Acrylic Paint Palette Cleanup 101: Eco-Friendly and Artist-Approved

Here's my artist palette cleaning method, an eco-friendly and sink-safe approach to cleaning your palette as well as links to the equipment I use.

1. Get a commercial bus pan and fill it halfway with water. Soak your used palette in it overnight. Alternatively, if you use an enamel butcher tray with a lip as a palette, you can fill it with water and soak it overnight.
2. After soaking the palette, the water-based acrylic paint will dissolve enough for easy removal so you can wipe it away with your hand and throw the paint in the trash.
3. Use a 4-quart bucket with water as your palette wash bucket. Wash your palette once in the bucket to prevent sediment from going down your sink and clogging the drain over time.
4. Perform a second washing in your sink with dish soap.
5. Leave the wash bucket to sit and sediment will sink to the bottom. After several weeks of use, use a mesh strainer to pour the water into the sink, ensuring any sediment goes into the garbage. Fill the bucket halfway with water for your next use.

Here are links to the products I use: 

• Enamel Butcher Tray
• Commercial Bus Pan
• 4 Quart Paint Bucket
• Mesh Strainer

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