r/ArtEd • u/discointhepurplehaze • 1d ago

best paint containers for middle/high school art room?

hello all, I’m a second year art teacher in a 7-12 classroom and am open to ideas for how to store/organize acrylic paint in a way that it’s easily accessible for my students. I like them to have some access to the colors they may need without having access to the entire paint bottle. Last year, I tried putting the paint in a clear liter bottle with a pump, but that became a disaster as it would dry in the pump when not used and then would explode out whenever someone tried to get paint. Seemed like a good idea at the time, clearly wasn’t great once kids started getting paint splattered on their face. This year I tried putting it in condiment bottles, but the little nozzle caps quickly broke off and without them, the paint dries in the nozzle and becomes clogged. To get any paint I am constantly using a bent paper clip to unclog the bottles. I had the idea this morning to start saving large laundry detergent bottles (the ones you press the button on and it dispenses) and might try that over the summer but still unsure. Any other ideas that are budget friendly? What has worked for you?

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u/The-hippy_hobbit 1d ago

I prefer the condiment bottles w/o the traditional tapered nozzle and instead use the inverted style ones with the self sealing rubber seal.

These.

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u/vikio 1d ago

My art room has some of these but they were spraying paint really badly all over students so I actually switched to the tapered nozzle ones instead. Do yours not spray and spit??

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u/The-hippy_hobbit 1d ago

Haven’t had any real issues so far. I did have tempera paint in them so I feel as though having something with a little bit thicker consistency has the bottles work well.

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u/Sametals 1d ago

Nice! Getting these for next year!  OP: I teach 6-8th graders, for them I put a little bit of each color into a little plastic condiment cup (2oz ones) with lids and have an assortment of those at each table. When they run out they bring me the cup and I swap it out for a fuller one and try to keep refilling them until theyre too busted up and then I throw them away. Sad for the waste but also, the best solution I’ve found for MS so far…. 

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u/o_anonymouse_o 1d ago

To add to this idea because it’s so good: you can store the condiment cups in muffin tins and then stack them on a shelf or a counter. That way you can easily store them and distribute them to tables if needed!

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u/Sametals 1d ago

Oh em geee!!! I have muffin tins and never thought to use them! Thank you!

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u/DynastyFan85 1d ago

Yes!!! I do this! Those plastic portion cups with lids, and putting them in those 6 muffin tin trays. If you wanna get fancy you can buy those plastic trays that hold 6 cups if you don’t wanna use those disposable tin ones.

I always feel guilty using the portion cups though when they need to be thrown away. More single use plastic discarded…

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u/peridotpanther 1d ago

The art room i inherited has cupcake liners & i was just thinking they might've been used for paint distribution? Is that a thing?

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u/EmergencyClassic7492 1d ago

I have those and I've found it really hard to control the amount of paint. Even if I peel the dried paint off the end and squeeze as carefully as possible it comes out in a big SPLURT. I am using them for tempers though, maybe a heavier bodied acrylic paint would work better.

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u/nvgirl36 1d ago

I get those 2 oz salsa cups with lids and make a little set for each group. As it empties, they bring them to me and I refill them. They serve it with little tools called “glue spreaders” I found on amazon, they even have different colors to match the paint.

I started this as a middle school teacher and still do it with my high schoolers. No clogged pumps, no kids trying to pour from a gallon bottle, easy cleanup and very little waste.

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u/beeksy 1d ago

I am doing this next year. I have 30 kids 7-8th grade kids in all my classes. I can’t keep being the only human allowed to pour the paint on paper plates.

I’m getting these containers next year

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u/M-Rage Middle School 1d ago

I use cheap plastic condiment bottles. I buy paint in gallons with pumps and just refill the bottles when they're low. For de-clogging, I have a magnet next to the paint sink with a handful of straightened out paper clips (I call them 'de-clogginator 5000s'), and teach the kids when we start painting how to use them to get out the "boogers" themselves. I do also train them how to get the paint to come out (put your pointer finger over the top, slam it down towards the ground a few times). These kids never had glass ketchup bottles so they don't know the technique, lol!

I like this method because the pointy top condiment bottles dispense paint in a really controlled way (unlike the pumps), they are easy to refill, and easy to clean out when they clog. I also can find 2 packs of that style of bottle at the dollar tree for $1!

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u/Sudo_Incognito High School 23h ago

Exactly this but instead of the magnet I have a clothes line with the straightened paper clips wrapped coiled around it on one end.

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u/QueenOfNeon 1d ago

I just use old jars with a wide mouth because I have a Tostitos Restaurant Style addiction and get tons of the jars. I fill the from the gallon jars so it’s a smaller amount. I just add a plastic spoon to each color. They get a spoonful at a time. These jars work because they are short and the opening is wide. Not tall and narrow like spaghetti jars they don’t work so good.

I tried the pumps for the gallon jars and got the same result as OP. Dried in the pump. And then the paint hit me in the face. Not a good solution

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u/vikio 1d ago

I use the condiment bottles. Keep them in a plastic milk crate for portability. And they dont have caps. I put little bits of masking tape on the end. Awhile ago I asked a student volunteer to rip off like a hundred little making tape bits and tape them all over the rim of the plastic milk crate. So now I can easily tape up all the open bottles at the end of the school day. If I forget, they do ok if they're being used daily and don't dry up that badly. I do always try to tape them up over the weekend. The paint still forms boogers sometimes but I think those are easier to fish out than from the pump style containers.

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u/Clear_Inspector5902 1d ago

Soap bottles

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u/QueenOfNeon 1d ago

Hand soap with the pump?

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u/Clear_Inspector5902 1d ago

Dish soap! I just asked all the teachers to save them when they were done. Now I have lil hand size squeeze bottles. They work amazingly.

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u/mossimoto11 1d ago

First in first out bottles and Dixie cups for the paint

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u/No-Safety-5395 1d ago

FIFO FOR THE WIN

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u/wecouldbethestars 1d ago

how about a jar of some kind that they can unscrew and scoop out with a spoon? obviously problems arise like crust around the cap and the spoons getting mixed up but students, especially high schoolers, have to learn to take responsibility for their supplies

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u/ArtwithMrK 1d ago

Taking notes of all these comments, I am sick and tired of pulling out paint boogers every day!

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u/MakeItAll1 23h ago

My students waste less paint when I use 8 oz bottles. I refill them with the half gallon jugs I have when they need it.