Clothes for a painting day at home

Short answer: Paint gets into everything, so choose clothes you have already written off. A soft layer with long sleeves protects your skin and moves with you up the ladder, and a pair of socks keeps your feet clean and steady on a floor that soon gets slippery from spills.

Choose clothes you have written off

Paint splashes rarely come out, and you often only notice after the first wash when the stain is still there. Wear something you were nearly done with anyway, so you are not spending the day protecting your clothes. An older bamboo sweatshirt for men suits the job, because it is soft and moves with you.

Long sleeves save your skin

Your arms catch splashes from the roller and brush against a wet wall, and long sleeves take that instead of your skin. Paint on skin is awkward to remove and can dry before you notice. Roll the sleeves up when you stand still stirring the tin, and down again when you paint above head height.

Socks protect your feet

Your feet stand in the middle of it all, and drops land on the floor more often than on the dust sheet. A pair of socks for men and women protects your feet indoors in the same way sleeves protect your arms. Pick a pair you will not mind throwing out afterwards if paint gets on them.

You move up and down all day

A painting day is not only painting. You climb the ladder, bend over the tin and stretch towards ceilings and corners. Stiff clothes pull across the shoulders and knees, while a soft layer moves with you. Choose something with enough room to lift your arms without the top riding up and exposing your back.

Wash straight away

Wet paint comes out more easily than dry, so soak your clothes the same day instead of folding them away. It sometimes saves a top that would otherwise be lost. Rinse the stain from the back with cold water so the paint is pushed out of the fabric. The rest of all mens clothing can be washed at forty degrees.

Keep the old clothes together

Once a top has paint on it, it becomes your regular work wear. Put it with old trousers and socks in a box next to your painting kit, and it is ready next time. That saves you from sacrificing a new piece of clothing every time a room needs painting or a door needs a fresh coat.

Think about the room temperature

A room being painted needs airing, and open windows make it colder than you expect. At the same time you get warm working with your arms above your head. A thin layer underneath and a sweatshirt on top let you adjust. Take it off when you work hard and put it back on during breaks.

Change before you walk around the house

Paint on your clothes easily ends up on door handles, sofas and floors elsewhere. Change before you leave the room for long, and keep the work clothes near your painting kit. A clean pair of socks for the rest of the day makes sure you do not carry marks into the living room.

Frequently asked questions

What gets the paint out

Soap and cold water work best while the paint is still wet. Dried paint usually stays put, so it pays to act on the same day.

Should I go barefoot

No, wear socks or shoes. The floor gets slippery from spills, and paint between your toes is awkward and unpleasant to get off.

What about my head

A cap or an old scarf saves you a fair amount of hair washing, especially when you paint ceilings and the top of the walls.