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I am finishing my hardwood floors tonight with an oil-based polyurethane. I bought a natural bristle paintbrush and a metal pan, as well as some KleanStrip paint thinner that is "made with Mineral Spirits".

At the end of the poly job I'd like to use the paint thinner to clean both the brush and the pan to make them reusable for future projects. What's the proper/best way? How much thinner do you use? How long does it take to work?

I guess I'm worried that if I use too much or just simply "dunk" the paintbrush in the thinner and leave it too long that I'll ruin my tools.

Niall C.
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bfodder
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When I use oil based products I use disposable pan liners so cleanup means let it dry-up and throw it away. To clean brushes I use a brush spinner to remove as much material as possible. I swish the brush in a container of mineral spirits and brush a piece of dry cardboard to get out some more of the urethane. Finally I soak the brush for a couple of days in a covered glass jar that has just enough mineral spirits to cover the bristles. After everything is clean I set the mineral spirits filled container in the sun uncovered until it evaporates. I would not dump it on the ground! If you cannot find a way to dispose of it contact your municipal public works dept. Most cities have an annual hazardous waste drop-off.

mikes
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    Mineral spirits can be reused many times. Pour the used spirits through a coffee filter into a clean jar and save for next time. – Gunner Oct 02 '12 at 01:24
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Is it a really good brush? If not, let it dry out, throw it away and use another.

It seems wasteful. But you have to weigh the environmental and convenience costs in using significant amounts of cleaner/thinner, and the other waste generated in cleaning a brush.

I do recognize that a very good brush may give better finishes and be a joy forever, but it is hard to justify the process unless you are a professional doing it every day and having a set-up to handle the cleaning and the caustic waste.

On the other hand, cleaning a really good brush with latex based paints often does justify the cleanup process, largely because the waste is basicly water and can go down the drain.

bib
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If it says "made with Mineral Spirits" its safe to dispose of however. This means its made from all-natural minerals; I usually just dump it out on the lawn to get it away from the house.

Edit - please do not dump onto lawn or onto ground, as there are in deed aquifers above the bedrock layer that can absorb the Arsenic that KleanStrip contains and pool them into drinking water supplies.

Instead, pour them directly down the sink, taking care not to splash and get any on your skin.

bfodder
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    Sure fire way to kill your grass and contaminate any ground water! – Gunner Oct 02 '12 at 01:13
  • There is no proof of this. – bfodder Oct 02 '12 at 01:24
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    Hmm, lets read the MSDS for KleanStrip paint thinner - http://apps.risd.edu/envirohealth_msds/Klean-StripPaintThinner.pdf would you want that anywhere near ground water? – Gunner Oct 02 '12 at 01:30
  • This is true, but only goes in your groundwater if you pour into a lake or nearby stream. Soil retention blocks all anyways so nothing gets through. Not arguing here just making a case for real common sense! – bfodder Oct 02 '12 at 01:43
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    Soil retention blocks all? Are you kidding me? Ever hear of water tables? Osmosis? – The Evil Greebo Oct 02 '12 at 16:34
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    not to mention runoff. – wax eagle Oct 02 '12 at 16:36
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    Lets be absolutely clear here. Mineral Spirits are HAZARDOUS WASTE. Just cause they're made from "all natural" minerals doesn't make them safe. Arsenic is "all natural". – The Evil Greebo Oct 02 '12 at 16:37
  • @TheEvilGreebo - I agree that Arsenic is poisonous, but you cannot tell me that there is any harm dumping something as harmless as *mineral spirits* on your lawn, where gravity will pull it straight down into the ground, and where the ground soil will block it seeping any further. And let's not forget **bedrock** which I dont think mineral spirits will penetrate. – bfodder Oct 06 '12 at 19:58
  • Harmless as mineral spirits? http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-mineral-spirits.htm If they're so harmless why don't you drink yourself a glass of them. – The Evil Greebo Oct 07 '12 at 01:35
  • As for seepage - please, go talk to a High School geology teacher and present your ideas about how ground water works to you. If it couldn't go anywhere once it was in the ground, you'd live on swamp. **Especially** if you **happen** to live on bedrock that is solid, which is actually kind of rare - because all that water couldn't get past the bedrock to begin with. Ground water - aka the **water table** - feeds wells, springs, and eventually makes it way (slowly) back into the general eco system. Your suggestion is not simply bad, it's ignorant, foolish, and dangerous to others. – The Evil Greebo Oct 07 '12 at 01:39
  • @TheEvilGreebo: I am simply having a disagreement with you on these items. For you to suggest that I should *go see a HS geology teacher*, or that I'm *ignorant and foolish* hurts my feelings. As for bedrock, of course nothing can penetrate it, otherwise we wouldn't have oceans! I'm not saying that we should all go chugging arsenic and pour it over our bodies, I'm saying that for something as harmless as mineral spirits, let's not **freak out** and be enviro-maniacs. To reiterate, it is perfectly fine to dump them out, as the bedrock prevents them from making it into any aquifers. – bfodder Oct 07 '12 at 02:16
  • There is a difference between insulting a person an criticizing a suggestion. Your *suggestion* is ignorant, foolish, and *your* understanding of geology is **badly** flawed. Aquifers exist both above and below bedrock, which is by no means consistent in its thickness or depth. http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/hydr/concepts/gwater/imgs/5comp.jpg Further, if you are unwilling to check your own understanding in the face of it being challenged, instead preferring to insist that you're right, then all we can hope for is this answer is voted down so much that no others are taken in by it. – The Evil Greebo Oct 07 '12 at 13:46
  • Sure dude: *Everybody: the laws of physics are incorrect because The Evil Greebo says so. Everything I have worked for to prove in this answer is incorrect, because The Evil Greebo says so.* Me: Diet pepsi is diet because it doesn't have any calories. You: There are no such thing as calories. Sure... – bfodder Oct 07 '12 at 15:43
  • I supplied multiple links supporting my claims regarding the nature of mineral spirits and the nature of bedrock and aquifers. One was even a picture that I'm sure a child could understand. Please provide proof supporting yours, if you can find any that is remotely credible. – The Evil Greebo Oct 07 '12 at 19:00
  • @TheEvilGreebo - I finally had a chance to look at all the links you posted and have read them. I actually now agree with you, and am editing my answer accordingly. – bfodder Oct 17 '12 at 01:33
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    Dump them down the sink?! I wish I could downvote this again! – Matthew Oct 17 '12 at 02:42
  • ... there simply are no words ... – The Evil Greebo Oct 17 '12 at 11:35