DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

I have just completed a small paint job, repainting a slightly tatty mirror frame. After cleaning the brush I am now left with half a jam jar of used white spirit. What does one do with this! It cannot be poured down the sink or buried in the garden -- so what can I do with it??

Do what everyone else does with it, sink job with the water running or use it as a starter for burning wood etc.

white spirit is an organic compound so it does break down into harmless substances in a relatively short space of time.

a friend of mine works for the environment agency and they have a neat solution - a bucket of sand. i keep a small bucket in the van, any used chemicals of this type just gets poured in the bucket. the white spirit will eventually evaporate and/or break down, leaving the paint behind. every now and again agitate the sand and there you go - renders pretty harmless and one bucket lasts me about 2 years!

then when it needs recharging i dispense of the old sand at the local waste management centre in the hardcore bin where it will go into the foundations of some future development.

I pour the old white spirit back in the container. The paint goes hard at the bottom leaving the white spirit clear at the top. I repeat the process with any other following small paint jobs untill the white spirit has mostly gone and I'm left with a solid container of paint which goes in the bin.