| If you're doing any painting, sooner or later you're | | | | a little more difficult to clean. In fact, you will need to |
| going to have a spill. This can be easy or hard to | | | | use paint thinner to clean the mess from whatever |
| clean up depending on the paint, color, and location of | | | | you splattered it on. If this includes cloth, such as |
| the spill. The most important thing is that no paint has | | | | lawn furniture cushions, cleaning it may be impossible. |
| gotten into your eyes, skin or mouth. If so, seek the | | | | If you do decide to scrub them with thinner, it will |
| necessary medical attention right away, property can | | | | soak through into the padding and never dry or wash |
| be replaced you can't. When working with a latex or | | | | completely out of the cushions or stop smelling like |
| water based paint the mess isn't as bad as it looks. If | | | | thinner. This would also make for an ideal fire hazard, |
| you're able to return any portion of the paint to the | | | | which is something to consider as well. Other |
| can, do it. This material may seem wasted or dirty | | | | materials such as concrete, brick, or wood must be |
| but you can filter out most of the contaminates. If | | | | washed with soapy water after using thinner. If your |
| the material is filled with too much junk, then it must | | | | spill is on blacktop, using paint thinner will destroy it. In |
| be disposed of or else when applied to a surface | | | | this case, it would be best to buy a flat black top |
| anything in it will show up. | | | | coating and simply paint over the spill with a couple |
| Most waste management companies, not to mention | | | | of coats. Any rags used in the clean up also need to |
| local EPA authorities don't like wet paint. The only | | | | soak in soapy water, let dry, then throw away. |
| thing you can do is dry the material out first. The | | | | Because thinner on rags may heat up chemically |
| most efficient way to do it is by using a bag of | | | | through drying. Under the right conditions, they also |
| drying agent sold at most hardware stores. Mix the | | | | pose a fire hazard. Never leave a pile of soaked rags |
| wet paint it until it feels dry then throw it away. | | | | in a building or near a heat source. A final note, don't |
| Sometimes they like it if you double bag it too. Wash | | | | leave any paint thinner cans in direct sunlight; it will |
| off any remaining paint with a scrub brush and hot | | | | cause expansion of the containers. Read and follow |
| soapy water. Count your losses and start again. | | | | all safety warnings on any material you plan to use. |
| If you happen to be using oil-based paint, it becomes | | | | |