How to Clean Cricut Mats
Hey, Cricut enthusiasts! Are you looking for an easy guide on how to clean Cricut mats? Here, I will explain everything about cleaning Cricut cutting mats in a few simple steps. When I first noticed debris or dirt on my mat, I was unsure about cleaning methods. I didn’t really know how to clean a mat. Also, there are 4 types of mats: LightGrip (Blue), StandardGrip (Green), StrongGrip (Purple), and FabricGrip (Pink). But do you know that we can’t clean all mats with the same methods? Yes, it’s true!
In other words, you cannot clean the FabricGrip mat using soap or any other cleaning agent that you use for mats. Hence, it is essential to understand the cleaning methods for each. Cleaning your cutting mat is really crucial as it can save you money from buying a new one. And who doesn’t save money, so it becomes mandatory to take care of your mat.
Check out this blog, where I will show you how to clean all types of Cricut mats.
What Will You Need for Cleaning Cricut Cutting Mats?
So before we shift our focus to how to clean Cricut mats, we need to gather some supplies or tools. These supplies are most important for cleaning the mats. So, look at the following items I will use throughout the cleaning process.
Here are the items to clean the mats:
Plastic Cricut Scraper Tool
Alcohol-Free Baby Wipes
Dawn Dish Soap
Dish Brush
Lint Roller
La’s Awesome Cleaning Spray
Ensure you have all these essential items before proceeding further.
How to Make Cricut Mat Sticky Again: Top 3 Methods
Okay! So, here comes the next topic where I am going to teach you how to clean Cricut mats. So, before I take you through each step of cleaning the mat, you should know the type of cleaning methods.
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There are three cleaning methods that we will be talking about. They are light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty cleaning methods. So, let’s start with the first method of cleaning – light duty.
Method 1: Light-Duty Cleaning Method
I always prefer this method after every project. As a result, it prevents my mat from losing its stickiness, making it more durable. Now, the question is, what do I need for light-duty cleaning?
To know the answer, refer to the below points carefully:
You will need a scraper tool to scrape off the large pieces or debris of spare materials.
You will also want to use a lint roller to remove the smaller pieces of leftover materials.
Since baby wipes are cheap, you can also try them, but you have to clean the mat in a circular motion.
After cleaning it, let it dry before using it.
Method 2: Medium-Duty Cleaning Method
Then comes the medium-duty cleaning method, which I use when the above method doesn’t work! So, let’s see how to clean mats with dish soap:
Take some mild dish soap and warm water.
Then, use the scraper tool to remove excess material adhered to your mat.
After that, take a soft dish brush and rub the surface gently in a circular motion.
Finally, after cleaning, you need to let it dry in the air.
Method 3: Heavy-Duty Cleaning Method
Let me show you how to clean Cricut mats with heavy-duty methods. I will use Awesome Spray, a cleaning agent.
Let’s see how to use this spray for cleaning mats:
First, you have to spray the mat with cleaning spray.
Now, leave it for 5 to 10 minutes to make it dry.
After that, you should use the scraper tool to remove the extra vinyl or materials.
Rinse your mat with lukewarm water.
Next, leave it to dry.
The above methods will be helpful in cleaning your cutting mats. However, you can start with the light-duty cleaning method and then proceed head accordingly until the mat is fully cleaned.
Conclusion
Now, I have explained how to clean Cricut mats, so you can start from the gentlest method to the heavy-duty cleaning methods. Clean until your mats get cleaned. There are many tools for cleaning, such as a scraper, lint roller, baby wipes, dish soap, awesome spray, and more. Start with the scraper, remove the large amount of excess materials, and then move on to using cleaning agents. Ensure your mat doesn’t lose stickiness while cleaning it vigorously. Be gentle while cleaning.
FAQs
Question 1: How to make Cricut mat sticky again?
Answer: If you are cleaning Blue LightGrip, Green StandardGrip, and Purple StrongGrip mats, then you need to start with tools like a scraper, lint roller, and baby wipes to clean them. You must use advanced cleaning methods if these tools do not help you. For this, you will have to use dish soap, Awesome spray, and other cleaning agents. Whereas, for the pink mat, never try the above methods because pink mat adhesive is quite delicate. However, you can use tweezers to remove the larger pieces.
Question 2: How can I clean my Cricut FabricGrip mat?
Answer: While cleaning your pink Cricut mat, do not try to scratch it with a scraper or other tools. Since its adhesive is delicate, do not use heavy-duty cleaning methods. Instead, I recommend using the tweezer tool to remove a large piece of material. In short, the pink mat has its own different method.
Question 3: How do I clean felt off from a Cricut mat?
Answer: Cleaning felt materials from a cutting machine is tough due to its fuzzy texture. In addition, it leaves a lot of lint and debris on your mat. No matter how you cut the material, it will surely get some debris. To clean felt from the mat, you must try backing the felt sheet aligned with freezer paper and then stick the paper down onto your mat. This will prevent your field from sliding and protect your mat from links and debris. Lastly, when you have done the cutting, you can peel the freezer paper off.