Mr Skill

You have made your mind up and you have decided to clean your garage – again! The first thing you stumble upon is loads of leftover paint pots in various stages of decay. What do you do next? Well, if you are like most of us and are environmentally principled, you should be thinking the three “R’s”. That is, reduce, reuse and recycle.

Does this sound a little hard for you?  You could also get a waste removal quote from Mr Skill by clicking on this link. This will direct you to a number of cleaning services. Next time you find a decorator, why not ask them to remove the leftover paint after they have finished?

Reduce – If you find that there’s always some paint left over from a job, this tends to suggest that you are buying too much in the first place. Speak to your friendly paint shop and ask them to calculate your paint requirements next time, based on the measurements you provide. Most paint pots also provide coverage guidelines on their labels.

Reuse – As long as you store leftover paint properly – meaning correct sealing and storage – you can keep the paint for quite a considerable time. Tip – wipe the rim of the open paint pot clean and replace the lid tightly. Make sure you have a decent seal and then invert the pot. If you store the pot upside-down like this, you should have an airtight seal that will prevent a skin forming under the lid.

Recycle – Check with your local authority when it comes to recycling empty paint containers.  The chances are good that these can be handed in at your local waste station. If your paint containers cannot be recycled, dispose of them responsibly as general household waste.

Now my old mate Ray, who’s been a professional London decorator for more decades than he cares to remember, suggests that if you do have usable leftover paint that you are never going to need, then you should try donating it instead. Check your local charity shop for advice. Better still. Make sure the cost of disposing of messy paint pots is included in the painter’s quote next time. This information is provided by Mr-Skill as a public service.