So I am painting the inside of the house this week and realized how wasteful this is, especially with water. I have the water barrels around the house, but that water is already for irrigating. I am try to use some of the water from cleanup on the plants, but that worries me because of the paint residue.

How might one resolve the issue of all the wasted water used during clean-up when painting?

One technique I have seen used in the past is to only clean brushes and roller covers after you are completely finished with a color. This may mean that you need to have extra covers and brushes and you get into a question there of waste, but if water is your primary concern, this could help.

I have found that if you can't get all of your painting done in one day, you can wrap your brush and roller cover in non-recyclable plastic bags and put them in the refrigerator over night. That way you don't need to clean up quite so often.

Do you have to let the brushes warm up each morning in order to have the best possible application? I like the idea of not having to wash brushes everytime I finish for the day. I like the idea of only using as little water as possible.