Next time you paint, don't throw solvents away. Using them only once is a waste. After cleaning paint brushes and tools with paint thinner and mineral spirits, most people get rid of the solvent after just one use. That's unnecessary, wasteful and hazardous. Recycling the solvents is what you should be doing. It saves money, time -- and our planet, too. Pour the solvent into a jar, and after soaking brushes clean, let it sit for a day or two. The paint will settle into a sludge at the bottom, and the remaining thinner on the top will be clear. Carefully pour it off into a second jar, seal, and save for use at another time. Save the sludge jar also, adding to it until it's full. Then take it to hazardous-waste disposal site. Never pour paint or solvents down the drain. And that's the On The House tip for today.