Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer completely cleans dried acrylics, oils, and alkyds with no damage to the brush head or loss of fibers. It can be used on natural or synthetic brushes. The cleaning solution is effective within minutes for oil colors (hours for dried acrylics), and leaves no oil residue. This water soluble cleaner is non-toxic, biodegradable, non-flammable, and has low vapor. It comes in a plastic bottle which at 4oz costs around $7.99.
Winsor and Newton 4-Ounce Brush Cleaner and Restorer
This stuff is a small miracle in a bottle. Now some of you may remember my review on The Masters brush cleaner and wonder why I am talking about yet another brush cleaner. Well simply this is a different type of cleaner. It’s more of a deep clean, getting deep into the brush pulling out paint that even The Masters miss. As far as I can tell it dissolves the binder in acrylic paint. Allowing it to save brushes that even had paint dry in the hairs.
Now this product can be used by anyone but you do have to be careful. If you get it on the handle it will dissolve or melt the finish on the brush. One of my Series 7 has my finger print melted into it because I failed to wash my hands after cleaning them. Also since this stuff goes on wet you also have to make sure you don’t put to much on so it doesn’t go to deeply and warp the handle.
The reason I originally purchased this was because the owner of a fine art store highly recommended this as a way to clean brushes deeper then with just water or even The Masters cleaner. I was sold on it after that and picked up a small bottle.
I have been very happy with this product. I would not really recommend it for everyday cleaning but once every week or two would do just fine, it depends on how often you paint. By soaking the head of the brush and then touching it to a dry towel you can pull paint out of the ferrule. Between this and The Masters it has without a doubt extended the life of my brushes. Word of warning, do not get out on the handle of the brush of it is painted, it will cause the paint to come off.
In closing this is a great product to have around and I highly recommend it but it’s not something you have to have. It’s not an expensive product and the 4oz bottle will last you a long time. I have had mine for a couple years and use it on my airbrushes and to clean my painting desk and I just now need to replace it.
