Quick answer: To use The Masters Brush Cleaner, wet your brush with lukewarm water, swirl it gently in the cake of soap until it lathers, then work the lather into the bristles in the palm of your hand. Rinse and repeat until the lather stays white. For oil paint, wipe off excess and rinse in solvent or oil first. Finish by shaping the bristles; you can leave a little lather in natural-hair brushes to condition and reshape them as they dry.
The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver, made by General Pencil Company, is a hard cake of soap in a small tub. It has been a studio staple for decades because it works on acrylic, oil and watercolor brushes and doubles as a conditioner. But many people open the tub, scrub a brush on it like a bar of hand soap, and end up with a gouged cake and a half-clean brush.
This guide explains how to use The Masters Brush Cleaner properly for each paint type, how to rescue stiff brushes, how to care for the cake itself, and how it compares with liquid cleaners. If you mainly paint in acrylic and want to compare cleaners side by side, see our guide to the best brush cleaner for acrylic paint.
What Is The Masters Brush Cleaner?
It is a solid soap formulated for artists’ brushes. The manufacturer describes it as a cleaner and preserver suitable for oil, acrylic and watercolor brushes, and many painters also use it to clean paint off their hands. The tub sizes range from small travel tins to larger studio sizes.
Compared with dish soap, an artist’s brush soap is usually gentler on natural hair and designed to rinse cleanly without leaving residue that can affect paint. The “preserver” part refers to conditioning: leaving a small amount of soap in the hair helps it hold its shape while drying.
How to Use Brush Cleaner: Before You Start
- Clean promptly. Soap works best on wet or fresh paint. Dried acrylic is much harder to remove with any soap.
- Use lukewarm water. Hot water can soften the glue that holds bristles in the ferrule and expand metal ferrules. Cold water works but lathers less easily.
- Remove excess paint first. Wipe the brush on a rag or paper towel. The less paint you bring to the soap, the longer the cake stays clean.
- Be gentle. Scrubbing hard against the cake splays bristles and digs holes in the soap.
How to Use The Masters Brush Cleaner for Acrylic Brushes
- Wipe excess paint from the brush with a paper towel.
- Rinse the brush in lukewarm water, keeping the ferrule pointed down so water does not run into it.
- Swirl the wet brush lightly on the soap surface in a circular motion, just enough to pick up lather.
- Work the lather into the bristles in the palm of your hand, pressing gently and moving from the ferrule toward the tip. Colored lather shows paint coming out.
- Rinse under running lukewarm water.
- Repeat steps 3 to 5 until the lather stays white or nearly white.
- Rinse thoroughly, squeeze out water with a towel, reshape the tip and lay the brush flat or hang it to dry.
Pay extra attention to the heel, where the bristles meet the ferrule. Paint hides there, and dried paint in the heel is what makes brushes splay over time.
How to Use It for Oil Paint Brushes
Soap alone struggles with large amounts of oil paint, so start with a pre-clean:
- Wipe as much paint off the brush as possible with a rag.
- Rinse in odorless mineral spirits, or in a safflower or linseed oil bath if you avoid solvents. Swish and wipe again.
- Move to the soap: wet the brush, swirl on the cake, and lather in your palm as above.
- Rinse in lukewarm water and repeat until the lather is clear.
- Reshape and dry flat.
Rinse away all solvent before the brush dries. Leaving solvent or oil residue in the heel weakens the glue and can stiffen bristles.
How to Use It for Watercolor Brushes
Watercolor rinses out with water alone most of the time, so soap is not needed after every session. Use The Masters about once a week, or after staining pigments like phthalo blue or quinacridones, to remove buildup. Be especially gentle with sable and squirrel brushes, which are delicate. Use a light swirl and minimal pressure, rinse well, then shape the point.
Using the “Preserver” Function
After the final rinse, many painters dip the brush back into the soap, pick up a thin layer of lather, and shape the bristles into a perfect point or chisel edge. The soap dries inside the brush and holds that shape, a bit like hair gel.
- This is most useful for natural-hair watercolor rounds and for brushes that have started to lose their point.
- Rinse the soap out thoroughly before your next painting session, or the residue can affect paint flow and adhesion.
- Store shaped brushes flat or handle-down so the tip is not bent while drying.
Restoring Stiff or Neglected Brushes
The Masters can help with brushes that have some paint dried in them, though results depend on how long the paint has been dry.
Partially dried acrylic
- Wet the brush and work a generous amount of lather into the bristles.
- Leave the lathered brush lying flat for 15 to 30 minutes so the soap can soften the paint.
- Gently work the bristles between your fingers, then rinse.
- Repeat several times if needed.
Fully cured acrylic that has been dry for days or weeks is often beyond soap. Some painters try isopropyl alcohol or a dedicated acrylic remover as a last resort, then wash with soap afterward. Expect mixed results; sometimes the brush is best retired to texture work.
Dried oil paint
Soak just the bristles (not the ferrule) in a dedicated brush restorer or in oil for several hours to soften the paint, wipe, then finish with soap. Avoid soaking brushes upright on their tips in a jar, which bends the hair.
How Often Should You Use Brush Soap?
| Medium | Soap frequency | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Acrylic | After every session | Acrylic dries permanently; residue in the heel builds up fast |
| Oil | After every session (following a solvent or oil rinse) | Removes remaining oil paint and solvent residue |
| Watercolor | Weekly, or after staining pigments | Water alone removes most watercolor day to day |
| Gouache | Every session or two | Opaque gouache, especially acrylic gouache, can build up in the heel |
Caring for the Soap Cake
- Swirl, do not scrub. A light circular motion keeps the surface level.
- Rinse the cake surface under the tap after heavy use to wash away colored residue.
- Let it dry with the lid off before closing. A soggy cake softens and can develop a film or odor.
- Do not let it sit in water. Pour off any standing water in the tub.
- Clean the lid and rim occasionally; paint residue builds up there.
A Studio Routine That Keeps Brushes Lasting Longer
The soap works best as part of a simple routine rather than an occasional rescue. Many acrylic and oil painters follow a pattern like this:
- During painting: keep acrylic brushes moist by resting them flat on a damp paper towel, or briefly rinse them between colors. For oils, wipe on a rag and dip in solvent or oil when switching colors.
- End of session: wipe, pre-rinse (water for acrylic, solvent or oil for oils), then soap wash until the lather runs white.
- Shape and dry: squeeze out water with a lint-free towel, reshape, and dry flat or hang tip-down.
- Weekly: give your most-used brushes a deeper clean, leaving lather in the heel for a few minutes before the final rinse.
- Monthly: check ferrules for loose bristles or wobbling, and retire worn brushes to rough work like gesso or texture.
Natural vs synthetic brushes
Synthetic brushes, the usual choice for acrylic, tolerate soap and water well and spring back quickly. Natural hair, such as hog bristle for oils and sable or squirrel for watercolor, benefits most from the conditioning effect, because these hairs can dry out and become brittle with harsh detergents. Use lighter pressure and lukewarm rather than warm water for delicate natural hair.
How to clean a brush when you are in a hurry
If you only have a minute, at least wipe the brush, rinse it, and give it one quick lather and rinse. A brush that gets one fast wash is in much better shape than one left overnight with paint in the heel. Do the full repeat-until-white clean at the next opportunity.
Other Ways Painters Use Brush Soap
- Cleaning hands: lather and rinse to remove acrylic and oil residue. Dry acrylic may need gentle scrubbing.
- Palette knives: wipe off excess, then wash with soap and water. Dry immediately to prevent rust on steel blades.
- Makeup brushes: some people use artist’s brush soap on cosmetic brushes. The same gentle technique applies.
The Masters vs Other Brush Cleaning Options
| Cleaner type | Works with | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid brush soap (The Masters) | Acrylic, oil (after pre-clean), watercolor | Long-lasting cake, conditions brushes, shapes tips | Slow for heavy oil paint; needs gentle technique |
| Liquid brush cleaner/conditioner | Usually acrylic and watercolor; some oil formulas | Quick, easy for soaking | Used up faster; varies by formula |
| Solvent-free oil cleaners | Oil | Low odor, removes oil without mineral spirits | Often need a soap wash after |
| Brush restorer | Dried acrylic or oil | Rescues hardened brushes | Harsher; not for daily use |
| Mild dish soap | Acrylic, watercolor | Cheap, available | Can dry out natural hair; no conditioning |
Other popular soaps and cleaners, such as pink soap formulas and solvent-free acrylic cleaners, are used in much the same way: pre-wipe, lather gently, rinse, repeat. Always read the label of whatever product you use, since soaking times and suitable media vary.
For acrylic painters weighing up soaps against liquids and restorers, our comparison of acrylic brush cleaners looks at which types suit daily cleaning versus rescue jobs.
How to Properly Clean a Brush: Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving brushes standing in water. Water creeps into the ferrule, swells wooden handles, cracks lacquer and loosens glue.
- Pressing the brush down on its tip against the soap or the bottom of a jar. This permanently bends bristles.
- Using very hot water. It can weaken glue and loosen the ferrule.
- Drying brushes tip-up while wet. Water runs down into the ferrule. Dry flat or tip-down.
- Not rinsing out all soap before painting (unless you intentionally used it to shape and plan to rinse later).
- Waiting until the end of a long session to clean acrylic brushes. Keep brushes wet or rinse them as you go.
FAQs
Does The Masters Brush Cleaner work on dried acrylic paint?
It can soften and remove acrylic that is only partially dry, especially if you leave the lather in the brush for 15 to 30 minutes. Fully cured acrylic is difficult for any soap to remove.
Can you use The Masters Brush Cleaner on oil brushes?
Yes. Wipe excess paint and rinse in solvent or oil first, then use the soap to remove remaining paint and residue.
Do you rinse out The Masters Brush Cleaner?
Yes, rinse thoroughly after cleaning. If you leave lather in the bristles to shape them, rinse it out before your next painting session.
How long does a tub of The Masters last?
With gentle swirling and good care, a tub lasts a long time, often many months of regular use. Scrubbing hard and leaving it wet shortens its life.
Can I use The Masters Brush Cleaner on my hands?
Many artists do, and it is commonly used to remove paint from skin. Follow the label and avoid using it on broken skin.
Is brush soap better than dish soap?
Brush soap is typically gentler on natural hair and adds conditioning. Dish soap works for synthetic acrylic brushes in a pinch but can dry out natural fibers over time.
Final Thoughts
The Masters Brush Cleaner works best with a gentle swirl, a palm lather and patient repetition until the lather runs white. Pre-clean oil brushes, clean acrylic brushes before paint dries, and let the cake dry between uses. If you want to compare it with liquid cleaners and restorers for acrylic painting, our guide to the top brush cleaners for acrylic painters lays out the options.
