Production Tips: How To Properly Clean Your Machines

Cleaning machines is a very demanding task. You are always at some kind of risk. You are risking breaking it down or destroying just some smaller part of it. Anyway, there are different types of machines and all of them are practically included in some type of production. Even though there are some DIY tips you can use in order to spare some time and save money for machine maintenance, sometimes it is a better idea to consult a professional. A particular type of machine we are going to discuss today is a Cricut machine. 

The Cricut Machine

In order to understand your Cricut machine, you have to be aware of the project you want to do. Even it can be a bit difficult and overwhelming at the beginning. The first step of your mini production is to find the right cutting mat. The type of mat mainly depends on the project you are about to do. There are four types of Cricut cutting mats:

  1. Green cutting mat 
  2. Blue cutting mat 
  3. Purple cutting mat
  4. Pink cutting mat 

Each of these cutting mats has a different purpose and therefore a different system of maintenance. The green cutting mat is used for lightweight cardstock, common office paper, and vellum. The blue cutting mat is applicable to cardstock, patterned paper, embossed cardstock, iron-on, and vinyl. The purple cutting mat is good for thick cardstock, glitter cards, magnet material, chipboard poster board, fabric with stiffener. The last type of cutting mat is the pink cutting mat. This cutting mat is used for soft paper and fabrics. 

Each Cricut mat was created for different materials and purposes.  That means each of the mats has a different level of grip. 

Tips For Cricut Machine Maintenance 

There are a number of useful Cricut machine hacks you can use every day. In this text, we will list some of the most useful ones, going from how to clean a Cricut mat to how to sharpen the blades. 

1. Peel Your Mat Away From Your Material

It may seem instinctual to peel your material (cardstock, vinyl, etc.) away from the mat but it is actually better to gently curl and peel the mat away from the material. This helps to prevent too much distortion to your craft materials. It will also prevent further damage to the Cricut cutting mat. There are also some tips and tricks on how to clean your Cricut mat. 

2. Sharpen Your Blade With Tin Foil 

You can easily extend the life of your fine-point blade by sharpening it with tin foil! In fact, when you use tin foil you can make the blade last 3x longer!

3. Store Your Blades In Your Cricut

This Cricut hack may seem very obvious, but when I was a new Cricut owner I was unaware that the inside of my machine could hold my blades and small tools for dust-free, safe storage.

4. Use Pen Adapters To Use More Than Cricut Pens With Your Machine

Having your Cricut machine write for you is an amazing feature. At some point, you will probably wish you could use pens other than the Cricut brand.

5. Clean Your Mat With Baby Wipes. Restick The Mat With Easy Tack

Breathe some fresh life back into used Cricut mats by cleaning debris off with baby wipes. You can also re-stick any mat for 5-10 more uses by spraying a few layers of Easy Tack onto the surface.

Guide For Cleaning Your Cricut Cutting Mat 

During your Cricut experience, you surely have destroyed more cutting mats than you dare to admit. There are some hacks you can use in order to save your mat and invest mat money into your new materials. Cleaning spray is a perfect method for mat cleaning. The very usage of the spray is quite simple. The only thing you need to do is to spray the mat and leave it for a couple of minutes. Wipe the spray and enjoy your completely clean mat. The second hack is a DIY job. The keyword is dish soap. Go ahead and grab some dish soap, rub your cleaning mat gently, wash it with some cold water and let it dry. As simple as that. Last but not least cleaning hack is rubbing alcohol. The best way is to put some of the rubbing alcohol on the cleaning fabrics and wipe your cutting mat.

It is not a demanding task to keep your machines clean and neat. Everything you can do is estimate what of the things you can do on your own and which ones are for the professional consultation. There are always some amazing hacks you can find online.