# What is the problem with washing paint tools in sink?



## Eagle One (Feb 11, 2011)

I don't understand why there are claims of environmental problems that ensue when paint is washed down the drain. I am not talking about dumping leftover paint down the drain, but just cleaning brushes and tools in the sink. Of course, it makes sense to clean off whatever noticeable paint remains on the tools with newspaper or an old rag before you get to the sink. By the time you are there rinsing off the tools however, what is going down the drain is diluted paint water. If you have a septic tank, I can see where there may be issues in ground water but if you have a sewer system, all this is going to the sewage treatment plant which should be able to easily filter that out, right? Is the environmental concern in the ground water only for those with septic tanks?


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

who is saying that it is?


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## Eagle One (Feb 11, 2011)

Well, you see a lot of info that says "You should not wash paint down the drain". Does that include diluted paint from cleaning or just plain old paint? That part is not clear. However, I have also seen info on the internet and have heard others say you should not even be cleaning your paint tools in the sink so it does not go down the drain. I know there are other methods to avoid the drain but the good ole drain is a lot easier!


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

what type of paint? latex is OK if your just cleaning up. Oil paints no you have to use mineral spirits to clean that. And I would never just pour paint down the sink. You can take any unused paint to your county dump they have a hazmat station to take that off your hands mostly for free up to a certain gallon amount per year. If your a paint contractor you have to pay to use the service but normal home owners it is normally free.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i NEVER clean my tools out in the sink because homeowners will freak if you leave a spot of paint in it and wont take the chance. go back to the shop to clean them or at home. i always have a pile of brushes on hand for multiple colours or paints. there is no problem with water based paints going down the sink.


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## Eagle One (Feb 11, 2011)

I agree with what is being said here but there seems to be a lot of misinformation on this topic out on the web. Here is one source that is completely against it.

http://greenanswers.com/q/27504/water-oceans-ice/waste-runoff/can-you-wash-paint-down-sink

Of course, this is slanted because it is an environmental website but nobody differentiates between latex paint, oil paint or any of the other conditions mentioned above. Their answer is PAINT DOWN THE DRAIN = BAD :furious:

Well, I still say if you have sewer lines, that paint water down the drain is not going to be hitting any water supply. That is going right to the treatment plant.


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Bunch of opinions from people who have opinions.
The internet is filled with them.
Find a municipal waste treatment plant that says do not wash up latex in their system. I think much worse goes down the drain and they deal with it.
Kind of wondering why you are bothering to have this discussion- you seem to already know..


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## Eagle One (Feb 11, 2011)

Well, I don't know for certain and I like to be sure about these things before I dispute them with others. Good idea about contacting the waste treatment. That should present the facts I need.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

just buy cheap tools, at the end of the job just toss them out so paint doesnt go down the drain helping the environment


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

princelake said:


> just buy cheap tools, at the end of the job just toss them out so paint doesnt go down the drain helping the environment


thats what I do, I just toss things away instead of cleaning them. typically I will toss paint brushes every time I take a break or stop for the day. rollers too. Ive been thinking of getting some cheap tools to work on the vehicles so I can just toss them when they get dirty instead of wiping them off. :jester:


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

I've been absent for awhile, did I miss something? I feel I've stumbled into the twilight zone. The "facts" you "need" Eagle One, are you writing an article? I clean brushes in the sink, in the customer's sink, everytime I use them. Cleaning up the sink area is a novel idea prince, works every time. The reason we have waste water facilities is to clean the water we dispose of. I'd be more concerned about them eliminating the bacteria than I am about the chemicals. Besides, as brushjockey pointed out, I'm sure the sink is the catch all for all sorts of household chemicals, food wastes, and any other random toxicity people don't know how to get rid of. I guess this is the latest growing hysteria ginned up by the enviro wackos. I'll stop cleaning brushes in the sink when everyone else stops putting things that I might object to down the drain, wait, I'll hold my breath.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

theres always crazy customers you leave even a spec of anything and they are calling the office or try and blame all of the other paint spots in there laundry sink on me to try and get a nice new sink. i work for the insurance, people think they won the lottery and try to get the world.


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## Gary Holt (Jan 16, 2021)

Eagle One said:


> I don't understand why there are claims of environmental problems that ensue when paint is washed down the drain. I am not talking about dumping leftover paint down the drain, but just cleaning brushes and tools in the sink. Of course, it makes sense to clean off whatever noticeable paint remains on the tools with newspaper or an old rag before you get to the sink. By the time you are there rinsing off the tools however, what is going down the drain is diluted paint water. If you have a septic tank, I can see where there may be issues in ground water but if you have a sewer system, all this is going to the sewage treatment plant which should be able to easily filter that out, right? Is the environmental concern in the ground water only for those with septic tanks?





Eagle One said:


> I don't understand why there are claims of environmental problems that ensue when paint is washed down the drain. I am not talking about dumping leftover paint down the drain, but just cleaning brushes and tools in the sink. Of course, it makes sense to clean off whatever noticeable paint remains on the tools with newspaper or an old rag before you get to the sink. By the time you are there rinsing off the tools however, what is going down the drain is diluted paint water. If you have a septic tank, I can see where there may be issues in ground water but if you have a sewer system, all this is going to the sewage treatment plant which should be able to easily filter that out, right? Is the environmental concern in the ground water only for those with septic tanks?


I just carry a bunch of shopping bags when I'm finished I wrap my rollers and brushes up till I get to my shop and wash them people freak out if you was your tools in the sink latex doesnt Cause any problems as long as it dilutes enough people think it sits in there pipes and hardens and eventually cause a clog but they put oatmeal ,pasta egg shells potatoes skins


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## Mike Milam (Mar 3, 2017)

5 Gallon bucket with a lid in the truck. Painting latex, just toss the brushes in the bucket of water and clean them when you get home. Same with good rollers you want to save. Cheap roller goes straight in the trash.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I don’t paint for a living. I wash latex paint tools in the basement sink. My sink goes to the sump which pumps to a daylight opening 100 feet away. A little highly diluted paint doesn’t matter. Should I capture the waste water and send it to a landfill instead?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

princelake said:


> just buy cheap tools, at the end of the job just toss them out so paint doesnt go down the drain helping the environment


That's best for roller covers and paint trays, that's why I always throw them out (disposable tray liners.) But brushes are different. It takes forever to clean out a roller cover, and they only cost $3-4. A brush costs $15, and it cleans out relatively quickly with relatively little paint down the drain. Trying to cut in a crisp line with a "cheap tool" is an exercise in frustration.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> It takes forever to clean out a roller cover, and they only cost $3-4.


IMO it isn't a big deal to clean a roller cover with a water hose although I detest using cheap synthetic covers and almost always use lambswool covers instead. They are in the $10-$12 range.


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## snic (Sep 16, 2018)

Old Thomas said:


> I don’t paint for a living. I wash latex paint tools in the basement sink. My sink goes to the sump which pumps to a daylight opening 100 feet away. A little highly diluted paint doesn’t matter. Should I capture the waste water and send it to a landfill instead?


I'd say no. Just get as much paint off your tools as possible using rags, newspaper, etc, then rinse off what little is left in your sink. And of course use disposable tools to the extent possible, like tray liners and roller covers. Let them dry and then toss them in the trash. I agree with the sentiments above that good, expensive, non-disposable brushes are essential. There's just no way around using lots of water to clean the latex paint off these. I've never used $12 roller covers, so I can't comment on whether they are any better than the $3 ones.

Another trick I've seen painters use: let's say you paint some walls today and plan to apply a second coat tomorrow. Don't toss the roller cover. Submerge it in a gallon of paint, still attached to the roller frame, with the frame handle sticking out. Then cover the paint can with a plastic bag and tie it off (or, I use a rubber band) to loosely seal it. It should be fine for a few days.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

mark sr said:


> IMO it isn't a big deal to clean a roller cover with a water hose although I detest using cheap synthetic covers and almost always use lambswool covers instead. They are in the $10-$12 range.


I suppose if I used a $12 roller I might clean it too, but I never do, so..... I do remember taking 15 minutes to clean a roller cover - I'm sure I'm doing it wrong but damn those things hold a lot of paint. This was many years ago and I haven't tried since so I probably suck at it, but I make about a dollar a minute so the math for tossing my roller covers vs. cleaning should make sense.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

snic said:


> Another trick I've seen painters use: let's say you paint some walls today and plan to apply a second coat tomorrow. Don't toss the roller cover. Submerge it in a gallon of paint, still attached to the roller frame, with the frame handle sticking out. Then cover the paint can with a plastic bag and tie it off (or, I use a rubber band) to loosely seal it. It should be fine for a few days.


I don't bother putting it in a full paint can. It's easy to simply roll up the roller with Saran wrap and tuck in the ends. If keeping longer than overnight, you can put it in the refrigerator. If you want to save the whole pan, the pan itself can be covered in Saran wrap and the whole thing can go in the fridge. Alternatively you can buy large ziploc bags to slide the whole tray in. At about $2 per bag you can either try to reuse them, or discard them.



https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Double-Zipper-X-Large-4-Count/dp/B003U6A3EY


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## snic (Sep 16, 2018)

jeffnc said:


> I don't bother putting it in a full paint can. It's easy to simply roll up the roller with Saran wrap and tuck in the ends. If keeping longer than overnight, you can put it in the refrigerator. If you want to save the whole pan, the pan itself can be covered in Saran wrap and the whole thing can go in the fridge. Alternatively you can buy large ziploc bags to slide the whole tray in. At about $2 per bag you can either try to reuse them, or discard them.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Double-Zipper-X-Large-4-Count/dp/B003U6A3EY


Great ideas. Doesn't even have to be a Ziploc. Could just use supermarket plastic bags and tie them or use a rubber band or twist tie. But that might be too leaky for the fridge.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> I do remember taking 15 minutes to clean a roller cover


I like lambswool covers because they hold and disperse paint better than synthetic with less roller spray. Takes me about 5 minutes to clean one.

While I used to sink rollers in paint to use the next day, I now prefer to wrap them up in a plastic bag.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Whatever you do, *DO NOT* put your brushes or roller sleeves in the refrigerator overnight! You could do that with the old paint formulas but today's paints have a different chemical makeup and putting those things in the fridge causes them to GUM UP. I mean, they can get "chewing gum" gummed up, especially brushes. Maybe it's not as bad with regular latex paint, but, waterbornes will gum up to such an extent that no amount of water can bring them back to life.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

snic said:


> Great ideas. Doesn't even have to be a Ziploc. Could just use supermarket plastic bags and tie them or use a rubber band or twist tie. But that might be too leaky for the fridge.


I always put it in there so it wouldn't leak anyway, but I think the problem with supermarket bags is that they're too small (the ones I get anyway). But I do use them instead of Saran wrap for the roller cover. Also, I'll stick my hand in a bag and then grab the roller cover to pull it off the roller. Kind of like how you see dog owners picking up after their dog's poop. Then I just toss it in the trash. Keeps hands and everything clean.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Gymschu said:


> Whatever you do, *DO NOT* put your brushes or roller sleeves in the refrigerator overnight! You could do that with the old paint formulas but today's paints have a different chemical makeup and putting those things in the fridge causes them to GUM UP. I mean, they can get "chewing gum" gummed up, especially brushes. Maybe it's not as bad with regular latex paint


I have never seen that problem with modern latex paints. Have not tried waterborne alkyds.


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