Our expert tips and tricks to making your painting project eco-friendly.

Choosing Colorhouse premium low odor paint is a great first step toward a more environmentally conscious painting project. But how about other things you can do to take it up a notch, reduce waste, and make your next painting project the greenest yet? Here are 8 tips from the pros at Colorhouse.

1. Measure accurately to avoid purchasing too much. There’s nothing green about having several gallons of paint left over! Use our handy paint calculator to estimate how much you’ll need for 2 coats.

2. Choose sustainable materials for your tools. Roller covers made from lamb’s wool or sheepskin are more sustainable than synthetic fibers, are reusable, and can be washed and reused for multiple projects. Spend a little more money on a quality paint brush that you can use for years, instead of the cheap throw-away kind.

3. Limit one-time use supplies. Purchase heavy duty canvas drop cloths. They are reusable, washable, and are more eco-friendly than the plastic throw-away kind.

4. Don’t clean roller covers & brushes between coats. Instead of wasting paint and water, simply wrap your roller cover in a plastic bag until the first coat has dried, up to several days. Brushes can also be wrapped in plastic until the 2nd coat, but for a shorter period, like overnight.

5. Minimize paint going down the drain. Use a stir stick, putty knife, or a roller cover scraper (they actually make a tool for that!) to scrape the extra paint in roller cover back into your paint pail before cleaning up.

6. Store leftover paint properly. Paint is perishable. The can should be sealed well, and stored in a dark space, protected from extreme heat and freezing temperatures. Thousands of gallons of paint are wasted every year from poor storage.

7. Recycle. That left over paint for your living room, 3 colors ago that’s in your garage — recycle it! Check to see if your state is part of the PaintCare paint stewardship program.

8. Dispose of paint properly. Every state has different regulations for disposing of unwanted paint. Check your local waste management company for details. If the can is mostly empty, you can simply open it to let the contents dry out, and toss in your regular trash. You can also use kitty litter to absorb small amounts of leftover paint, and allow to dry before disposing. For more than a quart leftover, check with your local waste management for disposing and recycling options.