During the winter months, I usually renovate basements. When I’m drywalling and painting, I can’t wash my tools and brushes with the garden hose because it’s so cold outside. If there is no laundry tub, I hook a hose and nozzle to the drain of the water heater. I fill several buckets for washing, and then pour the used water down the floor drain (no big lumps, of course) or cart it outside.
I keep a 3-ft. length of rope with a hook on its end for drying my latex-paint brush. After thoroughly washing the brush, I take it outside, hook the rope onto it and swing it around. It dries almost instantly, and I can start painting with another color right away. I find this works better than the paintbrush spinners available commercially, which spread the bristles in the wrong way.
Sandy Tod, Lynden, None
