Cleaning Your Face Painting Kit

Cleaning your kit is an important job. It makes your brushes last longer and keep their shape, it makes sure your kit is free of any germs and keeps you looking professional. Although this last point may not seem important (as a face painter you really should be judged on the quality of your painting, not how clean your paints are kept) parents will often think twice if your tablecloth is covered in old paint or the box you keep your paints in clearly hasn't been washed.

Today I am posting not only how to clean your kit, but how to use a couple of tricks you can use to help you make the process as easy as possible.

Table Cloth

When you start face painting, a table cloth is a good investment. Even if you have a lovely table, a table cloth over it means you can store your kit bag, water bottles, and any other extra supplies under the table. This keeps your area tidy, but also keeps them away from the wandering hands of curious small humans...

In terms of material, getting a laminated table cloth (the type you often see in schools or playgroups for art lessons) will allow you to wipe the table clean extremely easily. You can even carry a spray bottle of surface cleaner and a cloth and clean it before you pack up, meaning it's all ready to go next time.

If you are not a fan of the laminated cloth then the best choice is a black material. Black matches any environment and doesn't show stains. If you buy a slightly shiny material then you can even shake the glitter off it at the end of the day and it's ready to be used again.

Brushes

Cleaning brushes thoroughly is so important - you won't believe how much paint a brush can hold...the easiest way is to first rinse the brushes in hot, soapy water (I use good quality washing-up liquid) and then put some soap on your hand and the press and swirl the brush in your hand. Keep soaping and rinsing the brush until you can't get any more paint out of them.

Once the brushes are clean, gently stroke the bristles back into their correct shape and leave them somewhere to dry. Don't try and put them back in the kit whilst they're damp or they will dry in odd shapes.

TIP: Make sure you take a bag of some description that used brushes and sponges can be put in at the end of the day! Otherwise you will be getting all the other brushes, sponges and cases dirty and giving yourself more cleaning to do.

Sponges

You can wash sponges in the same way as brushes; if I only have a few sponges from practicing or painting a friend I will usually wash them this way. However, if I have a lot of sponges from a day of face painting, I will use a net washing bag and just put them in the washing machine by themselves. It saves time and is just as good as washing them by hand.

Paints

When I mention cleaning paints, there are two elements. Firstly, there are the pots and lids of the paints where excess paint has gone, usually, just about everywhere. Not to mention the number of times you pick them up during the day whilst your hands are covered in paint...The second element is the paint itself. If you have been mixing colours or simply using the same brush that wasn't quite free of the first colour before it was plunged into the second colour, then your paints will look muddy. This is a problem because next time you try and use them you will get the 'muddy' colour and spend a long time trying to sort out the problem. 

To clean the lids, simple take them off, dump them in soapy water, wipe them with a cloth and leave them to dry. When you are cleaning the pots try to keep the water away from the paints; use a damp cloth to gently remove all the paint off the outside.

To clean the surface of the paint, take a damp cloth again (make sure it is clean, I recommend buying a cheap pack of disposable cloths for all your paint cleaning) and wipe it across the surface. The most important paints to do this with are rainbow cakes, as you want the colours to be clean and crisp for the next time you use them.

Water pot

Water pots will always be stained, however it is important that they are clean. This means soaking your pot in hot soapy water and then taking an old paint brush and really scubbing the paint out of the corners where. This means that when you put new water in the next day you won't get the ghost of yesterday's paint coming back!

TIP: To keep your brushes clean whilst you are working you can buy blocks of brush soap or put brush cleaner in your water pot to keep your brushes from clogging up as you go.

Kit bag

The only thing that will start to cause a problem with your kit bag is the fact that it will, inexplicably, fill with glitter. Giving it a quick vacuum every now and again will stop and glitter or dirt from transferring to your paints, brushes or self. You might also want to invest in a 'laminated' bag, made with material that can be quickly wiped down at the end of the gig.

Towels

Small black towels are great to have. Keep your sponges on them, wipe excess paint off onto them or use them to catch glitter with and at the end of the day it can go straight in the washing machine.

Your own face...

If you have your face painted at the event (something I highly recommend - children love seeing your face painted and will often choose the same design for themselves) then at the end of the day you will probably want to remove it.

Baby wipes may seem like a good option, and most of the time they do the job pretty well. However, it is worth mentioning that even the best baby wipes can react with your face paint and cause skin irritation, and that the best way to get face paint off is with warm soapy water and a flannel. Give your skin a moisturise afterwards as the paint will have dried your skin out slightly and you will be good to go! Face wipes also tend to smear the paint around your face without actually taking it off, and I find that a flannel just works so much better.

Practice makes perfect

The best way to get efficient at cleaning your kit is to list what needs cleaning and make sure it gets done as soon as you can. The longer you leave everything, the harder it will be to get the paint out. Once you know what needs doing it will become a quick and easy routine; practice makes perfect!