If you used a cup of water to rinse brushes between colors, you can use this water or clean water. You will wash your brush with soap and water after this initial wash so it’s ok if the water is cloudy. After you have wiped away the paint and submerged the brush, your brush will be cleaner. However, doing this much isn’t enough to completely clean the brush. You need to use soap and water to clean the brush and keep the bristles soft and flexible. [4] X Research source

The pressure of the water helps to dislodge paint that you may not have been able to clean just from wiping the brush.

At this point, the brush may appear clean, but it’s still necessary to keep cleaning with soap. You may want to try using a brush comb at this point to help get all the paint off. [6] X Expert Source Patrick CoyePainting Specialist Expert Interview. 22 July 2020.

You can also use shampoo in the place of soap. If you are washing a big brush, make sure that you are massaging the soap into the inner bristles as well as the outer bristles. It’s important to work the soap into the place on the brush where the bristles meet the ring around the stem of the brush, which is called the ferrule. Neglecting to clean the area of bristles around the ferrule will eventually spread out the bristles, harden, and alter the shape of the brush.

Swirling the paint brush in soap helps to target paint in the hard-to-reach area of the brush around the ferrule. The swirling motion mimics how you used your brush when painting, with the result that the soap reaches the areas of the brush where there might still be paint.

Lay your brushes out to dry horizontally. Storing them vertically on their bristles can bend the bristles out of shape.

If you are using multiple brushes when painting and are taking long breaks between each brush, remember to dip the brushes back into the paint occasionally to keep them from drying out. Dipping the brushes in water and swirling them around to remove excess paint ensures that the paint won’t dry on the bristles. [10] X Research source

Instead of dipping the brush in the paint up to the ferrule, try to dip only up to ¾ of the brush’s bristles in the paint.