Stretch a Rubber Band Across the Paint Can and Wipe Your Brush on That

The Problem

Wiping the brush on the can's rim is the habit that ruins the can: paint pools in the rim channel, runs down the outside, glues the lid on, and sprays a halo when you hammer the lid back down. By the second coat the can is the messiest thing on the drop cloth.

The Technique

1. Take a wide rubber band — long enough to span the can with some tension.
2. Hook it under the can handle's attachment tabs on either side, so it stretches across the open mouth of the can, over the middle.
3. Load your brush, then wipe the excess off against the band instead of the rim. The scraped-off paint drops straight back into the can.
4. Between dips, lay the brush across the band — it rests over the can, bristles inboard, instead of dripping on the drop cloth or getting set down flat.

The rim channel stays dry, the outside of the can stays readable (color, sheen, batch), and the lid goes back on with a clean seal.