How To Clean A Paint Brush

Meet my best friend:

O.K., a paint brush is not my best friend, but I have seen more of it lately than any of my friends... maybe more than all my friends combined!  I've been busy... painting.

 And painting.

 

And painting.

Eventually almost everything in the new kitchen will be painted... white.  And most of the painting has fallen onto my shoulders, which in my opinion is waaaaay better than drywalling, installing the floor, or building countertops.  I think I'm getting the easy jobs.  Easy but tedious.

Anyway, back to the brush!  I've been using that paint brush for multiple hours almost every day for the last few weeks.  (I told you we were close!)  And I recently learned a great trick for keeping my brush in "like new" condition.  Seriously, I used to just run water on it and squish it against the side of the sink and think it was clean enough.  It would look like that picture at the top and I would think it was good. 

I bought cheap brushes because they wouldn't last long anyway.  Then I bought my new BFF-brush.  I spent a lot of money on it ($14!!!) because I want everything to look pretty on this project.  There's a huge difference between those value pack brushes and this one.  Huge!  

But after I'd primed with it, painted with it, primed with it, and then went back and painted with it again, it was not in good condition.  Bristles were sticking out sideways.  Globs of paint were balled up all down the middle of it.  It looked destined for the landfill.  As I was trying to get over my green guilt about having to throw it away and work up my courage to buy another "expensive" one, a friend told me that I'd be crazy to throw away that brush.  (Picture it in much, much worse condition than in that the picture above when he said that.)  Then he showed me the aforementioned trick to save my paint brush.

Here what I do now.
  
First I rinse my paint brush with warm water to remove most of the paint. This is the step where I squish it up against the side of the sink or my paint container, too.

Then I squirt a small amount of (biodegradable) soap directly onto the bristles. I usually use hand soap because I've been in my basement bathroom but dish soap works well too.

Next I rub in the soap.  I focus on the places were the paint is the thickest.  (For me this is usually that line where I wipe the brush against the side of my paint container to get off the excess paint.)

Here's the most important step. Rub the bristles between the palms of the hands.  Vigorously!

Even if you don't like to get your hands messy, it's worth it.  Believe me.  I don't either. Apparently, if you have hands that feel like sandpaper, this step goes faster.  Otherwise just rub a little longer. Rinse the paintbrush until clear water runs out of it and no more bubbles form when you rub your hands together on it.
And there it is:

A like new paint brush every time.  (I probably don't need to mention this but this trick is only for cleaning water-based paint/polyurethane.)

My friend said he's been using the same paint brush for almost 14 years. When he finishes a project and knows it will be months before he uses it again, he even puts hair conditioner on it to keep the bristles pliable.  (I hope to get to this step next month!  Right now I consider myself lucky if the bristles are dry before I use it again.)

What an easy way to extend the life of a paint brush so it can be reused and reused and reused and, well, you get the picture.

Do you have any easy clean up tips?  What about great painting tips?  I'm open to either!

Peace,

Stacey

Give Experiences Rather Than Things

While having lunch with a couple of friends this week, the topic of Black Friday came up. (Cue the dark music here.) One of them said I would "hate" the experience of a true Black Friday experience.  And, yes, I visibly cringed when she explained how people not only wait for hours to get into the store but then (naturally) wait for almost equally long amounts of time just to get someone to take their money! O.K. so I knew this happened.  I'm not that naive.  I just didn't know that it happened at every single Wal-Mart and every single Target and every single Home Depot and every single Macy's and every single Old Navy in Every Single Town!  

And, yeah, she's totally right.  I would not enjoy it.  As a teenager, my mom and I used to go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving (I don't even remember it being called Black Friday back then) but we never set our alarms or waited outside locked doors.  It was still overwhelmingly crowded when we showed up at noon though!

Don't do it... or at least don't make me.

Anyway, our lunch conversation veered toward what kind of gifts we truly enjoy giving and receiving.  We all agreed that experiences and thoughtfully homemade gifts outweighed anything from the mall.  

One friend makes gourmet kitchen items (think vanilla extract, spice mixes, and flavored olive oils) that she packages in reused glass jars.  People save baby food jars for her so she can reuse them.  The other friend said she usually gives donations in honor of each of her family members.  She asks each person about their favorite charities in advance so everyone is happy.  (I love this idea so nobody feels "ripped off" when it's not the charity of his/her choice.)

We've done each of these kinds of things but we've yet to find our "signature" gift.  Some of our biggest successes has been "adopting" an endangered species which comes with a stuffed animal or purchasing animals for a family in need plus a book about that particular animal for the birthday boy.

The thing we all seemed to like the most was giving or receiving an experience gift.  

There are a lot of ways to do this.  Is your husband's favorite band coming to town soon?  Get him tickets to the show.  Have a foodie friend or just someone who would rather not wash dishes every night?  A gift card to a local restaurant would probably be appreciated. If your recipient lives near a great botanical garden, you could give an annual pass.  Near a favorite theme park? Try giving a couple single day tickets. These types of gifts seem especially popular when bought for a child because then the parent (your friend, sister, cousin) or the giver (you) gets to make memories with the child when the gift is "cashed in."  

My best friend and I started giving these kinds of gifts when we were in college.  It worked out great.  She would buy me something like "a facial with a friend" package and I'd get her two tickets to a Broadway show or something similar.  No strings attached.  It worked out nicely that we usually didn't want to go with anyone else so we also ended up treating ourselves to a luxury and fun with a friend.  Win. Win.

Reuse a gift bag when needed but
experiences don't need wrapped!

Do you have anyone on your list that would appreciate an experience?  
Go greener; give less stuff but more fun this year!

Peace,

Stacey

31 Days of Green Little Things: Mend It

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Do you know how to sew?  Yeah, me neither... but I do know how to mend!  And by "mend" I mean "fix" easy things. If you do know how to sew (read as: you don't "break" your sewing machine every time you use it) then this little thing is going to be simple.  For the rest of us, here's my theory: if it's already broken/ripped/torn, all I can do it make it better, right? :)

This is how I mend... usually by hand and sloooooooowly.

My skills aren't anywhere near what I would classify as "good" but they get the job done and are acceptable.  In fact, in the last few weeks, I've fixed a few things that have turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. I mean, you can still see where I fixed them but only if you're really looking.   

This shirt had a v-shaped rip.

I'm assuming no one will notice the one on the shirt because it's along and across the side seam.  In fact, it's been worn three times since my repair job.

I couldn't match this color exactly.

The way the material of the blue vest is made, I'm not sure the repair will last through the season.  I figure if I get any wear out of it, it's more than before I got out my trusty needle and (almost matching) thread though.  It was unwearable with the tear.

The zipper on my purse broke.  This was "unfixable" by me but I knew it could be repaired.

I know my limits so this went to a tailor.

My local tailor replaced the zipper and figured out how to reattach the strap.  She told me it was hard to do because she machine sewed and hand sewed it.  (Do you think she was just trying to make me feel better?  I'm kind of thinking she was!)

 

One of my friends made me really happy when you told me about a shoe repair she found.  For a couple of dollars she had this shoe mended over a year ago.  

Saved from the landfill with just a little fix.

The repair is barely visable.  Honestly, I'd seen her wear these shoes multiple times before she told me, and even then she had to show me exactly where it had been resewn.   

Do you have a something that can be fixed rather then tossed and replaced? I'd love to hear about it. In fact, I'd love to see it.

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

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31 Days of Green Little Things: Be Straw Free Campaign

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

We’re living through a kitchen remodel right now so as you can probably guess we’ve been eating at restaurants much more frequently than usual.  One of the simplest things we try to do while eating out is to decline plastic straws.  This is harder than it sounds because servers are quick!  Here's the boy (Milo Cress) who inspired us to take a look at how often we (unnecessarily) use plastic straws.

What do you think? Could you be straw free?  Or maybe just a little less straw dependent?  It's a little thing but, boy, does it add up quickly... just ask Milo.

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined. (Please.)

31 Days of Green Little Things: Share

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Now this is a really simple concept: share what you have. This is a skill we’ve probably all worked on since preschool.  It can be hard but who knew it was so “green” to share.

Let’s think about this in very simplistic terms for a moment.  If I have something that you could use, it makes sense that I would just let you borrow it. This would not only save you money but it would save all the resources needed to create it, transport it the store, stock it at the store, and transport the product to you.  I could have eliminated all of that if I just loaned you what I had.

Yes, sometimes it's hard to ask someone to borrow something.  Next time just think about how "green" you could be, if just ask.  In all likelihood, your friend will be tickled that someone is using their thingamabob that was just gathering dust in the basement anyway.

I’ve heard of neighbors buying tools together.  Seriously, when was the last time you mowed your lawn at the exact same time as your neighbor?!

Another great thing to share is a subscription to a magazine or newspaper, if you still get the paper versions.  Look what my friend just loaned me!

Does sharing "green" stuff make it twice as good?

We have another friend who generously lets us borrow his truck whenever we need to get a scoop of mulch (bought in bulk rather than in a bunch of plastic bags), move a table, or pretty much anything else.  I’m still waiting for him to borrow my little hybrid for his next road trip.

My neighbor borrows my bike a few times each month in the summer.  I even made her wear my helmet once because she didn’t have one.

We’ve even “shared” someone else’s condo in Puerto Rico when we used vrbo.com last year.  See sharing is fun and relaxing! ;)

If you’re feeling especially generous, give it away without expecting it back in return.  Ask that person to pass it along to someone else.  Obviously, this is more likely to happen with a magazine or bike helmet than a truck or condo… but I guess you just never know!

With all this sharing and borrowing going on, we're all going to be well on our way to becoming minimalists.  What can you share this weekend? 

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

I started a Facebook page for my blog.  "Like" it if you're so inclined. (Please.)

31 Days of Green Little Things: Beauty Without Plastic

Welcome back to my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  This is where I discuss the little things I do to help the environment.

Let's think about our grooming/beauty routines today.  How many products do you use that are in plastic bottles, tubes, or jars?  Can any be eliminated or purchased in something other than plastic?  I’ve been working on this for a couple of years and I’m going to be completely honest, IT'S HARD! Plastic seems determined to take over my bathroom.

For the most part, I’ve simply eliminated products. This summer I used a combination tinted moisturizer/sunscreen rather than sunscreen, moisturizer, and foundation in three different plastic containers. (Since I’m being honest, I’m kind of lazy when it comes to makeup so that helps, too.) Finding something I truly like that comes in something other than plastic hasn’t come easily though.  I did find these:

And I love these lip balms. The tubes are a compostable or recyclable paper tube. They’re organic. And, they contain considerably more lip balm than a “normal” plastic container.  If you're lucky you might be able to find them locally.  That wasn't an option for me when I discovered them so I got all 5 “flavors” the first time I ordered, which saved money, packaging, and transportation emissions.  (I'm not a big fan of anything labeled "flavor" and these flavors aren't very strong so I'll probably stick to the natural one when I need to restock, which could be a while.  I've been working on that grapefruit one for 6 months already.)

With some searching, I found a few other things. Last winter I used a heavy moisturizer and toothpaste that came in metal tubes.  (Sadly, the toothpaste is now in a plastic tube.) Some foundations still come in glass bottles. Health food/supplement stores often have soap refill stations where you can refill your old bottle.  If that’s not an option many kinds of hand soaps now have bulk refills so at least I don’t have to keep buying a new pump each time.

Of course, I'd be super-green if I just figured out how to either eliminate all these products or make them myself. I've failed both times I've tried to make dishwasher soap so I'm hesitant to make something for my body! I am thinking about this method of using honey as a facial cleanser (but like makeup I'm pretty lackadaisical about face wash too) and I feel like everywhere I turn someone else is applauding the no-shampoo method but I'm not there yet. I know (for now) buying a better product is a little thing but I'm getting there one baby step at at time. ;)  It's not about guilt.  It's about doing better.

Now it's your turn. Check out your morning routine.  Is there anything that can be plastic-less next time?

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party.
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