How to dispose of turpentine

Natural doesn't mean harmless

Turpentine is distilled from pine resin. Klean-Strip's Pure Gum Spirits Turpentine is more than 70 percent alpha-pinene, a pine compound, according to its safety data sheet. It smells like a pine forest, and that makes it easy to treat like something mild.

The safety data sheets say otherwise. Turpentine catches fire at a lower temperature than the mineral spirits sheets we checked: 95°F on the Klean-Strip sheet and 91°F on the Sunnyside sheet. It is harmful if swallowed, harmful on the skin, and may cause an allergic skin reaction. Sunnyside's sheet says the product as sold is hazardous waste under federal rules, because it is ignitable.

Reuse it first

Both the New York State DEC and Pennsylvania DEP name turpentine as a solvent you can reuse. Let the paint solids settle in a tightly closed container, pour off the clean liquid and store it for your next project. New York adds that coffee filters can pull out paint sludge.

Oil painters who clean brushes in turpentine every day can run a simple two-jar system. One jar is for dirty turpentine and one for clean. Keep both closed between sessions so the fumes stay in the jar, not the studio.

How to get rid of leftover turpentine

1. Keep it in its original container or a labeled metal can. Never use a food or drink container.
2. Close it tightly. The safety data sheet says to store it tightly closed in a well-ventilated place.
3. Look up your county's household hazardous waste site or next collection event.
4. Bring the sludge too, in its own closed can, unless your state tells you to dry it for the trash.
5. Don't drop it at a paint store. PaintCare's program doesn't take solvents.

Turpentine rags can start fires

Sunnyside's safety data sheet warns that materials soaked in gum turpentine may catch fire on their own. It says to collect them in closed metal containers filled with water. Rags from oil painting often hold paint and linseed oil too, so handle them the same way.

Don't pile used rags in a corner or a trash bag. Fill a metal can with water, push the rags under, close the lid and take the can to your hazardous waste site. Our oily rags guide covers this in more detail.

Where the rules differ

• California bans solvents, paint thinners and similar products from the trash, down storm drains and on the ground.
• Rhode Island law bans household hazardous waste from the regular trash.
• New York lets residents dry settled sludge outdoors and trash it. It also allows drying under one cup of leftover solvent with clay cat litter.
• Pennsylvania says to dry the residue with cat litter, sawdust or shredded newspaper before it goes in the trash.
• If your state or county doesn't say, treat it as hazardous waste and ask.

Old or unusual turpentine

• Very old cans: if the can is rusted or bulging, don't open it. Set it in a bigger leak-proof container and label it.
• No label: write "possibly turpentine" and tell the staff at the drop-off. Don't mix it with other solvents.
• Turpentine substitutes: products sold as turpentine substitutes have different ingredients. Read their own label and safety data sheet.
• Art schools and studios: if you're a business or school, household drop-offs may not take your waste. Ask your county about its small business program.