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When you have leftover paint when you are done with a job you cannot simply throw it away. Throwing away paint is bad for the environment and you also may need some paint for a touch up job. But if you do not store the paint, in a year or so, it will become lumpy and the paint can may be rusty. There are some ways in which you can correctly store paint.
You will need a few tings such as:
∗ A sheet of plastic food wrap or a plastic grocery bag
∗ Rubber mallet
∗ Hammer and a small block of wood
Here are some tips you can follow when storing paint.
∗ You can begin by wiping away any of the paint that is on either the lip or the rim of the paint can. You have to keep their air out of the paint can in order for it to stay good.
∗ Take some plastic wrap or a plastic grocery bag and cut some in a circle a few inches longer than the size of the can of paint.
∗ Put the cut plastic on top of the can of paint before you put the lid back on. The plastic will be an air seal, which will keep air from being exposed to the air and it will make it so the paint does not dry out.
∗ You can add even more protection to the paint by blowing a little into the leftover paint can before you put the plastic on the can. If you blow into the paint can displace some of the air with carbon dioxide that is in your exhaled breath.
∗ You can reseal the can of paint using a rubber mallet. But if you don't have a rubber mallet you can use a hammer and lightly tap on a small block of wood in order to fasten the lid back on the can. This will prevent the lip of the paint can from becoming bent and damaged by the hammer. Make sure you do not use a hammer without using the block of wood.
∗ When the lid is back on securely store the paint in a dry and cool place and out of the direct sunlight. Also keep the paint away from sources of heat such as hot water tanks or furnaces.
∗ You have to make sure your stored paint does not freeze. There is paint that can be used after it freezes but there is a lot of paint that cannot.
∗ You can keep paint out of the rim on the can by making some holes under the lip by using a hammer and a nail. The holes will let paint to drip back into the can when you pour the paint into a tray or small bucket.
∗ If you do not want to store the paint you will need to dispose of it at a recycling center.
∗ If you have paint cans that are empty you can throw them away. If there is a little of the latex paint left in the can you can leave it exposed for a couple of days and led the paint dry out and then throw it away.
∗ Make sure you never pour any excess paint or old paint down the drain.
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