A majority of interior painting projects are not done in a single day (insert typical Rome cliche here). Most take several days to complete, at a minimum.

Over those days, how much time is cleaning cleaning (and re-cleaning) your paint trays, paintbrushes, rollers, and pads? Hours, at least. And those are some of the messiest, most monotonous hours of the whole process.

And it is all completely unnecessary. Take it from a professional painter. You do not have to clean all those brushes and tools everyday. It's a waste of time and materials.

The key to this time-saving process is to keep all that paint covered and wet. That means keeping air off of the tools. You put a lid on your paint and – wallah – it remains as fresh the next day as it had been when you first opened it. The same concept applies to your paint trays, brushes, and rollers.

Cover your paint trays with aluminum foil or (better yet) plastic wrap. The "Press-and-Seal" brand of wrap with adhesive on one side is ideal for sealing up paint trays. Just ensure that all sides are firmly sealed against air. Well sealed trays of paint will keep fresh and wet for one to two days.

Paint rollers and paintbrushes can be placed in Ziploc storage bags or wrapped in plastic shopping bags. Just be sure to press all air from the plastic bags and to seal the bags with whatever is at hand – painter's tape is what I most commonly use. These will also keep for a day or two two way. If these need to be kept for more than a few days they should be wrapped up and placed in the freezer. Be sure to allow the brushes & rollers to thaw for several hours before reuse if you take this route.

At the end of your interior painting project, be sure to clean all paint supplies promptly and completely to avoid preventing the paint to dry and harden. This tip should save you hours on your next home painting project.

Article originally published at Source by Adam M. Smith