I use latex and just take it down to the wash tub, and use the built in washboard to rub out excess between showering it. I have a hose hooked up to the faucet and I set it to the high-power "flat" or even "jet" and blast it with the grain of the bristles.

it's not eco-friendly, but to really clean a brush well, you'll need paint thinner(for oil paint) or water, a bucket, a wire brush and a spinner.

If using paint thinner, pour a small amount into a bucket and smoosh the brush into it, getting out as much paint as possible, once the thinner is mostly paint, empty and repeat until you get all the paint out of the bottom of the brush. the thinner will still be in the bristles, which will help to get rid of the paint in the top of the brush (this is the paint that will ruin the brush) - use the wire brush (dipped in a little thinner if the paint is stubborn) and over the bucket, keep brushing down. once all the paint is out, put the brush in the spinner and spin (hint - once brush is in the spinner, point it into a bucket so the thinner doesn't go everywhere). give a few good spins. comb the brush once finished to keep shape.

same process for water based paint, just subsititute water for thinner.

oh . . . i also use the hose to rinse and dry rollers. I just get it spinning really really fast with the high-velocity water. All the paint flies off and since I work top to bottom, it's basically spun dry by the time i finish up.

I use an old fashioned comb - it works perfectly and I have had my brushes for a while now. I have pics here http://barnmate.com/blogs/bagelpower/2009/07/16/paint-brush-tip/

I started using an old fork and cold water. If you hold the brush under the stream and "comb" it with the grain using the fork, you can get just about all the paint out of the bristles.

I imagine a coarse-toothed comb would be even quicker and more effective. Or a pick like we all used to use when we were permed, in the 80s? That seems like it'd be the thing. (Don't worry, too-young-to-have-been-permed. I can feel the re-revival coming in 10...9...8...7...)

I am a scenic artist for the Theatre and what we do is "prime" the brush with water and shake it out even before we dip it in the paint. This helps soo much when its time to clean out the brush.
I always run my brushes under warm water, pointing down so the bristles don't get bent. I work the bristles to get as much paint out a possible (the water should such run kinda clear) before I use soap. We always use Murphy's oil soap as that helps keep the wood handles happy on the paint brush but dish soap works just as well.
Then gently swirl the bristles in a circle with the soap so that the soap is able to get all the way up into the dam in the brush. the dam gets clogged up with dried paint you might as well trash the brush. Then rinse the brush, gently squeezing at the base of the brush to see if all the paint is out at the top. You may have to repeat soaping your bush a few time. I always tell students it should take 5 mins to wash out a brush not 5 seconds.

As an artist, the best recommendation I can give is use a bar of Ivory soap. I have brushes that are at least 15 years old and still in great shape.

Also for oil paint, rather than gassing yourself with thinner, start cleaning with corn (or any type) oil first - oil attracts oil - and then when you've gotten a fair amount of the paint out, move on to the soap. Also, use warm to hot water for oil - cold will not let it loosen.

If you're going to be reusing the brush within a day or two then you don't need to clean it, just wrap it in a plastic bag and it will stay "wet" until you need to use it again. (Obviously this only works if you need to use it again with the same paint it's already covered in).

I also work in theater (scenic artist and props artisan) and my method is:

-Rinse brush, if needed "brush" the sink to get some of the paint out

-Never turn the brush bristle side up under the water (it will distort the hair, you are dealing with real hair and you should treat it well)

-Once you've rinsed out a lot of hair squirt on some Murphy's Oil Soap. Gently rub it in and rinse again. I find dish soap to be a but harsh. I use shampoo if I don't have MOS on hand.

-Repeat the soaping if necessary. Make sure to rinse well and use a wire brush to comb out the paint and set the bristles straight.

-Once the brush is clean use some hair conditioner to restore the hair's oils (just like on real hair, put it on and rinse it off, leaving it on too long will eat away at the hair, just like on human hair).

Some tips:
-How you use your brush will determine how easy it is to clean later on and how long it will last.

-Buy natural hair brushes. Sometimes a cheap dollar chip brush is better than a overpriced synthetic brush. If you rarely paint you might just want to go to Harbor Freight and get some 4" chip brushes for cheap (usually a dollar apiece).

-Priming with water before you paint is super helpful

-Never immerse the entire brush in the paint, dip only up to about an inch under the ferrule (paint will just get stuck in the ferrule and you'll never get it out and your brush will be ruined).

gingercookiewithlime --

These are great hints - but can you please elaborate on what you mean by priming w/ water before painting?

Do you mean dipping the brush/roller in water before dipping it into the paint bucket/tray?

BTW - I find that using a small paint tray/jar rather than the gallon pail is a surefire way to keep from dipping the brush too far into the paint.

Another thing I never do is pour the paint from the can without first putting a plastic pouring spout on the can itself - They're @ 15-20 cents at the paint store and help prevent drips and messy cans like that one shown in the pic above.

Boiled vinegar works pretty well, especially to break up paint cemented near the ferrule. But the ivory soap trick sounds interesting, I'll have to try that.

bepsf: priming the brush just means dipping it into the solvent for whatever paint you're using. For latex, that means water, so you just get the brush wet up to the bristles, then wipe off the excess (so it's not totally drippy) and get painting. For oil-based paint, it's paint thinner, though I usually use denatured alcohol, myself.

Having that 'solvent' on the brush helps, but the trick I learned from a professional painter when it comes to cleaning latex paint is actually... the cheapest honking liquid fabric softener you can get. They seem to come most often in big gallon-jugs that are bright pink, and the stuff works like a charm. Use medium-warm water, and to about four cups of water, add a half-cup of fabric softener. Stick the brush in there and swish it around, then rinse off, spin if you've got it, wrap in brown paper to protect the bristles while storing, and you're done.

If you've got a paint with a lot of pigment, then you may need to dump out the water softener mix after the first time and do another soak-and-swish. Most I've ever had to do was three times, and that was after painting a deep rich red that had to have been the max amt of pigment.

The way the fabric softener works, as I understand it, is that it's got a chemical in it that breaks up water tension. Something like that, and in very very general laymen's terms, it means it can break apart the latex that's holding onto the bristles by water-tension. Hrmm, something like that... all I know is it works.

If that doesn't work or things have dried too much, then you go to the hardware store and you get a half-gallon of the paint remover. It'll be in the aisle with all the other nasty chemicals like denatured alcohol and paint thinner and whatnot. The paint remover's a last-ditch combination of chemicals that works on both oil-based paints and latex, and works even after both have dried. (Oil base, not quite so well after drying, but still better than tossing.)

For that matter, I've used the paint remover mix (though I don't mind the temporary stinky) to clean up paint splatters on carpets and jeans. Just test an area, natch, and then dampen the edge of a rag and rub the paint remover into the splatter. Doesn't take long before the paint will soften, dissolve, and can be cleaned up -- incidentally, with room-temp-to-warm water and dishwashing soap. Marvelous stuff.

I have always found if you actually wash it out with soap and water right after painting there isn't much need to go to extremes - it will all come out.

I soak in warm soapy water, then rinse. Soap up again and brush downward using a scrub brush. This combs the paintbrush and scrubs the metal part and handle if needed. Goo-remover or orange oil cleaner (such as Citra-solve) will work to get off dried paint.

I use a spinner for roller covers. Rarely use oil-based paint, but if I do, roller covers go in the trash.