and distress inks? I do have separate ones for the distress oxide. Thanks x

[@JessCrafts]

Hi, sorry for the late reply. I have one set of brushes for my Lawn Fawn dye and Distress inks and another set for my Distress Oxides. So only two sets.

[@sandrashaw8343]

@@JessCrafts thank you. I have one for my dye inks and one for my oxides too. X

[@terriannvalentino8826]

Do you think a spray stamp cleaner like sss cleaner would work too, because that’s what I have

[@JessCrafts]

I think any stamp cleaner will do well. Maybe try spraying it onto a mat and dip the brush into it, instead of directly on the brush in case its a bit too much.

[@jeannejj]

For oxides, I use a spray bottle of alcohol. As oxides are both die and pigment(not water reactive), the alcohol works great, and dries quickly.

[@olivemaycards]

I don’t clean my brushes and I don’t find it much of an issue for myself. I also don’t blend a lot or often and I’m not very fussy about it when I do it. I think I only have one brush that’s a little stiff but that’s not necessarily bad for stenciling, which I do more often. I’ll keep this cleaning experiment in mind though. Thanks :)

[@Rockymtnbloom]

I did also see on Amazon that there is makeup brush cleaner.

[@JoanOrloffDK]

Great informative video Jess 🥰 thanks for sharing and happy crafting Hugs xx

[@cordulabickmann8830]

Ich reinige die Pinsel direkt nach dem Gebrauch dann geht die Farbe am besten raus und wird nicht hart am Pinsel.

[@nazlij3298]

Can you soak your brushes in soapy water? 🤔

[@jane-ellenweidanz9236]

I wonder if a degreaser would work.

[@debbiemildwurm5899]

how do you clean blending sponges?

[@JessCrafts]

I don't use blending sponges often enough to have a good suggestion.

[@user-yn9cx6vf8z]

Use makeup brush cleaner, works great and quickly

[@sherrybear5886]

I just read where someone sprays rubbing alcohol on their brushes and rubs it off on a cloth.

[@dingfriesaredone]

You could get a small bottle of dish soap at Dollar Tree