Citadel paints are awesome, but the paint pots leave something to be desired. They suffer from paint build up, they don’t offer much protection to your paint from oxygen, and they can just be a hassle at times. If you are noticing that your paint pots are in need of a good clean, you are not alone!
Believe it or not, there is a right way to clean Citadel paint pots and there is a wrong way to clean them. The lid is the most important part of the pot, and you need to clean it properly to ensure a good seal. The best way to clean your paint pot is with some warm water and a pair of tweezers or a tiny sponge.
Most people will move their Citadel paints into a different container because they aren’t aware of how to clean their paint pots properly. Cleaning your Citadel paint pots is essential to extend the life of your paints. After reading this article, you will be able to confidently use your Citadel paint pots and clean them properly.
Why Do Citadel Paint Pots Get So Messy?
You might notice that your Citadel paint pots get messier than other types of paint. When you open your paint, you will see that is has a rather large lip that dips down into the paint. The paint will stick to this lip and drip down into the seam whenever you open the lid.
This lip is the main reason why your Citadel paint pots get messier than other paints you might have. The mess will also be worse if you tend to leave the lid of your paint open while you use it. You will have more paint drip down into the seam and it will start drying. When the paint dries into the seam, the lid won’t close properly.
How Do You Clean Citadel Paint Pots?
Cleaning paint pots is really easy if you do it the right way. You are going to need the Citadel paint pot you want to clean, a bowl that can hold hot water, and a tool to get the paint out. You can use tweezers, a small sponge, or any other tiny tool but avoid using anything that is too sharp. This can puncture the lid and make it unusable.
Remove and Soak the Lid
First, you are going to remove the lid from your paint pot. To prevent the paint drying out while you are cleaning the lid, you will want to use plastic wrap and a rubber band. Place the plastic wrap tightly over the opening of the paint pot and wrap the rubber band around to create a tight seal.
Next, you are going to fill your bowl with hot water. You don’t need to boil the water or make it too hot, the hottest that comes out of your tap will work just fine. When you have your bowl filled, you can drop the lid into the water. Let it soak for about ten seconds before you start working with the lid.
If you are using tweezers, you can use them to reach into the hot water and grab the lid. You can shake it around in the water to release any of the paint that has started to soften up already. After a few seconds, all of the wet paint will work its way out of the lid, and you will be left with just the dry paint.
Put the lid back in the hot water to soak for another 15 to 20 seconds. This will make the lid more flexible, and you will have an easier time working with it. You can bend the lid inside out, making it incredibly easy to pick out the dried paint pieces. Some pieces will come right off, while other pieces will need help from your tweezers or sponge.
Remove Excess Dried Paint
After you get all of the dried-up pieces off the lid, rinse it off in the bowl of water. You can then use a paper towel to rub off any remaining paint that you weren’t able to get off with your sponge or tweezers. This will most likely be inside the lip of the lid that is harder to reach.
You can rewet the lid as many times needed to get all of the remaining paint off with the paper towel. Keep wiping your lid until it is as clean as you can get it. The lip isn’t as important as the seal, so if you can’t get the lip all cleaned out you don’t need to worry.
After the lid is as clean as possible, you will want to scrape off any dried paint around the mouth of the actual paint pot. You can do this with the tweezers you used for the lid. You don’t want to get this part wet since the paint is still inside. It is still important to clean this part of the pot to ensure the best seal possible.
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How Not to Clean Paint Pots
You might find some information online saying you should boil your water and let the lids soak for a while until they become really soft. This is not recommended, as this can ruin your lids. The method is the same as the right way, except with water that is way too hot and soaking that lasts way too long.
The boiling water will make the lids soft, but it also has the ability to warp the lid and completely ruin it. The lid will shrink and become brittle, making it not only hard to clean, but hard to put back on the paint pot and protect your paint.
Final Thoughts
You have probably noticed that your Citadel paint pots collect a ton of paint in the seal when you are using them. Cleaning your Citadel paint pots is an essential part of making sure your paint lasts as long as possible and doesn’t dry out.
The process of cleaning your Citadel paint pots just requires some hot water, but not too hot, and a tool to help you get all of the dried paint from the seam. The process should only take you a few minutes and you will have lids that are almost as good as new.
There is also a wrong way to clean your paint pots, so be aware and avoid this. You do not want to use boiling water, as this can warp your lids and make them unusable. Cleaning the lids the right way is incredibly important.