The phrase “brush pot” means two very different objects depending on who is talking. Ask a collector of Chinese antiques and they will describe a carved bamboo or porcelain cylinder that held calligraphy brushes on a scholar’s desk. Ask an oil painter and they will point to a squat metal can with a coil in the bottom that keeps solvent clean. Both are correct, and if you are asking what is a brush pot because you want to keep your brushes alive, the second meaning is the one that matters.
Quick answer: In painting, a brush pot is a container used either to store brushes upright (a brush holder) or to clean them (a brush washer or cleaning pot). The cleaning type is a sealed metal or glass can holding solvent or water, with a removable coil or perforated screen a couple of inches above the bottom. You rub the brush against the screen, loosened paint sinks through it and settles, and clean solvent stays on top, so one fill lasts for weeks. Historically, “brush pot” also names the decorative cylinders used in East Asia to hold calligraphy brushes, which is why the term shows up in antique catalogs as well as art supply stores.
The Three Things People Call a Brush Pot
| Type | What it is | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Brush holder (storage pot) | An open cylinder, often ceramic, wood or metal, that keeps dry brushes upright | Everyone; the jar on every studio desk |
| Brush cleaning pot (brush washer) | A lidded can with an internal screen or coil, filled with solvent or water, used to clean brushes during and after painting | Oil painters mainly; also acrylic and watercolor painters with water |
| Scholar’s brush pot (bitong) | A decorative cylinder from Chinese and Japanese desk culture, carved from bamboo, wood, jade or porcelain, that held calligraphy brushes | Collectors, calligraphers and ink painters |
The rest of this article focuses mainly on the cleaning pot, since it is the tool most people are trying to understand when they search the term, with a shorter look at the other two.
How a Brush Cleaning Pot Works
The design solves a simple problem. When you rinse an oil brush in a jar of solvent, the paint that comes off stays suspended and the solvent turns muddy within a session. Every later rinse pushes dirty solvent back into the brush. A cleaning pot uses gravity and a barrier to separate the two.
- The can is usually steel or aluminum, sometimes glass, with a tight lid. Metal resists solvent and does not break; the lid stops evaporation and fumes between sessions.
- The screen or coil sits an inch or two above the base. It may be a spiral of wire, a perforated plate or a mesh insert. It gives the brush something to rub against and lets debris fall through.
- Solvent fills the can to just above the screen. For oils this is odorless mineral spirits, a citrus solvent or, in solvent-free setups, a vegetable oil or a water-based brush cleaner.
- The settling zone below the screen collects pigment and binder sludge. Because the brush never reaches that zone, the sludge stays put.
Over a few days the solvent above the screen clears as fine particles sink. Many painters find one fill lasts several weeks of regular use before the sludge layer needs to be removed.
Why Painters Use One Instead of a Jar
- Less solvent used. A jar gets dumped when it turns gray; a pot gets decanted and the clear solvent reused. Over a year the difference in solvent bought and disposed of is significant.
- Cleaner brushes. Rinsing in clear solvent rather than suspended pigment stops colors from contaminating each other and leaves less residue in the ferrule.
- Fewer fumes. The lid seals between uses. An open jar of mineral spirits evaporates continuously into the studio air.
- Safer. A sealed metal can does not tip or shatter the way a glass jar does, and it is less of a fire hazard when closed.
- Gentler on brushes. Rubbing against a coil cleans the base of the filaments without the mashing that grinding a brush into the bottom of a jar causes.
If you paint in oils more than once a week, a cleaning pot pays for itself quickly in solvent and brush life. The guide to the best oil brush cleaning pots compares sizes, screen types and lid designs across the current options.
How to Use a Brush Cleaning Pot
Setup
- Place the screen or coil in the can, making sure it sits level and above the base.
- Pour in solvent until it covers the screen by about half an inch to an inch. More than that wastes solvent and increases splashing; less and the brush does not get fully immersed.
- Keep the lid nearby and close the pot whenever you are not actively rinsing.
During a session
- Wipe excess paint off the brush on a rag or paper towel first. The pot is for the last traces, not the bulk.
- Dip the brush and drag the filaments across the screen in short strokes, pressing lightly. Rotate the brush so all sides contact the coil.
- Lift, wipe on the rag, and check the rag mark. Repeat until the rag shows only a faint tint.
- For a color change mid-painting, two or three passes are enough. The brush will carry a little clear solvent into the next color, so blot it before loading.
End of session
- Rinse each brush thoroughly in the pot as above.
- Wash with brush soap or mild dish soap and lukewarm water, working lather into the base of the filaments. Solvent alone leaves binder residue that stiffens the brush over time.
- Reshape and dry flat or filaments-up.
- Close the lid on the pot.
Maintaining the Pot
Every few weeks, or when the solvent above the screen stays cloudy, the pot needs attention.
- Let it sit undisturbed overnight so suspended pigment settles.
- Carefully pour the clear solvent off the top into a clean, labeled jar. Stop pouring as soon as sludge begins to move.
- Remove the screen and scrape the sludge into a disposable container. Let it dry fully, then dispose of it as household hazardous waste according to local rules. Never pour it down a drain.
- Wipe the can and screen with a rag, reassemble and refill with the decanted solvent, topping up with fresh as needed.
Rags and paper towels used with linseed-based oil paint can heat up as the oil oxidizes and have been known to ignite. Lay them flat outdoors to dry, or seal them in a metal container with water, before disposal.
Choosing Between Pot Styles
Size
Small pots around 2 to 3 inches tall suit plein air kits and small brushes. Studio pots of 4 to 6 inches hold enough solvent for large flats and take longer to clog. Very large pots hold more solvent than most painters need and add fumes when open.
Screen type
Spiral coils are gentle and easy to clean but can snag very soft brushes. Perforated plates are rigid and good for scrubbing stiff hog brushes. Fine mesh clears the solvent fastest but clogs sooner.
Material
Steel and aluminum are standard and tolerate every common solvent. Glass lets you see the sludge level but breaks. Plastic is lighter for travel but some plastics soften in strong solvents, so check compatibility.
Lid
A gasketed, screw-on or clamp lid seals best. Lids with a brush-holding clip let a brush soak above the screen without touching the bottom, which is useful for stubborn dried paint.
Leak resistance
Painters who travel should look for a pot that can be tipped without leaking, since mineral spirits in a bag ruins everything around it.
Brush Pots for Water-Based Media
The same design works for acrylic and watercolor with water instead of solvent. Acrylic painters benefit most: acrylic pigment and binder settle below the screen, keeping rinse water clearer so brushes do not carry gray into fresh colors. Because acrylic dries fast and bonds to filaments, brushes still need a thorough soap wash at the end of the session; the pot handles between-color rinsing, not final cleaning.
Watercolorists often prefer two open jars, one for the first rinse and one for clean water, because frequent clean water matters more than solvent economy. A pot with a screen is still useful for scrubbing out concentrated pigment from a large mop.
How to Use an Airbrush Cleaning Pot
The airbrush version of a cleaning pot looks different but exists for a related reason. It is a lidded jar with a rubber port on top and a filtered vent on the side. You push the airbrush nozzle into the port and spray cleaning fluid or leftover paint into the jar instead of into the air. The filter catches overspray and the jar collects liquid waste.
- Fill the jar no more than a third full if you add fluid; many are used empty.
- Press the airbrush tip firmly into the port so the seal is complete.
- Spray out remaining paint, then cleaner, in short bursts until clear fluid comes through.
- Empty the jar when it is a third full and replace the filter when it discolors or airflow drops.
Some models include a holder for the airbrush and a small screen for scrubbing the needle. They are not interchangeable with a brush pot for oils, since the airbrush pot has no immersion function.
The Scholar’s Brush Pot
In the East Asian tradition, the brush pot is a cylinder that held calligraphy and ink-painting brushes handle-down. From the Ming dynasty onward they were made in bamboo, carved with landscapes or poems, and in porcelain, lacquer, jade and hardwood. Alongside the ink stone, water dropper and brush rest, they formed the set of scholar’s objects that signaled learning and taste. Antique examples are collected today and command high prices at auction, and modern reproductions are sold as desk accessories.
For a working ink painter the function is unchanged: brushes stored upright with the hair up dry evenly and keep their shape. Storing brushes hair-down in any pot bends the tips and lets water run into the ferrule.
Common Mistakes With Cleaning Pots
- Overfilling. Solvent far above the screen just means more to evaporate and splash. Half an inch over the coil is enough.
- Skipping the rag wipe. Dumping a loaded brush straight into the pot fills it with paint and shortens the time between cleanouts.
- Leaving brushes standing in the pot. Filaments bend against the screen and solvent creeps into the ferrule and softens the glue.
- Relying on solvent alone. Binder residue builds up without a soap wash and the brush turns stiff within weeks.
- Leaving the lid off. Evaporation wastes solvent and fills the room with vapor.
- Using a pot with turpentine or lacquer thinner in plastic. Check the material before pouring aggressive solvents.
- Pouring sludge down the sink. Pigments and solvents belong in hazardous waste collection.
FAQs
What is the purpose of a brush pot?
A cleaning brush pot keeps solvent or water clean by letting paint settle below a screen, so brushes rinse cleaner and solvent lasts longer. A storage brush pot simply holds brushes upright.
What do you put in a brush cleaning pot?
For oils, odorless mineral spirits, a citrus solvent, or vegetable oil for a solvent-free setup. For acrylics and watercolor, water. Fill to about half an inch above the screen.
How often should you change the solvent in a brush pot?
When the layer above the screen stays cloudy after settling overnight, usually every few weeks. Decant the clear portion, remove the sludge and reuse the solvent.
Can you use a brush pot for acrylic paint?
Yes, with water. It keeps rinse water clearer between colors. Brushes still need a soap wash at the end of the session before acrylic dries.
Is a brush washer the same as a brush pot?
In art supply terms, yes; both names describe a lidded container with a screen for cleaning brushes. “Brush pot” also refers to decorative storage cylinders.
Can I make my own brush pot?
A metal can with a tight lid and a piece of wire mesh or a coil of stiff wire bent to sit above the base does the job. Make sure the lid seals and the metal is clean.
Next Step
A brush pot, in the sense most painters mean, is the small piece of equipment that turns brush cleaning from a wasteful chore into a quick routine: the screen keeps the solvent clear, the lid keeps the fumes in, and the brushes last longer for it. If you are ready to replace the jam jar, the roundup of cleaning pots for oil brushes sorts the options by size, screen style and how well the lid seals.
