Trash Can Willy's Junk Removal Service
Veteran-owned businessBBB A+ accredited
4.9 Rating98% Recommend4.8 Rating

Disposing of
Old Paint

Why us?

  • Veteran-owned & operated for 17+ years
  • Free guesstimate by phone, text or photo
  • Upfront pricing, often 30% below the franchises
  • You Point, We Haul

    Loading, lifting and sweep-up included

  • Two-Hour Windows

    Courtesy call 20 minutes before we arrive

  • You Approve First

    The exact price is confirmed before we start

  • Up to 85% Recycled

    Donated or recycled, not landfilled

Paint Is On Our No List

We cannot take paint, so here is what to do with it

Paint does not go on our truck. Neither does stain, thinner, solvent or anything else flammable, and that holds whether the can is full or dried out. It is a short list and paint sits on it.

The good news is that you can deal with latex paint yourself with a bag of cat litter and a day. Once it is solid it stops being a liquid hazard, and it goes out with your household trash. Here is the way we have been telling customers to do it for years.

How to dry out old latex paint

  1. Find a well ventilated area that stays dry. A garage with the door cracked open is ideal.

  2. Buy a bag of good cat litter, and find a thick short stick or an old spatula.

  3. Pop the lid off the can of old paint, and keep the lid.

  4. Pour in cat litter until the mix is roughly 40% paint and 60% litter. If it will not fit in one can, split it across two.

  5. Stir for about 15 seconds with the stick or the spatula, and work the air bubbles out.

  6. Leave the lid off so the paint is open to the air. An oscillating fan moving air across the surface speeds it up a lot.

  7. Leave it 8 to 12 hours. Then stir it again, add enough litter to stir it one more time, and leave it another few hours with the lid still off.

  8. Repeat until all of the latex paint is dry. Thick or full cans take more than one round.

  9. Once it is dry, hammer the lid back on, run a strip of duct tape over the top to hold it, and put it out with your regular trash.

That is it. No hassle, nothing liquid going into the ground, and no waiting on a collection day.

Oil paint, stain and solvents

This method is for latex paint only. Oil-based paint, stain, thinners and solvents are household hazardous waste, and most towns we serve run a collection day for them. Call your town office or your transfer station and ask when the next one is. We cannot take any of it, and neither can your trash barrel.

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Veteran Owned

17+ years, trained personnel.

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Rather just talk? Call or text 603-490-2177.