Brush Care

For years I have been using this brush cleaner that comes in a puck shaped container. The soap is hard and you twirl your wetted brush on the soap and it's very convenient. It also makes good as a brush shaper after your brush has been cleaned. I started using it after a person told me at the art supply store that using regular soap (I had been using bar hand soap) was hurtful over time to your brushes. So I started using this soap specially made for brush cleaning.

The other day I went to get some more at the supply store and found the price for the stuff was over nine dollars - just for one container, as pictured. I remember when it was below five. There's no way I'm going to pay that for a puck of soap.

I started looking at the other soaps, and came on this:


A little cheaper and a lot more of it.

Then I used it the same day to clean my brushes. It smells exactly like the soap from the washrooms of my elementary school days. I'm starting to wonder if I'm being snookered. Are these companies just packaging generic soap as "artist's brush cleaning" soaps, and selling it for ten times the price? There's lots of bar soaps and liquid soaps that are especially mild, without strong detergents. Why can't I use those to clean my brushes?

Why not regular liquid dish soap?

I think I will.