How to Dispose of Acrylic Paint Water

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How to Dispose of Acrylic Paint Water

I get asked all the time how to properly dispose of acrylic paint water. There is no single answer for what is best, and there are many ways to approach the disposal. There are also lots of YouTube videos that show those different approaches. Many of the videos show the same approach with slight variations, so I didn’t want to cover all the same ground in this video.

My approach here is to give you some easy solutions that you may actually do, rather than some of the extremely complex approaches I have seen in other videos - let’s face it, we (as artists collectively) are most likely not going to take the time and effort required for some of these methods. I have also listed them in order of ease and cost: as you go down the list, the methods get more time consuming and more costly.

So, let’s take a look at my list:

  1. Use a drain screen. This is the simplest solution for removing the solids from your paint water. I buy them at the dollar store, 2 for a dollar. They work great and are easily and cheaply replaced when they get clogged with paint solids. Simply put into/over your sink drain so that it catches the paint solids. Once you empty the water, immediately clean the screen and place back into/over the drain.

  2. Use more clean water to dilute the paint water. This method assumes the use of a drain screen as well. I use this method too. I often add lots of tap water to my paint bucket and them pour a small amount down the drain, add more water and repeat until it’s all disposed of.

  3. Use a coffee filter. This is an easy and inexpensive approach. You can use a regular coffee filter, or you can buy the ones that are used in commercial Bunn machines that are about twice as large. You can tape these on top of a small container and pour your paint water through the filter into the container. The filter will remove the paint solids from the paint water.

  4. Use clumping cat litter. You may not have heard of this one, but it works great. Get a 5-gallon bucket, put 6-8 inches of clumping cat litter in the bottom and pour your paint water in there. Once it clumps, remove all the clumps and dispose of it in the trash. With this approach, none of your paint water goes down the drain.

  5. Use the GOLDEN Artist Colors “Crash” System. I have heard great things about this filtration system, but I have not used it (If you have, please leave a comment and let us know how it works). It comes with buckets, filters and cleaning/neutralizing agents to completely clean your paint water.

  6. Use a sand and gravel pit. This one takes some work, but it lets nature cleanse the water. Dig a pit of whatever size you feel comfortable with or have room for. It should be roughly 1’-6” to 2’-0” deep. Add 6-10” of sand in the bottom and cover with 10-12” of gravel. You can also add a screen over the top of the pit if desired (to catch the paint solids). You pour the paint water onto the gravel and the gravel and sand naturally clean and filter the water.

  7. Use a solids separator on your plumbing pipes. This is an expensive, but very effective method of removing solids from your paint water. A solids separator is typically used in commercial sink applications, like a school art room. The separator is attached to the plumbing drain so that all water from the sink flows through it. It has a filtration system that removes solids and harmful particles from the water that flows through it. I put this last because it is the most complex and costly option.

I hope these suggestions are helpful for you, and that you are able to implement one or more of them into your clean up process. Let me know in the comments if you have used something that worked well for you.

If you'd like to learn about abstract painting and making your own authentic work, then please join me for a painting workshop: (You can view a list of workshops HERE)

As always, thanks for your support!

David


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