Get a good nylon or polyester brush for painting with latex and a good natural (animal hair) bristle brush for oil paints. Don’t use a natural-bristle brush for water-based paints like latex.

You’ve probably heard all kinds of bizarre hacks when it comes to brush cleaning. Mixing olive oil or baby oil with washing up liquid can help to clean and soften as can a blend of warm water ...

with one tablespoon of olive oil. (If you have a large amount of makeup brushes to wash, up the dishwashing liquid to 4 tbsp.