What Do I Do With All This Paint????

Mar 31, 2022

We all tend to accumulate paints and other materials overtime. There are a few things to consider when contemplating what to do with leftover material.
Touchup Paint
It’s always a good idea to keep one container of each paint used for a recent project. This includes ceiling, trim and wall paint. We recommend half a gallon or more. Touchups work best using the original paint used, applied in the same manner.

Keep it in a climate controlled space to prevent freezing. Basements or closets are ideal, but an attached garage is ok as long as it is well insulated and/or heated at least above freezing in the winter months. Paint that freezes and thaws multiple times is essentially useless.

Disposal
Proper disposal methods may vary based on regional and local regulations. For Central Ohio visit the SWACO website by clicking here.

Most municipalities have a Household Hazardous Waste program in which Spray Paints and Oil-based paints and stains can be dropped off. Please check with your local municipality or waste disposal service for guidelines.

For latex or water-based paints – According to SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio), “Latex and water-based paints are not considered hazardous. Therefore, latex and water-based paints are not accepted as part of SWACO’s free HHW program. Paint hardeners, available at most hardware stores, may be added to left over latex paint in order to solidify the unused product. The lid may also be left off to speed up the drying process. Once dried it may be disposed of with your regular trash. (Kitty litter or sawdust may also be used, but it may take up to several days before the paint is fully solidified if using this method.)” We use kitty litter because it is inexpensive and we have the space to let it dry for a few days. If you’re doing this the night before your trash collection, we would highly recommend using a specified paint hardener that will dry paint quickly.

Kitty litter added to water-based paint for proper disposal
Kitty litter added to water-based paint for proper disposal.