You finally got around to painting and have a nice, fresh coat of paint on your living room wall. Congratulations on that hard work! But now you’ve realized you made the classic, unavoidable mistake: you have too much leftover paint. The EPA “estimates that about 10 percent of the house paint purchased in the United States each year—about 65 to 69 million gallons—is ultimately discarded.” And how do you get rid of paint? While it’s annoying problem, it’s not un-fixable.
Before you consider your options, know this: You can never ever pour paint down a sink or drain or dump it out on the ground. Any of these things will cause water contamination and is not good for the environment or your health. Dumping it out on the ground will cause run off when it rains. It will then drain into streams and rivers, and find its way to our water systems.
Now you know what not do do, here are 4 things you can do to get rid of your leftover paint.
How to Get Rid of Paint If It’s Still Usable:
1. Save It
Chances are, something is going to mess up your walls someday. If you have kids, you know how true this is. From rogue coloring to furniture moving to certain spots fading from the sun, your walls will need a touch up one day. If you save your paint, you’ll be glad you have it when you need it.
When properly resealed, paint can last up to 15 years. And it’s easier to do than you think. Keep it in the original container, cover the opening with plastic wrap before placing the lid on top, and use a hammer to tap the lid back into place.
2. Give It Away (Schools, Drama Clubs/Theaters)
You might be able to find someone else who can use the paint. Schools are a good place to start. They might have an upcoming class project they can use it for. You also have a very high chance of a drama club or theater gladly accepting the paint, as they go through large quantities painting stages and sets.
How to Get Rid of Paint If It’s Unusable:
First, how do you know if paint is unusable? If it starts to smell or has any hardening or lumps, it’s time to throw it away.
3. Dry It Up
According to the Chester County Solid Waste Authority, both latex and oil paints can be thrown out with your regular trash if they are properly dried up. If there is minimal paint left in the can, leave it open in the sun for a day or so to dry it up. If there’s a larger quantity left, you can stir in clay based kitty litter or sawdust to absorb any leftover paint. After one of these is mixed in, it should dry up in about ten minutes. If it’s still soft and wet after that, you’ll need to add some more.
4. Professional Disposal
For hands off disposal, call a professional junk removal service, like Moving U & Junk U, to haul away your old paint. You won’t have to run around trying to find someone who wants it or purchasing supplies to dry it up. We’ll get it out of your way and make sure it’s properly disposed. Give us a call, we’ll give you a price, and we’ll schedule a time to stop by and remove the paint cans.
3 Steps For Quick And Easy Paint Removal:
Get Your Price
Our all inclusive pricing is volume based. We’ll give you an estimate for your paint removal ahead of time so you know what to expect on the day of your pick up.
Schedule Your Removal
We know you probably want this old paint removed as soon as possible, so we’ll always try to accommodate with same or next day service. But even if you’re planning removal for a month from now, give us a call, text, or email. We’ll schedule your paint removal so you don’t have to worry about it.
Say Goodbye To Your Old Paint
We’ll send out our trained Junk Removal crew to safely and quickly remove your paint. You won’t have to lift a finger (except maybe to show us where the paint is located).
Bonus Step:
While we’re there, if you have anything else you need removed like a mattress, old appliance, hot tub, piano, or TV, we can haul that away with the paint as well.
Give us a call or text at 484-301-2442 or email us at info@movingujunku.com to get more information and pricing for your removal. And watch our video below for the quick kitty litter hack.
