First, get yourself three (3) empty jars. Wide mouth, and deep enough not to splash. Fill them with lacquer thinner (or your favorite paint thinner). Label them 1, 2, and 3.
To clean you brush, first clean it in jar #1. This removes most of the paint. Twist the brush while holding the bristles at an angle against the side of the jar to get as much paint out as
possible.
Next, go to jar #2. The same cleaning action will remove more paint than jar #1.
Next (you guessed it!) jar #3. By now, there should be very little - if any - paint residue coming out of the brush. After this, I usually give the brush a hard flick with my wrist - this gets the
last of thinner out of it, and brings the bristles to a point. DON'T HANDLE THE BRISTELS IF YOU CAN HELP IT - the oil on your hands will play havoc with paints later.
Make sure the brushes you use have covers - good air supply stores carry brushes, and may have covers. They're little plastic tubes you put over the tip to protect the bristles.
Store your brushes bristels up in another jar. Every now and then, cycle your jars - dispose of or recycle jar #1 and refill it with clean thinner. Move all the jars down one position (jar #2 becomes
#1, and #3 becomes #2) and make the new clean jar #3. I put the old #1 thinner into a big jar of "I need thinner and I don't car how dirty it is" jar, and run it through a coffee filter every now and
then to get rid of the particulates. Better than dumping it or trying to find a recycling place.
Also, keep your brushes separated by the types of paint you use - one set for enamels/lacquers, and one set for acrylics. That way, you don't contaminate them.
Now, if you're using acrylics, skip all that - one jar of water, cleaned every so often. Clean the brush in the jar, then remove it and squirt some ammonia glass cleaner on the bristels. Let it soak
for a few seconds, then clean it in the water again. Should be good as new.
Jon Fincher