How to clean paint rollers: the quick, neat and lazy way

First tip on how to clean paint rollers - it's not actually a big hassle and there's a reason you should clean them: don't buy cheap rollers so you can throw them away! The cheap ones will shed lint!

Use a quality roller

The most important thing to know about how to clean paint rollers is: buy quality rollers!

If not, the lint will come off when you paint and you'll have that tough, unbreakable wall: you know the one. The restaurant bathroom was painted by the owner himself because he thought he was so smart. Well, he's cheap and doesn't know how to clean a paint roller! Use a quality paint roller and know how to clean it.

The process of cleaning power roller parts is exactly the same.

There are 3 ways to clean a paint roller. How?

The best way to clean a paint roller is to use a spinner, which is a paint roller cleaner!

#1 - How to quickly clean a paint roller

The spinner is the key to how to clean a paint roller

1. We have a special tool called a "spinner": the Paint Roller Cleaner

2. Use your hand or a bending tool to squeeze the paint from the roller back into the can (our choice is 5 in 1: it's like a third hand for us).

3. For the next step, you will need a tall drum, such as the kind that 5 gallons of paint come in: tall to prevent spattering

4. Place the roller lid (i.e. sleeve) on the spinner and spin it slowly under the faucet - preferably warm water - then squeeze it into the stream by hand

5. Spin in a tall bucket and repeat the soaking and spinning over and over again until the fibers have actually finished bleeding color

6. Stand on the end and let it dry completely

7. We never keep that plastic bag cover for storage. We just let it dry completely and store it in a box with the others. If the fibers come together in storage, it will pop back up at the beginning of the next use

Paint roller cleaner: soak, spin, repeat

Brush Cleaning Tip: Using regular conditioner on the bristles every few uses is great, but not necessary. We take great care of our Cohwa brushes.

▶ To clean your brushes, you don't need to have a smell and will slowly kill your solvents

▶ How to use the spinner: The video at the end of this article shows how to use the paint roller cleaner. You will see how to scrape the paint using the 5-in-1 tool. Squeeze the excess paint back into the paint drum, then dip, swirl, and dip swirl.

▶ That's it: just soak, swirl, repeat. Be sure to keep the spinner in a large bucket or you will be having a paint shower: like being near a wet dog that just got out of the tub. Repeat the spin/soak until no more paint comes out, let it dry on the end and the roller will run like new again (for premium rollers).

#2 - How to clean a low cost version of a paint roller.

Leaving the lid on the roller handle, place the bucket sieve or tray in the sink and roll it back and forth under (warm) water. No soap is needed. Keep going until you have removed most of the solids from the roller lid. We do this when changing from one white to another (for example, changing a primer to a ceiling or white trim paint) or when the job is done (unless its next use will occur in a day or so: then we wrap it in a plastic bag)).

Believe it or not: I've been soaking or wrapping quality roller covers wet for weeks. No harm done (though not great for metal shafts or roller handle bearings). The cheap rollers have a cardboard core that will never hold up - the glue falls out! Good rollers are a wool blend with plastic/durable material and good glue to hold the fleece together. Get a good one and wash it! The best deal on Amazon is to buy 2 or 3 in a pack, because they do wear out and you'll probably end up throwing away a used one.

Try to keep water out of the gear chamber of the spinner as all brands will rust. We've been through all sorts of things and the Cohwa above is your best bet.

#3 - If you're really lazy, how do you clean the paint roller?

But or are you more of a bitch that lazy? Join my club. This is a "don't do what we do" tip, but it shouldn't be talked about in polite society. You can remove the used roller (using the curved blade of the 5-in-1 tool to scrape off most of the paint) and then soak the roller in water for a day or so. Leave it in a vertical position and all the solids in the paint will slowly fall to the bottom of the drum. You can then remove the paint more easily without special tools: just use water. This won't do a great job, but it will make the drum usable again. This means a quick death for rollers that may last for weeks on a professional job site.

Ps, you can also stick the brush in the clip of the spinner, but this is really not necessary: we just flip the brush over the toe of the shoe (in a messy area or under a cloth). The micro-adjuster is better but slower. pps, I also saw the drill attachment for the roller and spinner. Who wants to pull out a drill just to clean something that is so easy to clean? Now you go out and teach someone else how to clean a paint roller! Please don't mention how we soak them!