Brush Cleaning Kung Fu

The secret of Brush Cleaning Kung Fu has been passed down by Wu Chi Masters of Ancient China. It was encased in the tanned intestine of a snow leopard and carried by specially trained monkeys to a far off monastery where it has remained for one thousand years. It was never to be revealed to outsiders, no matter what. All messages regarding the secret were hidden inside fortune cookies (where no one would ever suspect) and carried by hand to various monasteries around the world.

But recently I discovered the secret when I visited a Chinese Buffet and my fortune cookie was accidentally replaced with one of the “special” fortune cookies, and, at last, an outsider learned the secret.

The secret of Brush Cleaning Kung Fu is….

Running water!

Here is what a brush looks like after I paint something.

I don’t know what your brushes look like, but mine are like this. I turn on the running water and put the brush under it.

Step One

Step Two

I then apply the “magic fingers” technique to massage any residual paint out of the hairs.

Then (after turning off the water) I use a tissue or an old t-shirt or special dental grade towels (if I’m a dentist) and pull the brush through the absorbent material while squeezing gently on the pliant fibers.

I shape the bristles (hairs? fur?) so that the wet mass of fibers looks like a paint brush, by gently tugging on and smoothing the erect fibers until they firmly point outward.

Then I put the brush back in the rack, where it proudly juts out.

There we are. The secret is YOURS.

DISCLAIMER:

No sables or camels or squirrels were hurt (much) in the making of this blog entry–and no soap or detergent or brush cleaner (other than water) was used at any time.