There’s no trade secret here—mineral spirits are a universal solvent for oil-based paint. They emit less odor than paint thinner and are considered more effective as a paint brush cleaner.

Wrap the brush bristles in a piece of paper towel and gently squeeze from the ferrule to the tip to remove trapped paint residue. Fill a container with a solvent, a natural oil, or a natural cleaner.

Blindly purchasing a starter brush set and experimenting as you go is all well and good, but let us break down exactly what each of those peculiar and particular oil paint brushes do, and what ...