How to not set your house on fire

It's Tippy Tuesday! A collection of tips I've gained through experience or learned from other artists.

Painting materials can be very dangerous!

By Sylvain Pedneault (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

I started to write this week about the groovy new metal trash can I got for my studio. I wanted a non-flammable disposal container for rags and paper towels. I don't use a lot of solvents and such, but I know that spontaneous combustion is a real thing, and the most common household cause is oil-soaked rags.

While looking for some interesting links and fact sheets to include here, I realized that this is a very serious issue, and I'm not qualified to make recommendations or give suggestions. Anyone using paints, solvents, adhesives, and numerous other art or craft materials should read the product information carefully, and also look for other reliable sources of information.

Most of the information I was able to find from official sources was related to state-specific storage and disposal regulations. It's pretty dull reading, but at least a place to start. I don't like to link to something that's just opinion or hearsay, so I'll suggest you do some research yourself and find what's relevant to your particular materials use.

However, I did find this great publication from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission called "Art and Craft Safety Guide." It's available as a PDF, here.

Happy safe painting, everyone!