I've also used the same paint brushes over and over for years.
They can be wrapped in plastic and left overnight.
To start cleaning I wipe on newspaper, then squeeze between newspaper.

Water based brushes are just cleaned in the sink under running water. I
press them on the bottom of the sink to squeeze out the paint and hold
them upside down under the tap to get the water right up into the base
while massaging the bristles.

Paint thinner is dribbled onto the bristles of oil based brushes held
upside down a few drops at a time, to load the brush, then the bristles
are massaged. The brush is wiped on newspaper.

All brushes are cleaned and wiped dry with a rag. The rag is worked in and
around the bristles to clean and dry the interior of the bistles as well
as the outer surface. It's important to get right down to the base of the
brush, but not hard enough to spread the bristles permanantly. If the
brush is stiff I use a fork to separate the bristles.

The brushes are all stored togehter in a plastic bag.

I read that natural hair brushes should not be used with water based paint
because the water swells the hairs. I don't make a distincion for small
fast jobs, but for big jobs where the brush will be wet for a long time
I tend to stick with nylon bristles for water based paint.

Naturally I buy only the cheapest brushes but they last when taken
care of.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network
homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm
warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned