More DIY Home Cleaning Videos here: ruclips.net/p/PL63TJ6Vqtnfwsx68tqzDNPgbslRDU1DYa See the written post here: www.abbottsathome.com/dry-paint-cans-for-disposal-how-to-harden-paint/ See more DIY Cleaning Tips on my blog: www.abbottsathome.com/category/home-diy/cleaning-tips/
Concise, clear, and efficient. The time you spent prepping the materials needed for the video,. and whatever editing you did, resulted in a really effective presentation. Super-helpful. Thanks!
My local lumber yard always has hundreds of pounds of sawdust from their mill; they give it away (I got two 33-gal trash cans full). Using old scrap 2"x4" lumber I build a 4' x 8' frame on my driveway, lined it with black 'visqueen' sheet plastic, and filled it with sawdust. I had a dozen partially full, one-gallon cans, and two partially full 5-gal cans of paint to dispose of. I poured the paint(s) into the sawdust and mixed it (not all at once). It worked, but it took a long time (a couple of weeks) for the paint to solidify enough to dispose of as "trash". I kept adding more sawdust. I live in California and rain isn't an issue (or at least wasn't when I did all this). Okay results, but not if you are in a hurry.
Well, I finally had a chance to try some of this out; here is the promised update (see my comment from eight months ago). This of course is for LATEX paint. Oil-based [alkyd] paint is considered a hazardous material and must be discarded in accordance with local hazmat regulations. Getting back to latex... Kitty litter is the way to go; clumping kitty litter is better than non-clumping. If you have a nearly full can of paint, decant about 20% of it into another container, such as an empty coffee can; you can deal with that one separately. You need about 20% head room for volume expansion as you add kitty litter, and also some room for stirring without spilling. Pour in (very roughly; the exact amount does not matter) a half cup or so of kitty litter and stir. Then another half cup and stir. Then another and stir. Keep going until it is so thick that you can't stir any more. Let it stand a few days. At that point, there might be a little bit of liquid on the top. If there is, throw in a little more kitty litter to soak up that bit of liquid and give it another couple of days. At that point, it should be quite solid - not rock-hard, but quite solid - and you can legally dispose of it in the trash. As for ventilation: I found that latex paint that I had from about 2010 onwards has very little VOC and you can do it indoors, though you still should not do it in an enclosed space. Latex paint that I had from about 2000, although it is not oil paint, has some non-negligible VOC in it, so you should do this outdoors or in a room with exterior ventilation (say, in the garage, with the door open). The older paint cans (ca. 2000) will say something like "VOC less than 250 grams per liter." That's their way of telling you that it's latex, not oil paint, but it's still a good slug of VOC and you need to deal with it in a space with good exterior ventilation. Thanks to the author of the original video for the info that I needed to get started.
Great video! I've only ever used the store-bought hardeners (Krud Kutter, HDX), but they apparently only work for latex paint. I have a bunch of oil-based stains and varnishes, and I'd like to test the kitty litter on them. Thanks for making this clip!
Very good video. I doubt that the sand would work because it won't, properly speaking, absorb any water. The other materials are all absorbent. When sand is "wet" the water is not *in* the sand grains, it's between them and on them, unlike with, say, kitty litter. Maybe the sand would still work, but I doubt it. I've tried to dry out paint cans just by leaving them outside. I left them only partly open to keep out birds and other small animals. It took forever. Eventually I moved them to a sunny part of the yard. That helped somewhat, but the sun has to be almost overhead to actually be on the paint surface if it is still in the can, unlike in those more open experiments in the cardboard. Eventually I could legally throw them out, but it really took a long time. I still have to dry out a lot more paint, which is why I am watching this video. I think I will try the kitty litter this time. I'll bookmark this page. Maybe I'll have an update eventually on my own experiments.
I think you're probably right about the sand. And, as far as taking the lid off to let it dry out, manufacturers seem to have figured out a formula that prevents drying unless the paint is in thin layers (on a wall). My paint can be open for weeks without drying. Sawdust, paper, sun, and kitty litter (the best) are my current go-to's. :)
About cat litter: There are many kinds I have seen it made from paper. And from wheat. I wonder if they are all effective for paint. I used clumping clay liter today - Very effective. Then there is OIL DRY. It is used to absorb oil spills. Available in auto parts stores or on line. Basically clay cat litter without the perfume. It may be cheaper.
When using the search words: "how long does it take for a gallon of paint to dry out", I only got videos about using kitty litter & other methods. If I choose NOT to buy kitty litter, I want to know how long it would take for a FULL GALLON to dry out by just leaving the lid off. I hope to get an answer. Thank you.
I have no idea. But, maybe if someone else see’s this, they’ll know. I will say, it can look dry on top and still be wet underneath for a long time. The skin of dry paint on top will slow the dry time for everything underneath. You could, take the lid off, let it dry for a few weeks, peel the top off and repeat until it’s dry. 🤷♀️
I dried hundreds of paint filled cans this summer. In blazing 100 degree weather it doesn't dry even completely open. I added newspapers and added dirt and stirred each day. It was very time consuming. And took easily over 60 days.
That was me for 2 weeks, I stir and stir, gotten a lttle thicker and now it is raining very day. I bought cat litter to help. I still have 1 can to mix with cat litter. Doing them in batches to not weight down my trash cart. All left over by previously homeowner(s) sigh
Wow. Where do you get that big bag of kitty litter for only $10??? I can't remember paying less than $30 for a box of it and that's the cheapest cuz it's from Walmart.
I'm in Texas. The 20lb litter I buy is about $9 actually. I feel like I was paying about $5 for a giant bag in the 90's. I was too broke back then to pay much more. :) www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-unscented-guaranteed-clumping-litter-20-lb/2211904
More DIY Home Cleaning Videos here: ruclips.net/p/PL63TJ6Vqtnfwsx68tqzDNPgbslRDU1DYa
See the written post here: www.abbottsathome.com/dry-paint-cans-for-disposal-how-to-harden-paint/
See more DIY Cleaning Tips on my blog: www.abbottsathome.com/category/home-diy/cleaning-tips/
Concise, clear, and efficient. The time you spent prepping the materials needed for the video,. and whatever editing you did, resulted in a really effective presentation. Super-helpful. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!. Thanks!!!
Excellent advice! So helpful & concise! Thanks
Thank you!! 😊
My local lumber yard always has hundreds of pounds of sawdust from their mill; they give it away (I got two 33-gal trash cans full). Using old scrap 2"x4" lumber I build a 4' x 8' frame on my driveway, lined it with black 'visqueen' sheet plastic, and filled it with sawdust. I had a dozen partially full, one-gallon cans, and two partially full 5-gal cans of paint to dispose of. I poured the paint(s) into the sawdust and mixed it (not all at once). It worked, but it took a long time (a couple of weeks) for the paint to solidify enough to dispose of as "trash". I kept adding more sawdust. I live in California and rain isn't an issue (or at least wasn't when I did all this). Okay results, but not if you are in a hurry.
Yep, I wasn’t a fan of this option. And, it’s pretty hard to stir in as much sawdust as you need.
Well, I finally had a chance to try some of this out; here is the promised update (see my comment from eight months ago). This of course is for LATEX paint. Oil-based [alkyd] paint is considered a hazardous material and must be discarded in accordance with local hazmat regulations. Getting back to latex... Kitty litter is the way to go; clumping kitty litter is better than non-clumping. If you have a nearly full can of paint, decant about 20% of it into another container, such as an empty coffee can; you can deal with that one separately. You need about 20% head room for volume expansion as you add kitty litter, and also some room for stirring without spilling. Pour in (very roughly; the exact amount does not matter) a half cup or so of kitty litter and stir. Then another half cup and stir. Then another and stir. Keep going until it is so thick that you can't stir any more. Let it stand a few days. At that point, there might be a little bit of liquid on the top. If there is, throw in a little more kitty litter to soak up that bit of liquid and give it another couple of days. At that point, it should be quite solid - not rock-hard, but quite solid - and you can legally dispose of it in the trash. As for ventilation: I found that latex paint that I had from about 2010 onwards has very little VOC and you can do it indoors, though you still should not do it in an enclosed space. Latex paint that I had from about 2000, although it is not oil paint, has some non-negligible VOC in it, so you should do this outdoors or in a room with exterior ventilation (say, in the garage, with the door open). The older paint cans (ca. 2000) will say something like "VOC less than 250 grams per liter." That's their way of telling you that it's latex, not oil paint, but it's still a good slug of VOC and you need to deal with it in a space with good exterior ventilation. Thanks to the author of the original video for the info that I needed to get started.
Thanks for sharing! It's amazing to hear that paint from 2000 was still liquid. They make that stuff indestructible now. :)
Yes. Looks like art to me. Maybe sculpting the kitty litter into something. 😊❤️🙏🏻❤️
That could be cute! 😊
Great video! I've only ever used the store-bought hardeners (Krud Kutter, HDX), but they apparently only work for latex paint. I have a bunch of oil-based stains and varnishes, and I'd like to test the kitty litter on them. Thanks for making this clip!
I hope it works just as quickly with oil paints. :)
Very good video. I doubt that the sand would work because it won't, properly speaking, absorb any water. The other materials are all absorbent. When sand is "wet" the water is not *in* the sand grains, it's between them and on them, unlike with, say, kitty litter. Maybe the sand would still work, but I doubt it. I've tried to dry out paint cans just by leaving them outside. I left them only partly open to keep out birds and other small animals. It took forever. Eventually I moved them to a sunny part of the yard. That helped somewhat, but the sun has to be almost overhead to actually be on the paint surface if it is still in the can, unlike in those more open experiments in the cardboard. Eventually I could legally throw them out, but it really took a long time. I still have to dry out a lot more paint, which is why I am watching this video. I think I will try the kitty litter this time. I'll bookmark this page. Maybe I'll have an update eventually on my own experiments.
I think you're probably right about the sand. And, as far as taking the lid off to let it dry out, manufacturers seem to have figured out a formula that prevents drying unless the paint is in thin layers (on a wall). My paint can be open for weeks without drying. Sawdust, paper, sun, and kitty litter (the best) are my current go-to's. :)
Really appreciate you sharing!!
Thanks!
About cat litter: There are many kinds I have seen it made from paper. And from wheat. I wonder if they are all effective for paint. I used clumping clay liter today - Very effective. Then there is OIL DRY. It is used to absorb oil spills. Available in auto parts stores or on line. Basically clay cat litter without the perfume. It may be cheaper.
I’d go with cheap clumping or the old fashioned, cheap litter. Those work best for this. 😊
Txs. Great help!!!!
Glad it helped!
Can you use the kitty litter with oil based paint?
I haven’t tested it with oil paints. But other websites say it does. You can always try with a small amount to see how it works. 👍
When using the search words: "how long does it take for a gallon of paint to dry out", I only got videos about using kitty litter & other methods. If I choose NOT to buy kitty litter, I want to know how long it would take for a FULL GALLON to dry out by just leaving the lid off. I hope to get an answer. Thank you.
I have no idea. But, maybe if someone else see’s this, they’ll know. I will say, it can look dry on top and still be wet underneath for a long time. The skin of dry paint on top will slow the dry time for everything underneath. You could, take the lid off, let it dry for a few weeks, peel the top off and repeat until it’s dry. 🤷♀️
I dried hundreds of paint filled cans this summer. In blazing 100 degree weather it doesn't dry even completely open. I added newspapers and added dirt and stirred each day. It was very time consuming. And took easily over 60 days.
@@kt-tu6jl Thanks for sharing!
That was me for 2 weeks, I stir and stir, gotten a lttle thicker and now it is raining very day. I bought cat litter to help. I still have 1 can to mix with cat litter. Doing them in batches to not weight down my trash cart. All left over by previously homeowner(s) sigh
feels like making art
It was actually fun to play around with too. 🤓
Wow. Where do you get that big bag of kitty litter for only $10??? I can't remember paying less than $30 for a box of it and that's the cheapest cuz it's from Walmart.
I'm in Texas. The 20lb litter I buy is about $9 actually. I feel like I was paying about $5 for a giant bag in the 90's. I was too broke back then to pay much more. :) www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-unscented-guaranteed-clumping-litter-20-lb/2211904
Thank you very much
You’re welcome!!
Paper from a shredder would work instead of newpaper!
Good idea!
A full can of paint not completely closed will turn into a solid chunk.
Yep, if you have time to wait, an open can will completely dry out. 👍
how long does it take? i have a few im prepping to throw away and figured i leave them open in my garage until i get kitty litter tomorrow.
Yep. Why pay for odor control.
Kitty litter worked best for me
It’s so simple. I love this one!
2:35 you think that's an inch of paint? LOL More like 1/8 of an inch.
Yep, about an inch. Did you see me testing at the end? Definitely more than 1/8 👍