Prevent Paint Splatters With This Nifty Soap Hack
When painting inside your house, it's extremely easy to accidentally smear paint where it doesn't belong. This is why an assortment of products exists to help prevent mistakes that could take away from the appeal of the finished product. While people typically stock up on painter's tape before beginning a new project, it can be a hassle doing all that taping. If you're looking to cut down on that tedious task, there's a versatile tool you can use that is most likely already lying somewhere within close reach. Before painting, apply a bit of leftover bar soap to the edges of glass window panes or mirrors to create a temporary barrier that makes cleanup afterward quick and easy.
Similar to using chapstick when painting near glass, bar soap is a substitute that can easily be removed with a wet rag after a project is complete. While painter's tape is nevertheless a practical resource to use when prepping for a paint job, there's always the potential for error in the event you apply or remove it incorrectly. Although bar soap wasn't designed to serve this purpose, perhaps it's a more convenient alternative for newbie painters who don't feel prepared to go through the rigamarole of taping. Continue reading to see how bar soap can help make interior paint jobs feel easier.
How it works
To start, gather some cotton swabs, a bar of soap, and some water. Dip a cotton swab into your water and collect some soap by grazing it against the outer layer of the bar. The saturated cotton swab should help change the consistency of the soap, turning it into more of a spreadable paste as the swab picks it up. Next, apply the soap along the edges of the glass you'll be painting around, creating a thin layer circling the perimeter of the window or mirror. When finished painting, wipe up the residue with a damp cloth, collecting any smears or drops of paint that may have strayed out of place. Make sure to wait until your paint fully dries before cleaning around the glass, as you don't want to mess up your project while making last-minute finishing touches.
The soap doesn't need to be converted into a paste in order for the hack to be successful, however. You can also gently rub the dry bar of soap directly onto the glass, similar to the stroking motion used when drawing chalk on a board or sidewalk. Regardless, having cotton swabs on hand allows you to reach into tight corners during the prepping stage, ensuring they are just as coated and protected as the other, easier-to-reach sections of the glass.