System, device, and method for removing paint from mixing paddles

A system for mixing paint by a user, said system comprising, in combination:

• a hand-held mixing paddle having a handle portion, a mixing portion, and opposed flat sides continuously extending along an entire length of the hand-held mixing paddle and forming a constant thickness along the entire length of the hand-held mixing paddle;
• a hand-held wiping device formed of folded paper and having a contact portion and an accumulation portion downwardly extending from a lower end of the contact portion, wherein a lower end of the accumulation portion forms a lower end of the hand-held wiping device;
• wherein a passage continuously extends entirely through both the contact portion and the accumulation portion so that the passage extends entirely through the hand-held wiping device;
• wherein a gap is located between both the contact portion and the accumulation portion of the hand-held wiping device and the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle along the entire length of the passage when the hand-held mixing paddle extends entirely through the hand-held wiping device and the gap is at least partially closed within the contact portion of the hand-held wiping device when the contact portion of the hand-held wiping device is squeezed together by the user against both of the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle to contact the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle so that the paint is wiped off of the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle when the contact portion is squeezed and moved along the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle;
• wherein the passage expands from an upper end of the accumulation portion to a lower end of the accumulation portion so that the gap in a lower portion of the passage located within the accumulation portion of the hand-held wiping device is larger than the gap in an upper portion of the passage located within the contact portion of the hand-held wiping device to form a cavity in fluid flow communication with the upper portion of the passage in the contact portion of the hand-held wiping device;
• and
• wherein the cavity within the accumulation portion is adapted to substantially accumulate and hold the paint wiped from the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle by the contact portion of the hand-held wiping device as the contact portion of the hand-held wiping device is squeezed and moved along the opposed flat sides of the hand-held mixing paddle and after the hand-held mixing paddle has moved past the upper end of the accumulation portion.