Clean as you go to prevent dried drips, splatter, and ruined tools

Keep a damp rag, a roll of paper towels, and a bucket of clean water within arm's reach while painting. Wipe up any drips on trim, floors, or skin immediately. Clean paint off roller ends, brush ferrules, and your hands every 15-20 minutes. When taking a break longer than 5 minutes, wrap brushes and rollers in a damp rag or plastic wrap to prevent drying. At the end of each session, clean tools thoroughly under running water (for latex paint) before paint cures.

Why It Works

Latex paint is water-soluble when wet but becomes a permanent plastic film when dry. A drip wiped within 30 seconds disappears with one swipe of a damp rag. That same drip left for 30 minutes requires scraping, sanding, or solvent to remove. Paint that dries on brush bristles or roller nap ruins the tool because the hardened paint prevents the fibers from holding and releasing paint properly. Cleaning as you go is the single cheapest and most effective mess-prevention practice in painting.

Tips

• Keep one rag specifically for wiping your hands and a separate one for wiping surfaces -- paint from dirty hands transfers to everything you touch (light switches, door handles, phone)
• Drips on hardwood, tile, or laminate floors wipe clean instantly when wet; dried paint drips on these surfaces require a razor scraper and risk scratching
• If latex paint dries on glass (windows, mirrors), it peels off easily with a razor blade held at a low angle
• For oil-based paint, keep mineral spirits and disposable rags handy instead of water
• Inspect the bottom edge of each wall after rolling it -- gravity pulls paint downward, and drips accumulate along baseboards if not caught
• When storing brushes between coats (30 min to a few hours), wrap tightly in plastic cling wrap or a wet rag; for overnight storage, seal in a plastic bag and refrigerate
• Clean roller covers by running water through them while squeezing until the water runs clear; a roller spinner tool ($5-8) speeds this up
• Common mistake: leaving cleanup until the end of the day -- by then, paint has dried on tools, drop cloths have been kicked aside, and dried drips are permanent