How to Soften Hard Paint Brushes

Forgotten brushes!!! And hot water isn't working. Arrgh!

Disgusting.

Let's try to save them.

Without chemical cleaners.

Just by using vinegar...

heated almost to a boil...

then place brushes in a foil lined pan and pour the hot vinegar over them.

Then let them soak in the hot bath for about 20 minutes...

while still warm, scrape off the dissolved paint with a wire brush.

Pouring the vinegar out, you can see the dissolved paint remaining in the pan. Unreal! Right?
Roll up the foil and toss out.

Heat more vinegar for another good rinse while combing through the bristles again if needed.

Then wash the brushes with hot soapy water... which should have been done in the first place!

Rinse under the faucet with hot water and squeeze dry with towels.

Then hang to dry.

Maybe not in the kitchen though.

This may not be worth the effort for cheap brushes with falling out bristles, but if you discover you left a good expensive brush out to dry with paint in it, this technique works pretty well!

You can actually see the vinegar dissolve the paint. I included a video of the action.
(Please excuse the upside down portion of it. My videographer is 11 and hereby adds the disclaimer that he is not a professional. However, he was paid well with cookies.)

Video ---> How to Clean Hardened Paint Brushes

Hope this helps others with the same problem I have sometimes.