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I have an airless paint sprayer (Wagner Procoat) which I clean by running water through it, until all the paint is gone. The paint I used was Valspar Ultra Zero VOC.

I collect the water+paint in a bucket. I know the proper way of disposing latex paint is to let it dry and harden and take it to the disposal centre. In this case, it will take years to dry since it's mostly water. What's the best way to dispose it?

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  • diy.stackexchange.com/questions/47364/… – Niall C.♦ Sep 22 '15 at 15:34
  • There is no way to make it solid as it is mostly water... – Rollo R Sep 22 '15 at 15:35
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    Sure there is: leave it open and wait. Pour into a paint tray first, if desired, to increase surface area. Or paint it onto newspaper, then throw out the newspaper. But it it's just equivalent to what you'd wash off a brush, I have no problem with pouring it down the drain, or into a back corner of the garden. – keshlam Sep 22 '15 at 16:27
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I know the proper way of disposing latex paint is to let it dry and harden and take it to the disposal centre. In this case, it will take years to dry since it's mostly water.

That's your answer. Why do you think it would take years for water to evaporate? How much are you talking about?

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  • @RolloR: It won't take years if it is put on the stove and heated. – wallyk Sep 23 '15 at 1:00
  • I can't get behind boiling paint, that just doesn't seem safe or healthy. – Zach Sep 23 '15 at 13:28
  • You mean the same paint you spread all over a wall inside your house where its components evaporate into the same room where you are breathing harder because you are painting and the same room where you might spend 1/3 of the next 10 years of your life sleeping, relaxing, cooking, etc. breathing whatever low level emissions it has. – wallyk Sep 23 '15 at 14:04
  • boiling is definitely going to put a ton of VOCs into the air, way more than allowing it to passively dry. Most people also tend to air out rooms for a day or two before using them after painting. I'm pretty sure latex is also flammable, so boiling a big pot of it on the stove seems like a recipe for disaster. – Zach Sep 23 '15 at 14:13
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    you could simmer it. or blanche it. I'm not sure if roasting would be appropriate, though. – ojait Sep 23 '15 at 16:51
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If you are adamant about not disposing of (only) latex paint down the drain than you could spread black plastic outside on the ground were it will be in full sun, form up the edges with brick and/or lumber to create walls and pour latex thinned paint into the pool.

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