To reduce chemical paint remover mess:

  1. Cut a slit in the side of a cardboard box that’s a little longer than the width of the putty knife you plan to use to remove the stripper.
  2. Line the bottom of the box with newspaper or sawdust to absorb the paint stripper residue.
  3. Apply paint stripper to the furniture, and allow it to remain on the recommended time.
  4. Insert the putty knife in the box slit near the knife handle.
  5. Pull the putty knife through the slit to deposit the used stripper inside the box.
  6. Dispose of the box and paint stripper residue properly.

Watch the video above to find out more.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Joe Truini: If you’ve ever used paint stripper to refinish a piece of furniture, you know it’s an extremely messy job. Well, here’s a quick tip that can make the job a little less messy.

Take a cardboard box, and cut a slit in it with a utility knife that’s slightly longer than the width of your putty knife. Then inside you can fill it with strips of newspaper or sawdust, something to help absorb the mess that you’re going to be dropping in there.

And then, what you can do is scrape up the paint stripper. This has been sitting about 30 or 40 minutes. Scraping, you see just how easily this comes up, but it’s a pretty gooey mess. And then just take it, put the knife in the cardboard, and draw it through. And you see it just drips inside, and eventually that will puddle up on the bottom and the newspaper will absorb it so it won’t spill out of the box.

And the reason this is a nice, handy tip is that when you’re finishing a piece of furniture, you’re going to be doing this a lot. You’re going to be scraping the surface and cleaning the blade. And you should do nice, short strokes. Work quickly; you get the job done with no problem at all.

Editorial Contributors
avatar for Mitchell Layton

Mitchell Layton

Mitchell Layton is a former professional mover who currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell spent years packing and moving for REAL Rock N Roll Movers, a commercial and residential moving company based in Los Angeles that’s primarily staffed with up-and-coming musicians. That gave him plenty of experience navigating box trucks up and down the winding streets of LA. In addition to moving hundreds of happy customers into new homes and apartments all across Southern California, Mitchell has also performed corporate moves on company lots for Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Paramount, and more. After pouring blood, sweat, and tears into his profession, Mitchell has all the helpful tips you need for your next move.

Learn More