So, you've resined your artwork, and you have a bit of leftover resin in your mixing containers & cups.
What do you do with leftover resin and how do you clean the cups?
ArtResin has 2 ways we like to clean our mixing containers, along with some helpful tips on what to do (and what not to do!) to make resin clean up quick and easy.
💡 TIP: Use plastic containers to mix your epoxy resin. Epoxy resin doesn't stick to plastic, which makes these mixing containers easy to clean and re-usable.
Here are ArtResin's 2 favorite ways to clean epoxy resin mixing containers:
1) Wipe Resin While It's Wet
Wiping leftover product from your mixing cup with paper towel must be done while the resin is still wet.
Remove excess resin from your mixing cups
Wearing gloves, wipe out excess resin from the sides and bottom of the mixing container with paper towel. The soiled paper towel can be thrown in the trash.
Repeat the process
Repeat as necessary to wipe out as much resin as you can.
Wipe With Isopropyl Alcohol Or Acetone
Now, pour a little isopropyl alcohol or acetone on a paper towel to wipe away any remaining resin from your mixing container. Alcohol and acetone are both solvents that will break down resin residue so you can simply wipe it off.
💡 TIP: For quick and easy clean-up, it's important to wipe out the container with rubbing alcohol or acetone while the resin is still wet. Once the resin has cured and dried, the only way to break it down is to let it soak in acetone or rubbing alcohol or use a heat gun to soften it.
💡 TIP: You can also apply rubbing alcohol using a spray bottle - easy!
Wipe the mixing containers until clean
Now, with gloves on, wipe the mixing container clean.
Spray again, as necessary, until you feel all the resin has been removed.
💡 TIP: Always wear gloves when using alcohol or acetone to clean up resin. Alcohol and acetone are solvents and though they're great at breaking down epoxy resin, they will also enable your skin to absorb the resin (and you don't want that.)
Wash the mixing containers in hot, soapy water
Once all traces of resin have been removed, go ahead and wash the mixing container in hot, soapy water. Let it dry and it's good to go for next time.
2) Dry & Peel
This is the easiest method, and our favourite here at the ArtResin studio as it creates far less waste.
Tip The Mixing Cup Upside Down
Once you've finished pouring the resin on your artwork, simply tip your mixing container upside down on a work surface protected with parchment paper, wax paper, a silicon mat or a vinyl shower curtain.
💡 TIP: Resin won't stick to anything designed to repel water, which is why we line our work surfaces with an inexpensive vinyl shower curtain. Simply let the tools dry directly on the vinyl and the next day, the resin will peel right off.
Once you tip the mixing container over, the excess resin will pool onto the work surface, like this:👇
Cure for 24 hours and peel off the dried resin
Allow the resin to dry overnight.
The next day, peel the cup from the work surface, and then pull the dried resin right out of the plastic mixing container.
Dispose of the cured resin pieces in the trash
Toss the peeled resin pieces into the trash.
If you have any bits stuck to the cup, you can use tweezers or tape to pull them off.
The best plastic mixing cup for releasing cured resin is one made of polypropylene - that's the flexible, frosted type of plastic with the number 5 recycling icon.
Easy!! 👍 
⚠️ IMPORTANT: NEVER pour leftover resin down the drain or wash out a mixing container in the sink if it still has resin in it. Keep it far away from the sink and drain until you've removed all traces of resin. If it were to get in the sink or down the drain, it will cure, clogging the drain and pipes, making a mess of your sink and could be very costly to repair.
💡TIP: You also want to avoid letting the resin cure in the container - once it's dried, it's in there for good and the container will have to go in the garbage.
Here's a quick video on cleaning out your resin mixing containers ...
Questions?
Tips?
Let us know in the comments below!!
Do you want to learn more about how to clean up epoxy resin? Check out our guides below:
- How To Clean Epoxy Resin Artwork
- How To Clean Cured Resin
- How To Clean Resin From Your Hands
- How To Clean Up Epoxy Resin
ArtResin: Made For Artists, By Artists.
