THE PACKAGED BRUSH TRAP 
We've said this on another page, but it bears repeating. If you buy packaged or carded brushes you're paying as much as15%-20 extra for the packaging. With the rarest of exceptions we buy packaged brushes only when they are available no other way.
TO RECLAIM A MISSHAPEN BRUSH
Heat water almost to the boiling point. Dip the brush quickly in the water for a second or so. Usually it will regain its original shape. Normally this advice is given with a warning to use it only on synthetic-fiber brushes. (Supposedly the treatment will remove natural oils from the brush.) Our view is that (1) after hard use, few of these oils remain, and (2) if the brush has become unusable, what do you have to lose?)
TO SOFTEN A BRUSH THAT HAS BECOME STIFF
Try soaking it in fabric softener. We've never tried it ourselves, but have read that it works. (But if it's stiff from dried acrylic, read the next tip.)
WHEN ACRYLIC DRIES ON YOUR BRUSH
First, give your knuckles a well-deserved rap with a ruler. Then pick up a bottle of Winsor & Newton's Brush Cleaner & Restorer. It will work wonders. Before its introduction, soaking in denatured alcohol sometimes worked, but often it would not.
FORBIDDEN, FORBIDDEN, FORBIDDEN
Never use a good brush to apply liquid frisket. NEVER!
MATCH, DON'T MIX
If you paint in both acrylics and oils, keep separate brushes for each. No matter how well you clean your brushes, a bit of residue remains, and the two residues are not compatible.
ONE TEACHER'S BRUSH-CARE TIP
The late Jack Jackson, our Classic Oil instructor recommended using Better Way Brush Cleaner first, then applying One-Step for Oils before storing the brush. Both are Loew-Cornell products, and we carry both.
A LOW-COST METHOD FOR CLEANING BRUSHES
For oils, after removing most paint with your choice of solvent, wash the brush using Master's Brush Soap and water until no more color shows. Then lather the brush up again, shape it to its original form, and put it away until your next painting session, leaving the soap in until then.