Getting into crafting things at home can be a lot of fun. Still,  it'southward likewise like shooting fish in a barrel to forget that you should also put information technology through some maintenance from fourth dimension to time whenever you apply a new auto.

How to Clean Your Cricut Mat

For example, Cricut machine users should think near more than merely irresolute the blades when they get tiresome since the mats also deserve attention likewise since they cannot work without them.

Thankfully enough, home crafters are plenty, and solutions on how to clean your Cricut mats are bachelor everywhere, and that is why we've decided to compile them all together in this neat niggling guide so that you lot tin can spend less time doing maintenance and more than fourth dimension creating amazing bootleg objects for friends and family.

What Is a Cricut Mat?

For those of y'all that haven't bought a Cricut machine notwithstanding, but are thinking of getting ane, a Cricut mat is basically a sticky cut mat where you place the materials that y'all are about to commencement cut using the Cricut machine.

For those of you that have ever seen a sewing car, imagine that the mat is basically your hands keeping the fabric in identify while the automobile punches in the holes.

Well, given that the Cricut mat is a naturally sticky surface, information technology starts losing its stickiness, and it can also become quite muddied over extended periods of use, and then a little scrap of cleaning can go a long way.

While mats tin can exist bought separately, it's the type of consumable that can rack upward quite a bill when y'all draw the line, especially if you're the kind of person that uses the Cricut machine intensively, then knowing how to make clean it tin salvage you a lot of money in the long run.

Annotation: Cricut Mats are still considered consumables, and they will somewhen clothing out for skillful no matter how often you lot clean them, so keep that in heed and ever be prepared to buy extras at ane point or another.

How Often Practise I Need to Clean My Cricut Cut Mat?

Cricut mats come in four unlike levels of adhesiveness and, on average, they are meant to final somewhere between 40 to 50 uses before they start to wear out for adept, and as far as cleaning goes, depending on what materials yous cut, yous'll need to clean them once every 2 to four uses to maintain optimal grip and cleanliness.

Of course, this is simply an average number since the materials that you'll be using on your Cricut machine tin can also decide how often it will demand cleaning.

For example, using materials and fabric that go out a lot of debris behind, such every bit felt or denim, ways you'll demand to clean the mats a lot more often.

While information technology may sound like there are too many variables involved in terms of how oftentimes you'll demand to clean your mats, there is one manner to figure out when it definitely needs some cleaning: Check whether information technology is still sticky enough to get the task done right.

What Practice I Need to Make clean My Cricut Mats?

One bully thing about Cricut mats is that they are very depression-maintenance, and yous don't need whatever defended tool to clean and make them gluey again.

That beingness said, more than half of the materials that you demand are most probable already in your house:

  • Lint Roller
  • Regular dish soap
  • Cricut Scraper tool
  • Alcohol-free wet-wipes
  • Dish brush, cloth, or sponge
  • LA'due south Awesome cleaning spray

How Do I Clean My Cricut Cutting Mats?

As we mentioned earlier, Cricut has 4 different types of cut mats, and considering they have different structure and build, the cleaning solutions that work on one mat may non exist enough for (or may fifty-fifty harm) some other.

Because of that, nosotros've divided the cleaning solutions based on how thorough the cleaning methods are, every bit some of them are considered gentle in terms of approach, while others can exist considered deep-cleaning methods.

Notwithstanding, go along in heed that the solutions listed beneath will only work on the blue LightGrip mat, the green StandardGrip mat, and the royal StrongGrip mat, merely not on the Pink FabricGrip mat since its agglutinative is a bit different and will crave a unlike cleaning approach.

Low-cal Cleaning Methods for Your Cricut Cutting Mat

Apply a Scraper Tool

Cricut scrapper mat cleaner

Cricut is perfectly aware that the users that purchase their products not only like creating things at abode, they likewise prefer to clean, repair, and perform maintenance at dwelling also.

That'south why they also have a defended Cricut Scraper tool, and you tin can apply it to make clean large areas and apply the fabric to larger surfaces with ease, making it ideal for working with vinyl and cleaning your cutting mats and other surfaces.

To use the Cricut Scraper, pull the edge of the scraper tool over the surface of your mat, and information technology should remove all the pocket-sized pieces of debris, dust, or whatsoever information technology is that is making your mat dirty.

Utilise a Lint Roller

Clean cricut mat lint roller

The lint roller is basically a cutting mat, but stickier, and that's basically the principle backside using information technology for cleaning. Simply roll it over the cleaning mat equally if it were an sometime coat, and all debris should be removed without further issues.

Nevertheless, go on in mind that if you want to use this method, you should make sure that the lint roller yous're using has a stronger grip than the mat itself.

Use Wet Wipes

Clean cricut mat wet wipes

Whenever there's something in your house that needs cleaning, moisture wipes are the way to go, and the aforementioned tin can be said nearly cleaning Cricut mats too. One dandy affair well-nigh using wet wipes is that they are readily bachelor since they are very cheap (fifty-fifty the colossal-sized packages), and yous can buy them from pretty much any store.

To use moisture wipes, gently clean the surface of the mat since rubbing information technology in will damage the agglutinative. More than so, endeavour to look for booze-gratis moisture wipes as well, since they tend to damage the adhesive even less.

One matter you should think about using moisture wipes is that you demand to leave the mat to dry off naturally before you lot use it again since information technology will now exist moisture from whatever moisture the wet wipes had in them. Once you see that the mat is dry and sticky again, you can identify it back in your Cricut automobile and become back to crafting.

Medium Cleaning Methods for Your Cricut Cutting Mat

Use Soap and Water

Wash cricut cutting mat

Sometimes the crud and dust can be actually deep, and you may exist dealing with a mat that has a stronger grip than the average lint roller, and then your side by side best solution is to simply take the mat and launder it with warm water and lather.

Here's how to make clean the Cricut mat with warm water and soap:

  1. Use the Cricut Scraper tool to remove excess dirt.
  2. Lay the mat on a flat surface.
  3. Get a dishcloth, soft dish brush, or a sponge.
  4. Clean the surface of the mat using round motions using warm water and regular dish soap.
  5. Let the mat dry

Annotation: Exercise not utilise soap that contains oils, similar the ones used for washing your hands or face, just use regular dish soap.

Heavy Cleaning Methods for Your Cricut Cutting Mat

Mats can end up actually muddy (try cleaning them more oft), and when lint rollers, moisture wipes, or fifty-fifty water and soap don't cut it, you'll need to use some professional person cleaning products.

However, don't exist scared by the discussion professional, since we're not talking about some expensive spray created by Cricut specifically for this job.

Utilise LA'due south Totally Awesome Spray

awsome cleaning spray Cricut Mat

This production is not of Cricut'southward own making, so don't be afraid virtually having to buy a cleaning production to perform just ane job. The LA'due south Totally Awesome Spray is affordable, and you can get it at any dollar shop or even online.

Alarm: Online reviews most using this product on Cricut mats are mixed, then use the following method at your own risk.

Here's how to clean the Cricut mat with LA's Totally Crawly Spray:

  1. Spray the surface of the mat with the cleaning spray.
  2. Let it sit down for 5-10 minutes while the product dislodges the debris and dirt.
  3. Gently clean the surface of the mat with a sponge, material, or wipe.
    • Applying too much pressure might destroy the mat's adhesive surface!
  4. Rinse the mat with warm water.
  5. Let the mat dry out.

How Do I Clean the Pinkish FabricGrip Mat?

Clean cricut pink fabricgrip mat

As mentioned earlier, cleaning the pink FabricGrip mat is a whole unlike story, mostly because it has a different blazon of adhesive that is designed to stick to textile, making it particularly delicate.

Because of that, whatsoever solution that involves scraping or rubbing something on the mat is completely out of the question, no thing how lighthanded you are.

Thus, the just real way to clean the surface of a FabricGrip mat is to just use a pair of tweezers and start picking off the pieces of the debris one by i. This procedure may seem like a real headache, merely if yous don't have the coin to change the mats all that often, information technology tin save you a few dollars.

Special Mention: How Practise I Clean the Felt from a Cricut Mat?

Clean cricut cutting mat felt

Keeping your Cricut mat clean and gluey is why you started reading this article, simply if yous've ever gone and tried working with different materials other than newspaper and cardboard, yous'll know just how much of a pain felt can be in terms of the debris it leaves behind.

They are as well small-scale and too fine to exist cleaned using any of the methods mentioned above, making felt removal practically incommunicable.

Ane workaround would exist to cover the mat with freezer paper, and it will keep the felt in identify while the Cricut motorcar cuts, while likewise preventing whatever felt from coming in direct contact with the mat.

More and then, if you don't programme on ownership spare mats any time before long, you're better off just using an older StardardGrip or FabricGrip mat, and keep them only for felt projects.

How Do I Make My Cricut Mat Sticky Once again?

Throughout our solutions, we emphasized the importance of being gentle when you lot clean the Cricut mats considering it'due south very easy to rub a bit too difficult and destroy the layer of adhesive that covers them.

Likewise, the entire purpose of cleaning the mat is to remove the droppings non so that it looks clean but so that it can get mucilaginous again.

There are a few things you tin can try to make the mats gluey once again, and we will testify you several ways to do so.

Warning: Be careful with these methods since whatsoever backlog mucilage can terminate up jamming your Cricut car and void your warranty! If you don't feel similar the chance is worth taking, go alee and buy new mats instead.

Hither's how to make your Cricut mat viscid again:

  1. Employ any of the methods above to clean the mat of excess debris.
    • Apply the Cricut scraper, moisture wipes, lint roller, water, and soap, etc.
  2. Allow the mat dry.
  3. Cover the edges of the mat with record.
    • The agglutinative is not on the unabridged surface of the mat
    • The edges are where the rollers impact the cutting mat.
  4. Utilize the new adhesive according to whatsoever teaching information technology may have.
    • One adhesive many users accept been recommending is Spray n Bond Basting Agglutinative.
  5. Let the adhesive dry.

Other adhesives that users have been recommending are:

  • Aleene's Tack Information technology Over and Over
  • Krylon
  • Loctite
  • Tacky Glue
  • Zig Adhesive

How Exercise I Keep My Cricut Mats Clean?

Cricut cutting mat sticky

Now that you've learned how to clean your Cricut mat and how to arrive sticky again, information technology's fourth dimension to acquire how to keep them that way for every bit much time every bit possible.

Here's how to keep Cricut mats clean for as long equally possible:

  • Clean the mats regularly with either the Cricut scraper or a lint roller.
    • Any flat plastic object will do, so if you have an erstwhile credit carte lying effectually, information technology volition do merely fine.
    • All you need to do is run the edge of the card over your mat to release the debris.
  • Always use the plastic protector sheet.
    • Cricut mats take a thin plastic protective sheet that you lot should e'er apply between projects.
    • Merely place the sail over the mat, and all dust particles from the atmosphere will settle on the sheet rather than the mat itself.
    • The plastic sheet is too piece of cake to make clean since information technology is a flat and shiny surface, and so cleaning it will be easy with things similar wet wipes.
  • Always utilize textile-appropriate mats.
    • There are 4 different types of Cricut mats for a reason, and this can as well affect the way you lot will need to clean them subsequently.
    • For example, using felt on the StrongGrip mat will be a nightmare to clean and restick.

Note: Cricut mats are consumable materials past nature, so the solutions mentioned both higher up and beneath will but prolong their life, not make them final forever.

FAQ: More Information Well-nigh Cleaning Cricut Mats

Can yous clean Cricut cut mats?

Yep, you can. While Cricut cut mats are not meant to final forever (twoscore-fifty uses), they can exist cleaned to prolong their life and functionality a bit beyond that. For instance, a Cricut cutting mat doesn't become damaged per se, simply it becomes unusable one time it is no longer sticky.

How do I clean my Cricut mat with babe wipes?

Only wipe the surface of the Cricut cutting mat with baby wipes using circular motions. Depending on the corporeality of dirt on the mat, you lot may need to use 2 or even iii wipes to remove everything.

Still, proceed in listen that y'all need to wipe the mat gently to non destroy the layer of adhesive, and likewise brand certain to employ alcohol-free wipes besides.

How do I make clean Cricut mats with Dawn?

Dawn is a popular make of dish soap, and information technology can likewise be used to make clean Cricut cutting mats. All yous demand to do is identify the cutting mat on a flat surface so gently wipe the surface using a cloth, brush, or sponge that has been dipped in a mix of Dawn and warm water.

Can I make a Cricut mat sticky once again?

Aye, you can. Still, the tricky function is knowing which adhesive to use and how much of it to use, since it is very like shooting fish in a barrel to use the wrong type or apply likewise much, and this may terminate up clogging up your entire Cricut machine.

That is while you need to pay actress attention to what products y'all employ, and also keep in mind that you mustn't put adhesive on the entire surface of the mat since the edges must not exist gluey at all.

Tin I launder my Cricut mat?

Yes, you can. The only thing that y'all demand to proceed in mind when washing your Cricut cutting mat is that you need to wipe it very gently using a mix of dish soap and water, and as well brand certain that the dish soap that you are using does not contain any oils.

How to Clean a Cricut Cutting Mat: Determination

Equally you tin can see, in that location are plenty of methods that one tin can use to clean up a Cricut cutting mat, one more efficient than the other.

The great thing about all of these methods is that they crave materials that are most probable already in your abode, and yous don't need whatsoever special preparation to clean them either.

Simply remember that your priority is to clean the mat to make information technology sticky again, and so be gentle when wiping them, and if you do manage to remove the adhesive layer, know what to utilize as a replacement and in what quantity.

We promise that you constitute this guide to be useful and that you can now get back to crafting beautiful things at dwelling house using your Cricut cutting machine.

Let us know what other things you'd like to learn about the Cricut cut machines by leaving your feedback in the comments department below, and we'll gladly create an article like the i above for you to enjoy.