BoAn 2025 Upgraded Paint Brush Cleaner Tool – All-in-One Paint Brush Washer, Rinse Cup, Holder, and Palette for Artists Beginners | Ideal Art Supplies for Watercolor & Acrylic Painting

Why I reached for an all-in-one brush washer

After years of juggling a water cup, a separate brush stand, and a stained plastic palette, I wanted to see if a single tool could tame the sprawl on my painting table. The BoAn brush washer promised exactly that: a compact unit that cleans brushes, holds them while I work, and offers a small mixing area. I tested it across a week of watercolor sketching and a couple of acrylic sessions to see if it could replace my piecemeal setup.

Setup and first impressions

The washer is sturdier than I expected. The plastics feel dense rather than brittle, and the key seam—where the water reservoir meets the lid—seals with a silicone ring that seats securely. I didn’t notice any weeping around the rim, even when I did a few intentional slosh tests at my desk. Nothing about the assembly is fussy: fill the bottle, lock it into the base, and you’re ready.

It’s not tiny. Compared with a standard rinsing jar, the footprint is larger, and you’ll need a little room around it to park your dominant hand comfortably. I found a permanent spot for it on my desk rather than slipping it into a drawer each time. If you’re used to painting with the bare minimum on a compact surface, the size will be a trade-off.

Cleaning performance and the one-touch rinse

The heart of this unit is the rinse basin and its one-touch mechanism that refreshes the water. Instead of swishing a brush in increasingly gray soup, you press to cycle clean water into the basin. The motion is simple and doesn’t require force, which keeps your rhythm intact while you paint.

Inside the basin are several textured zones—ridges and nubs—that actually make a difference. For watercolors, a gentle roll across the ridges lifted pigment quickly without flaring my brush tips. With acrylics, the combination of texture plus a fresh-water pulse kept the water clearer longer, which is exactly what prevents soft synthetic brushes from gumminess. I still used a separate brush soap at the end of acrylic sessions, but mid-session cleaning felt faster and more thorough than with a plain cup.

One small note: the basin is sized with smaller, beginner-friendly brushes in mind. Rounds up to medium sizes cleaned easily. Larger flats fit, but you’ll be angling them to use the textured surface effectively. If you routinely work with big mop brushes or 1-inch flats, expect to rinse in sections.

Brush holder and organization

The integrated brush holder is surprisingly handy. It holds a handful of brushes at varying heights, bristles up, without crowding. The slots are spaced well enough that water doesn’t drip onto adjacent handles, and it’s quick to park a brush while reaching for a tube or your phone. I appreciated not having to balance brushes across the rim of a cup or lay them on paper towels where they inevitably pick up pigment.

If you’re working with delicate natural-hair rounds, the holder’s upright orientation is especially nice: ferrules stay dry, and there’s no temptation to leave bristles soaking in water.

The built-in palette: useful, with limits

The integrated palette is best thought of as a sidekick. It’s compact—great for testing mixes, quick value studies, or setting up three to five core colors for a session. The wells are shallow, which makes it easy to load a brush quickly, but I ran out of space when trying to build complex gradients or mix large, juicy watercolor washes.

For acrylics, I’d still pair this with a separate stay-wet palette for anything beyond a small study. For watercolor sketching and art journaling, the built-in wells are enough for a tidy, portable workflow.

In use: watercolors vs. acrylics

• Watercolor: This washer shines with watercolor. Clean water on demand keeps granulating pigments from muddying the mix, and the textured basin cleans without stressing delicate tips. I found I could paint longer before needing to fully change water, and my cool and warm mixes stayed cleaner because I didn’t contaminate them with a murky rinse.

• Acrylic: The one-touch refresh is a big upgrade from a single cup, especially if you work fast or layer frequently. Just know that acrylic demands more frequent maintenance overall. The washer kept up well during a two-hour session, and my synthetics stayed springy between colors. At cleanup, I still did a soap-and-rinse in the sink to clear polymer residue, which is best practice regardless of the washer you use.

This is not intended for oils, and it’s not a substitute for solvent management or oil-brush care.

Ergonomics and workflow

Once I found a spot for it, the washer streamlined my sessions. Press, rinse, paint—no walking to the sink mid-wash, no juggling a second cup when the first goes cloudy. The tactile feedback from the textured basin meant I didn’t have to overwork the brush. I appreciated how it turned cleanup into a sequence rather than a scramble at the end of a session.

The only ergonomic knock is the size. It commands a chunk of desk real estate, and it’s not something I’d toss into a plein air kit. For home studios or a classroom table, it’s a sensible footprint; for cramped setups, measure first.

Build quality and maintenance

After multiple fills and rinses, the silicone seal remained dependable. I found it important to reseat the ring carefully after washing the unit—if you rush it, you can trap a bit of lint that compromises the seal until you wipe it clean. The plastics clean up easily with warm water. Pigment stains didn’t set, even from strong quinacridones and phthalo colors, as long as I rinsed the basin soon after painting.

There are no awkward crevices; a soft brush or sponge gets into the textured areas without fuss. If you work with acrylics, give the basin a quick wipe while it’s still damp at the end of your session to prevent film build-up.

Who it’s for (and who might skip it)

• Great for: beginners, students, and hobbyists who want a tidy, guided setup; watercolorists who value clean rinses; acrylic painters who need frequent water refreshes; teachers outfitting classroom stations.

• Consider alternatives: artists who use large brushes as their daily drivers; painters with extremely limited desk space; anyone who needs a large, professional mixing palette integrated into the same unit; plein air painters who prioritize ultralight kits.

Pros and cons

Pros
- One-touch water refresh keeps rinse water clear and speeds cleanup
- Textured basin removes pigment efficiently without damaging tips
- Integrated brush holder keeps tools organized and off the work surface
- Silicone-ring seal minimizes leaks and keeps the area tidy
- Compact palette is convenient for small sessions and swatches
- Overall build feels sturdier than typical “gadget” accessories

Cons
- Footprint is larger than a standard rinse cup; storage matters
- Palette capacity is limited for complex mixes or big washes
- Best with small to medium brushes; large flats feel cramped
- Not ideal for travel or ultracompact setups

Final thoughts and recommendation

The BoAn brush washer made my painting sessions smoother and my workspace cleaner. Its combination of a refreshing rinse, genuinely useful cleaning textures, and a practical brush holder consolidated three tools into one without feeling gimmicky. While the integrated palette won’t replace a full mixing surface, it’s the right size for quick studies, journaling, and sketchbook work.

I recommend this tool for watercolor and acrylic painters who value a cleaner workflow and better organization, especially beginners and hobbyists looking to simplify their setup. If your practice leans on large brushes or you need a spacious palette built in, you’ll want to pair it with additional gear—or look for a larger system. For most home studios and classrooms, though, this is an easy upgrade from the classic cloudy cup, and it earns a permanent spot on the desk.