Should I dip my paint brushes into hot, warm or cold water?

Question

To produce the best effect, and so that they'll last longer?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Probably warm water because cold water may stiffen the brushes

Answer 2

room temperature is best

Answer 3

An art teacher told me to only use cold water because warm or hot water can melt the glue holding the hairs in.

Answer 4

When painting you'll want to use room temperature water.  To clean your brushes youll want to use warm, soapy water.  Make sure the soap never gets above the brush line onto the metal part that holds the bristels.  

Answer 5

warm water!!

for sure. cold water will just make the paint say on your brush.

trust me im a college art student who has taken painting classes!!

Answer 6

For water colors? If so... room temperature... but for washing your brush... lukewarm cup of water with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar... trust me! I'm in art school! NEVER cold... you'll break and fray your bristles... If they are horsehair, add another teaspoon of vinegar to the cup, if not 1 will do! :) Have fun!  

Answer 7

room temperature/cold water is easier on the glues.

also, the warmer your water the faster your paint will dry, which if you're using something like gouache is often a bad thing.

and don't leave them in the water, water is for rinsing not for holding your brushes while you're not using them.

Answer 8

Several people here have been right, many wrong. So here are some things you might want to know:

If you're using any water based product, like acrylics or water color, room temperature is best. Hot or semi-hot will damage the bristles over a period of time. Hot water will actually curl the tips of synthetic bristles.

You can actually keep the brushes in water for up to several hours without damaging them. If you have brushes with wooden handles the paint on the brush handle will start to loosen and peel off if you leave it in water too long, like for a half a day or over-night. If the brush handle is plastic or glass it won't hurt it. But several hours at a time for wooden handled brushes is safe enough.

As to cleaning your brushes, assuming you're using water-based paint or watercolor, many say you clean them with warm soapy water. The truth is you can clean them easily enough using just tap water if you don't want to use soap.

How do I know all this? Through thirty years of using acrylic paints and sometimes getting so wrapped up in painting that my brushes stay wet in water for several hours at a time. By not wanting to take the time to soap them when cleaning them and using tap water and seeing that plain tap water cleans them just as well.  And by seeing the actual results from thirty years of painting.

And I haven't lost any brushes yet from keeping them in the water for an hour or more. And haven't lost any brushes yet while cleaning them out with plain tap water.