While latex paint may be cleaned with water, oil-based paints require chemical solvents.
Oil paint is sometimes used instead of water-based paints for painting wood and metal. Clean up is a little more difficult with oil-based paints, however, as it will not remove with soap and water. To save your paint roller for re-use, you must use solvents that will thin the paint, allowing for removal. Before you begin, note that these solvents are flammable and are considered hazardous waste. Consult your local household waste authorities about properly dispose of them after you are finished cleaning your paint roller.
Instructions
1. Put on rubber gloves, a painter's mask and safety goggles. Take your supplies outdoors or to a well-ventilated room away from open flames.
2. Fill one bucket with hot water. Place the paint roller in another bucket and slowly, carefully pour paint thinner over the roller, allowing the bucket to fill up with enough paint thinner to cover the roller.
3. Let the roller sit for a few minutes to allow the thinner time to thin the oil paint. Then, press paint out of the roller with a gloved hand.
4. Work more of the paint thinner through the fibers of the roller. Continue squeezing out the roller until the roller appears to be clean.
5. Remove the roller from the paint thinner. Squeeze out as much of the solvent as you can, allowing it to drip into the bucket.
6. Place the roller in the bucket of hot water, as advised by homebuildingremodeling.com. Swish the roller around in the hot water to rinse out the paint thinner.
7. Squeeze out excess water from the roller and then place it in a dry bucket to air dry.
