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Recently I took on a challenging DIY project, which was painting my house. I had no previous experience with paint, so I was totally unprepared for all the chemicals I was going to be handling and how to use them or store them properly.

When I finished up my painting on day one, I realized I needed to clean my brushes and sponges, and that was going to entail opening a can of paint thinner. I was going to pour it into a plastic storage bin, but then I realized I had no idea whether paint thinner is safe to use on plastic containers for storage.

Does paint thinner ruin plastic? It seems that the answer depends entirely on the plastic. Paint thinner can certainly be stored safely in some types of plastic, as indicated by this OSHA response to a public query.

As I continued my research, I found this thread which indicates that it also depends on the paint thinner. As user AlbertSc explains, “Petroleum distillates and petro-distillate-based paint thinners are ordinarily sold over the counter in plastic jugs and in smaller bottles made of HDPE — High Density Polyethylene … There are, of course, issues with lacquer thinners and other acetone types of paint thinners, which will easily dissolve many types of plastics, but the “ordinary” petroleum distillate type of paint thinner for use with oil paint of all sorts will not harm HDPE.”

So if you are thinking about using or storing paint thinner in plastic, you need to do two things:

• Take a look at the paint thinner ingredients. Figure out what type of chemicals you are actually working with.
• Turn over your plastic bin or bottle and look for an indication that it is HDPE.

Now, all of that being said, further research on the question, “Will paint thinner melt plastic?” yielded some mixed information. Some users on other forums seem doubtful as to whether paint thinner should ever be used on a poly-based plastic. Then again, perhaps this reflects on the type of thinner which was used, rather than the type of plastic.

In the end, I decided to play it safe. I found a glass jar and poured the diluted paint thinner into that and soaked my brushes and sponges that way. I didn’t want to take any chances that my plastic containers would melt and be ruined. I had already spent enough money purchasing supplies for my project, many of which had to be replaced before I completed the work.

In the future as I continue with my DIY projects, maybe I will be brave enough to run a few experiments and see for myself whether paint thinner can be used with various types of plastics. At that point, I can perhaps give some more concrete advice from personal experience. Until then, I would recommend that unless you have a solid understanding of the chemistry involved, you also stick with glass for your paint thinner needs.