Spray painting equipment makes the task of painting large projects like home exteriors, fences, and decks quick and easy to do. When latex paint is not cleaned out of the sprayer immediately after you paint you can get a condition where there is dried or gummy latex paint clogging the working mechanisms of the unit.
Some people will recommend you throw the sprayer away, chalk up your losses, and buy a new spray gun. This may be necessary in some cases, but before you trash your paint sprayer try the following methods of removing that dried-on paint.
Cleaning Out The Sprayer with Soap and Water
Latex paint is water-soluble paint. You do not need harsh chemicals for cleaning purposes, and if the paint dries or begins to harden in your paint sprayer you might still be able to save the sprayer from destruction.
Supplies Needed List:
- Pliers to take the sprayer apart with
- Mineral spirits, vinegar, or denatured alcohol
- Two containers to wash the pieces in, one is for the soapy wash and one is for the rinse
- A small soft-bristled brush, or the cleaning brushes that came with your paint sprayer
- Dry rags
Read our latest article on how to remove spray paint from plastics in different ways check this one.
What to Do:
Disassemble the Spray Gun
The first thing you have to do is take apart the spray gun. You already know that there is dried-on latex paint gumming up the works in the sprayer so you need to take the spray gun equipment completely apart.
The nozzle tip is likely going to be the hardest part to remove. The paint has dried and is holding the nozzle securely in place. To free up the nozzle try:
- Use your soft-bristled brush to loosen some of the paint.
- Use a garden hose and spray the nozzle to wet the paint as this might soften it enough to allow you to pull the nozzle free.
Remove The Filter
The filter is most likely positioned in the handle of the gun. You need to get the filter out and either get all of the paint residues washed from it or replace it. The filter is going to be heavily coated in the paint, and it will take some time and patience to remove that substance.
Soak the filter in warm soapy water to help loosen the paint. Take the filter from the soapy water, manipulate it to break loose paint particles, then rinse the filter.
Repeat the process until you can pour rinse water through the filter and nothing but clear, clean water comes through it.
Flush the Sprayer with Water
The first method of removing the paint inside the equipment is to flush the equipment with water. Run clean water through the equipment exactly like you would run paint through it. Periodically you will have to stop what you are doing and clean the filter and the nozzle again because pieces of the paint are going to break loose and clog those areas again.
You have to continue to run the water through the sprayer until the water flows out easily and is clean. This may take several minutes or several hours depending on the severity of the dried paint.
Reprime the Spray Gun
Once you can flush water through the unit and it comes out clean you need to prime the gun and repeat the process. Use one bucket as your source of water paint and the other bucket is where you spray the water into it.
Using Brake Fluid to Soften the Paint
When you cannot get the paint in the sprayer to turn loose you should try this old trick before you toss out the unit. Brake fluid has been known to dissolve paint and brake fluid will not damage the gaskets, rings, and filters of the equipment.
This is not a quick fix. It will take some time, but it just might save you from having to buy new equipment.
Materials Needed List for Cleaning Dried Paint
- A bucket, pan, or container large enough to soak the sprayer components in
- Brake fluid go ahead and buy the cheapest one you can find the brand is not relevant
- Pliers to take the sprayer apart with
- Mineral spirits, vinegar, or denatured alcohol
- Two containers to wash the pieces in, one is for the soapy wash and one is for the rinse
- A small soft-bristled brush, or the cleaning brushes that came with your paint sprayer
- Dry rags
What to do:
Take The Sprayer Completely Apart
You need to break down the sprayer by removing the nozzle, removing the filter, and removing any hoses or components that can be removed.
Soak It
Place all of the spray gun pieces into the container you have chosen, and then saturate each piece with the brake fluid. Each piece needs to be thoroughly coated, and it is possible to cover the pieces with the fluid.
Wait
The pieces of the spray gun must remain in the brake fluid solution for at least one day. It takes time for the fluid to soften the paint enough to make the paint begin to come off of the pieces.
Wash it
Once the pieces have soaked a sufficient amount of time you will need to take them out of the fluid and wash them. You can start your wash with warm soapy water and then rinse with clean water.
Pay attention to all of the nooks and crannies in the pieces so you can use the brush and work at making the paint particles turn loose.
Brake fluid is slick so you might have to use some mineral spirits, vinegar, or denatured alcohol to get the slick coating off of the pieces of your equipment. Douse each piece in the cleaning helper and then proceed to wash the pieces in warm soapy water to remove the cleaning helper.
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Run Water Through the Sprayer
You need to run water through the paint sprayer to ensure that all of the paint inside the workings of the gun has been removed. Set the spray equipment up just like you would set it up if you were about to paint. Fill the paint container cup with water, or if you are using a siphon-style gun place the siphon hose in one bucket filled with water, and spray the contents into another empty bucket.
Always spray into an empty container so you can closely examine the contents that come out of the gun and check for paint residue that may still exist inside it.
Expert Tips on Removing Dried Paint from Sprayer
- You can run a small amount of lacquer thinner through the unit in an attempt to soften or cause dried paint to release. While you are running the thinner through the gun be sure to move the gun around in an attempt to help it break loose pieces of the paint. When you are finished you must run water through the unit to remove the residue left from the lacquer thinner
- Do not forget to clean the inlet filter on a siphon hose. The siphon hose is stuck into the paint can or container, and on the end is a small filter that helps reduce the amount of debris picked up by the hose. Be sure that you clean this filter carefully because dried paint can stop it.
- Always clean your paint gun at the end of each project day. If a paint project takes several days you need to clean the gun at the end of each working day.
Final Word
Paint sprayers are excellent for reducing your work time when painting, but they have to be properly maintained or they will stop working effectively. Cleaning is the number one priority for this equipment, and cleaning should always be done while the paint in the gun is still moist. Once the paint dries the troubles begin.
If you have a spray gun with dried latex paint you can repeatedly soak the components in water, vinegar, denatured alcohol, or mineral spirits in an attempt to soften the paint. Patience and persistence will be rewarded.
