It is irritating when the "new improved" version of a product is far from an improvement. But this one is a full fledged disaster.
For decades I have sworn by Winsor & Newton's Brush Cleaner & Restorer. It could bring hopeless brushes full of dried paint back to good condition. I bought it in 32 oz. increments because it was my go-to for all brushes. Using the cleaner in connection with a brush groomer was incredible. You could see multiple layers of color dossolve one after another until the brush was again squeaky clean. It worked on oils,
acrylics, inks--would remove just about anything dried into a brush.
The last bottle I bought did not perform like that. In fact, it did not perform at all. I also noticed that it did not smell the same. I contacted the company and was informed that when they had difficulty getting one of their ingredients, they went with a "more eco-friendly" formula.
I am all for "eco-friendly"--when it is viable. But If I ruin brushes, I believe I am contributing more environmental harm by buying newly manufactured ones than I would by cleaning the ones I have! Also, good paintbrushes are a major investment. Nobody can afford to simply toss them in the trash and buy another.
At any rate, I am looking into other products to allow me to view paintbrushes as tools rather than consumables. I am open to suggestions--anybody know of a product that could fill the bill?
