The Masters Non-Toxic Paint Brush Cleaner and Preserver, 1 Ounce - Artist Brush Soap Removes Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache and Tempera Paints Review (2026)

What it is

The Masters Non-Toxic Paint Brush Cleaner and Preserver is a solid, soap-style brush cleaner sold in this listing at a 1 ounce size, the smallest of several sizes the brand offers, which also include larger 2.5 ounce, and 24 ounce tins for heavier use. It is marketed as non-toxic and contains no harsh thinners or solvents, so it can be used with only water rather than requiring mineral spirits or similar chemicals. Retailer listings describe it as cleaning wet and dried oil paint as well as watercolor and acrylic stains from brushes, and the product title for this specific listing also lists gouache and tempera paints among the media it removes, alongside general ink, dye, stain and varnish buildup.

How the cleaning works

The cleaner works as a solid compound rather than a liquid, so the brush is wetted, swirled across the surface of the soap to build a lather, worked gently into the bristles, then rinsed clean and reshaped by hand. For stubborn dried paint, letting the brush sit briefly with a coating of the cleaner on the bristles before repeating the process is the recommended approach rather than scrubbing harder. Because it only needs water to activate, it avoids the fumes and skin irritation that come with solvent-based cleaners, which is part of why it is positioned as safe for classroom and home studio use, including around children old enough to handle brushes themselves.

The preserving side of the formula

Beyond cleaning, the same lather is meant to double as a preserver: shaping the wet, cleaned brush and leaving a thin residue of the compound on the bristles as they dry is said to help the brush hold its shape and keep bristles from splitting or fraying between painting sessions. This dual cleaning-and-shaping role is the main reason the product has stayed in continuous use among painters for decades rather than being replaced by simple dish soap, since plain detergent cleans paint out but does nothing to protect brush shape over repeated use. The compound is described as working on natural bristle types such as sable as well as synthetic brushes, which covers most of the brush types miniature and craft painters use.

Where the small size falls short

The main drawback of this specific listing is simply its size. A 1 ounce tin is a small amount of compound, and painters who clean brushes daily, especially anyone maintaining a large collection of fine detail brushes used with acrylics, will likely use it up faster than a bulkier 2.5 ounce or 24 ounce tin from the same brand. Heavily dried, caked-on acrylic paint that has been left on a brush for a long time can also take several rounds of lathering and rinsing to fully lift, since the cleaner is gentle by design rather than a fast solvent strip. For occasional use or for trying the product for the first time before buying a bigger size, the small tin is a reasonable low-cost way to test it.

Who should buy it

This size fits painters who want to try the Masters brush cleaning system cheaply, or who only have a small handful of brushes and do not clean them often enough to justify a bulk tin. It also works well as a travel-sized addition to a painting kit alongside a larger tin kept at a main workstation. It is a weaker fit for anyone painting daily with a large brush collection, since the 1 ounce size will run out relatively quickly under heavy use, and those painters are better served buying the 2.5 ounce or larger size from the same product line from the start.

Frequently asked questions