Believe me, I am no painting expert… I’m just a woman who occasionally finds myself in the middle of painting projects. If you’re an expert you may want to stop reading, but if you’re a beginner then you may find this tip helpful.

Most painting projects don’t get completed in one sitting. Either 1) you have multiple paint coats to do that require dry time, 2) your project is taking you longer than you thought, or 3) mid stroke your baby wakes up from their nap and simultaneously you realize that your husband is coming home from work any second and you haven’t started dinner. Or sometimes you’ll experience all three. Whatever you’re facing, a girl needs a place to put her paintbrush.

I’ve made the mistake of leaving my paintbrush out and having it get all stiff and crusty on me. I’ve also been extra good and washed out my brush between each use, but let’s be real… that happened like once. Who has the time to do that?

Paintbrush, meet your new best friend, Sandwich Bag. Yep, that’s it. This may sound overly simple to you, but it was groundbreaking when my mom told me to stick my brush in a little sandwich bag and zip it up as much as possible between uses. (Thank you, Ziploc!) It keeps the brush from getting stiff even overnight, it keeps the residual paint on the brush from getting everywhere, and you can throw the bag away when you’re done. Now I only have to clean my brush at the end of a project. Life simplified.

(Using a roller brush? Stick it in a plastic grocery bag and tape it closed between uses.)

Hopefully this as been a quick, easy tip on how to keep your paintbrush from drying out. Click here for another quick tip: How to get paint for free!