Nothing feels better than a fresh coat of paint on the walls of your kitchen, bathroom, living room, or bedroom walls. A new paint job always manages to freshen up the indoor environment, and if you’re repainting the house with your family, this allows you to spend quality time with them while doing something productive. But what happens if you end up with leftover paint after the job is done?
Disposing of old, used and unwanted paint can be a real drag. As we all may know, simply throwing out used cans of paint into a regular dumpster is far from okay. Any discarded paint should be disposed of safely and ecologically, to protect both ourselves and the environment.
Alternatively, you can store leftover paint around the household, although this is only a temporary solution, and you’re pretty soon going to run out of storage space if you keep stockpiling cans. More so, leftover paint is hazardous, and in order to avoid serious incidents such as leaks or accidental spillages, you’ll need to dispose of it ASAP.
According to several studies, each household in America has between one and three gallons of unwanted paint laying around the house. In this article, we’re going to explore several safe ways on how to dispose of leftover paint. Let’s jump straight into it:
1. Take it back to the shop
This sounds easier than it is. If you only have one or two cans, you can easily and safely take them back to the shop, but make sure to check the shop’s return policy first. A problem arises, however, if you have more cans to dispose of. You’ll need to transport the leftover paint using a car, and be extra careful to avoid spillage. Plus, if you don’t own a pick-up truck, it’s safe to say that you won’t feel comfortable placing the opened cans in your sedan.
2. Donate it
This might be the most wholesome solution. There are obviously people in need of paint, and you can do them a favor by donating your unwanted paint. There are countless institutions with very little funding that accept almost any donation, including paint. If you want to donate the opened paint cans but don’t know where to start, you can do a little research on the internet and see places near you that are in need of paint. Alternatively, you can also ask a couple of your friends.
3. Dispose of the paint
Unfortunately, you cannot just empty the paint cans into the sink, or anywhere else for that matter. A somewhat sketchy solution might be emptying remaining paint onto large cardboards or paper, letting it dry, and disposing of the paper properly. This isn’t the safest solution, however, if you have small children or pets that might sniff around or play with the paint. There are other alternatives as well, but the best solution is contacting a professional paint disposal company to avoid this hassle altogether.
4. Recycle the cans
Assuming you only have empty paint cans, you can start looking for establishments where these cans can be recycled. Recycling centers only accept empty paint cans, and assuming you find one near you, you’ll still have to transport the cans by yourself. If you want to dispose of the cans responsibly, choosing a recycling center is the way to go.
5. Hire a professional
By far the easiest way to dispose of unwanted paint is hiring a professional. Reaching out to a paint disposal company spares you of the hassle of coming up with ways of disposing of your paint. Usually, paint disposal services include all the steps we mentioned above, and the company usually knows the best ways of disposing of your leftover paint in an efficient and eco-friendly way.
We hope these tips were helpful, and if you’re looking for a premier paint disposal company in the Dallas metropolitan area, Dallas Paint Disposal is at your service. We offer top quality paint removal services so you don’t have to worry about figuring out different methods on how to dispose of unwanted paint.