How To Clean A Cricut Mat With Awesome
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We all know how frustrating it tin be when yous beginning a project, and your cloth won't stick to the surface of your cutting mat.
The questions I go the most are about cleaning and resticking cutting mats, especially afterwards they've been used to cut felt.
I'll explain how you tin get rid of all the built-up gunk.
We'll get over resticking your cutting mat when information technology's no longer working and terminate with some tips and answers to your frequently asked questions.
Let'due south become viscous…I mean… started!
How To Make clean Your Mat (Method 1: Gentle Cycle)
When you lot find that your Cricut mat is no longer sticky enough to properly concord your materials, try these methods to clean your mat and breathe some life back into it.
As your mat accumulates grime and droppings with your loving employ, move down the list to more strong cleaning methods.
Exist gentle with your mats, and they may fifty-fifty last yous through multiple rounds of vacation parties.
Sticky lint roller
- Run a mucilaginous lint roller (or loop of masking tape ) beyond your Cricut mat to remove dust, fibers, bits of paper, and hairs.
- This can exist done every day , between projects, when you forget to embrace your Cricut mats overnight, or simply whenever you notice bits and fibers accumulating on your mat.
- Information technology'south a great way to remove any remaining slivers or bits of paper, instead of trying to become after them all with tweezers. When the lint roller or masking tape is stickier than the mat, it pulls all the offending hairs and bits of paper right off the mat! It works peculiarly well on the less-tacky cutting mats.
- Safe for the pinkish Cricut Fabric Grip mats!
Baby wipes
- Gently wipe downwardly with unscented, booze-gratuitous, bleach-complimentary babe wipes . Lotion-complimentary, cornstarch-free. You desire the absolute plainest wipes you can find, so yous aren't blanket your cutting mats with additional lotions, oils or solvents that could interfere with the stickiness or interruption down the adhesive.
- Let dry before using.
Lather and warm water
- Wash with soap and warm water .
- Dish soap is the best to utilise, and again you want to utilise soap that is free of lotions that could gunk up your mat.
- Gently scrub with a cloth, soft brush, soft sponge, or magic eraser, and rinse well.
- Let dry completely before using.
Alarm: Do non use very hot water, every bit heat has been known to warp Cricut mats, making it so they won't fit well in your machine.
The Results
Often enough, just washing your mat will be plenty to rejuvenate its original sticky celebrity! Afterward your cut mat has completely dried, test out its stickiness with a scrap of the material you'll exist using for your next projection, or a clean finger.
If your mat has weathered enough seasons of projects, or been done and scrubbed one also many times, you lot'll demand to turn to something a bit stronger…
How To Clean Your Mat (Method 2: Heavy Duty)
If those gentle cleaning methods don't restore your cutting mat'southward functionality, yous can try breaking out the big guns and use adhesive remover to thoroughly clean your mat.
The cleaning methods found on this page are not for the pink Cricut Fabric Grip mat. They are for the blueish, light-green, and purple Cricut mats. Don't put anything wet (including h2o) on your pink textile mats.
What is agglutinative remover?
Adhesive removers are potent solvents that will deliquesce some of the agglutinative (the gluey glue) on your mat, helping you remove all the gunk that is stuck to it.
Warning:This process will strip your cutting mat of adhesive, and so you may accept to reapply agglutinative to restick your mat . Don't worry, I'll walk you through it.
Which adhesive remover should you lot utilize?
I recommend using Goo Gone as it has been repeatedly and reliably used past the Cricut and crafting community. But yous don't demand to purchase a whole new production for this! If you accept any sort of adhesive remover lying around that you're comfortable with, it will likely work just fine.
Other options are:
- 70% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
- De-Solv-it Universal Stain Remover & Pre-Wash
- LA's Totally Crawly All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner
How to use agglutinative remover to clean your Cricut mat
- Read the directions of your adhesive remover, and adapt as necessary.
- Pour or spray a small amount onto your mat.
- Spread it around with a scraper, or whatever stiff slice of plastic like an former credit card.
- Let the solvent sit and work its magic. The longer y'all let the adhesive remover sit, the more stuff it will remove. The exact duration will depend on which solvent you utilise, so read the directions on your bottle. If this is your first fourth dimension, I recommend just information technology sit for a few minutes to remove the dirty surface layer of adhesive. (If yous have already restuck you mat a bunch of times and are ready for a fresh start, y'all tin can let it sit for up to xx-xxx minutes.)
- Employ your scraper to scrape the muddy adhesive off your mat. You can too wipe it off with a cloth or paper towels.
- Launder with soap and warm h2o to remove any leftover residue.
- Let the mat dry completely.
Hither's an easy video showing how well this can piece of work to make your mat gluey once more:
How To Restick or Retack Your Cutting Mat
Okay, so how can we actually brand a Cricut mat sticky once more now that you lot know how to make clean information technology? Simple: only add some other layer of glue!
The best way
My favorite fashion to restick a cutting mat is to use the Zig 2-Manner Glue Pen (with the Jumbo tip). This is, by far, the easiest method of resticking your mat. The glue comes in pen class, so it'south incredibly easy to apply. There's no need to record the edges of your mat, similar with adhesive sprays, because you lot can control exactly where the gum goes. Besides, the gum goes on bluish and turns clear every bit information technology dries, which makes it super piece of cake to make sure that you accept applied an even layer to your entire cutting mat.
When y'all kickoff open up up the pen, y'all may demand to prime information technology, to make certain that the glue is flowing through the sponge at the tip. You practice this by pressing or dabbing the tip of the glue pen confronting a scrap surface, until you lot can see the tip turns blueish from the glue.
Follow these steps to restick your cutting mat:
- Apply the mucilage to the inner, gridded portion of the cutting mat. Use wide, even strokes that go all the manner across the mat. Try not to get any glue on the edges of the mat. If you exercise, but wipe it off immediately.
- Allow the mat to dry for 20 to 30 minutes. The glue should turn clear.
- If your mat seems besides pasty for cut delicate materials, you tin apply a clean shirt or piece of material to condition it. Repeatedly press the fabric against all viscid areas of your cutting mat. This will pull off some of the excess agglutinative, and coat your mat with a flake of lint to tone information technology downward a notch.
- Look a few hours before covering newly glued mats with the clear film comprehend, so it doesn't get completely stuck to the surface of your mat.
(Alert: Practise not become any glue on the edges of the cutting mat, as this can become onto the rollers of your Cricut or Silhouette, and jam your car.)
The other ways
Yous can apply other spray adhesives or tacky glues suitable for mats. Considering these methods are fashion messier than the glue pen, you should cover the edges of the mat with masking tape to protect them from the glue.
Best choice for spray adhesive:
- Krylon Like shooting fish in a barrel Tack Repositionable Agglutinative Spray
All-time option for tacky glue:
- Aleene'south Tack it Over & Over
Tips for Taking Care of Your Cutting Mats
If you take good care of your cutting mats, they'll accept good care of you, and your wallet. Here are some general care tips for your Cricut cutting mats:
Cover your mats when not in utilise.
Keep the clear film cover that came with your cutting mat, and replace the cover as before long equally you are washed using information technology. This will prevent dust, hairs, and fibers from accumulating on the glutinous surface of the mat. It may help to take a sharpie and marker "Height" on the pinnacle side of the articulate acetate comprehend, so it's piece of cake to replace correctly.
Don't manhandle your mats.
Avert excessively touching the gluey surface of the mat with your easily, every bit this can wear abroad and damage the agglutinative over fourth dimension. (This is peculiarly true for Cricut's pinkish material mats!) Use the proper tools: spatulas, tweezers, and scrapers to remove cuts and scraps from your cutting mat. This will protect your mats, as well as prevent your finished cut projects from curling and fierce. When y'all do need to bear upon your mats, utilise clean, dry hands that are free of lotion.
Regularly clean your mat.
Go into the habit of using a glutinous lint roller and baby wipes to make clean the surface of your cutting mats. This volition keep them clean and fresh for each project.
Tips for Drying Cut Mats
- Let your mat dry completely by hanging it up, or simply setting it upright in your dish rack. After you've washed it, y'all want to make certain both sides can get dry, then don't merely get out information technology sitting on your counter.
- Practise not employ heat, every bit heat may cause your cut mat to split or warp, making it no longer fit in your cut machine. This means no hair dryers!
- If you need to speed upwards the drying time, you lot can aim a fan at your mat to increase air circulation. I suppose using a hair dryer on the "Cool" setting should be fine, every bit long equally y'all can trust yourself to not use any estrus to speed up the process. No use destroying your final mat just to get a job finished faster! (Though I recall you lot should e'er have a couple extra mats around.)
F.A.Q.
My mat is as well gummy, what practise I exercise?
When yous start get your mat, or afterward you restick your mat, it will probably be besides gummy, especially for light- or medium-weight materials. You tincondition orprime number your cut mat to make it less gluey. Using a clean t-shirt or sheet, repeatedly printing the textile against the sticky portion of your cutting mat. This will pull off some of the excess adhesive and glaze your mat with a fleck of lint to tone it downwards a notch.
Some people employ their hands (instead of a shirt) to condition their mats, but I think it'southward best to avoid getting your pare's oils all over it.
Should I restick my cutting mat?
If your material won't attach to your cutting mat, it'south a good idea to restick it. Signs that your cutting mat isn't sticky enough include: vinyl that pops upwards in the middle and material that simply gets pushed instead of held in place and cut.
Do I have to use adhesive remover before resticking my cut mat?
Nope! If you desire to cut out a few steps of this procedure, y'all can go directly to resticking your mat without the heavy duty cleaning step. You should scrape off any bits of material stuck to the surface of your mat, as this volition soon be under the agglutinative, and will mess upward your hereafter cut jobs.
I personally prefer using adhesive remover first, in order to ensure a clean, flat surface for the layer of glue.
If you do this enough times, the layers of adhesive can build up and actually reduce the thickness of the material you are able to cut with your blades. Somewhen, you will desire to interruption out the Goo Gone and scrape off all those layers of accumulated mucilage and goo.
What happens if you go glue on the edges?
If you go mucilage on the edges of the mat, it can go onto the rollers of the motorcar. This can crusade odd bumps as the rollers feed the textile through, or can even jam and suspension your automobile. You desire to proceed those rollers rolling as smoothly every bit possible then y'all take the most authentic cuts.
You can always use a scrap of agglutinative remover on a q-tip or bit of newspaper towel to remove any mucilage you accidentally got on the edges of the mat. Marian from "Seams To Be Sew" (I beloved that proper name!) recommends putting painter'south tape over the edges of your mat and so that you're sure to protect them (and the surrounding surface. If you're using a table you'd rather non get sticky, consider putting an former towel or t-shirt to protect the surface, especially if you're using the spray!
How do I clean a pink Cricut material mat?
Hey Let's Make Stuff has a nifty article on cleaning pink Cricut mats. Bank check information technology out!
Does this work for Cricut Maker cutting mats?
Yes…considering… they're the same cutting mats! If you're interested in other details near the Cricut Maker, I wrote a review in May 2018: cutcutcraft.com/cricut-maker-motorcar-review.
Do you prefer Cricut or Silhouette cut mats?
I actually think the Cricut mats are the all-time and actually a smashing reason for going with Cricut over Silhouette. I get into depth on cutting mats and the differences betwixt Cricut and Silhouette in this commodity: cutcutcraft.com/silhouette-cameo-iii-vs-cricut-explore-air-2.
Which cutting mat should I use?
Cricut has an informative article on the unlike uses for each kind of cutting mat.
Source: https://www.cutcutcraft.com/clean-cricut-mat/
Posted by: gomezajoilver.blogspot.com
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