Tips on Removing Paint Rollers

Removing a paint roller for cleaning, after a day of painting, prevents hardened roller hairs and preserves the quality and condition of the roller. Carelessly dunking the entire handle and connected roller into a paint bucket results in a huge mess of dripping paint when the roller is later removed from the bucket. Properly removing a paint roller won't cause a mess on the floor, or on your hands.

Carefully wrap a plastic grocery bag around the attached paint roller. Grab the metal frame of the roller handle with one hand and use your other hand to pull the wet roller from the roller frame. Wrapping the bag around the roller conceals the paint underneath and keeps your hands free from paint. Unravel the bag from the paint roller over a slop sink or paint bucket, and toss the dirty bag into the garbage.

Tapping a metal roller handle on the edge of a bucket causes the roller to gradually slide off the frame. There are specially designed paint rollers with straight framing instead of the typical rounded shape. The straight frame allows the roller to break free with only one tap on the inside of a paint bucket. Hold the roller over a bucket, with the roller facing down. Forcefully tap the curved part of the frame on the edge of the bucket to remove the roller.

Paint scrapers serve many purposes, including the removal of a paint roller. Scrape off excess paint build-up from the outer hairs of the roller before attempting removal. Hold the roller over a paint bucket. Push the scraper downward across the entire length of the roller until it's drip free. Grip the metal part of the roller handle with one hand and hold the scraper in the other hand. Position the flat edge of the scraper on the edge of the roller where it connects to the frame and push downward for removal.

Some paint rollers come with a built-in release button for fast roller removal. The release button removes the paint roller and handle from an extension pole, not the individual paint roller sleeve itself. The button is simply a locking mechanism that allows you to snap-on the paint roller to an extension pole without screwing it on or off by hand. Simply press the release button and the paint roller immediately breaks free from the connected pole.