How to clean a circuit mat
Craft Mats are an excellent accessory for your circuit, however, they do create a challenge from time to time when you need to clean them. Finding the best way of cleaning your mat can be challenging, so here is some guidance on how to find the best way of cleaning your mat.
Table of Contents
Make sure you have all the supplies you need
You’ll need:
- Rubbing alcohol or baby wipes (To clean the mat)
- Paper towels (To wipe off excess baby wipes/alcohol)
- Circuit mat cleaner (To make your mat sparkle)
Use the scraper tool to scrape off the debris
The scraper tool is better than the cleaning mat because it removes most of the debris and dirt from your mat. Even if you are not using any of the tools, you can use a lint roller to clean your mat.
Turn on your Circuit Maker and wait for it to heat up. Use the scraper tool to scrape off the debris. Use the lint roller to remove any remaining debris from your mat.
Use the pink eraser to wipe off any remaining residue
A dirty mat will cause problems with your cutting and printing projects. You can clean the mat with a damp cloth, but you may need to use an eraser or some other method to remove stubborn stains from the mat.
Use the pink eraser to wipe off any remaining residue. A regular eraser is not abrasive enough to remove the sticky residue on your mat.After using the pink eraser, you should be able to see that most of the glue has been removed from your mat.Once you have removed all of the glue residue with an eraser, rinse off your mat with warm water and let it air dry before using it again
Rinse the mat under warm water
Cleaning your Circuit mat is important to maintain the quality of your cuts. Your Cricut cutting machine can be used with a variety of materials, such as paper, vinyl, cardstock and more. To get the most out of your Circuit, it is important to maintain the quality of the mats by cleaning them regularly.
Rinse the mat under warm water and then gently scrub it with a sponge or soft bristle brush to remove any debris or dust from the mat’s surface. Be careful not to use too much pressure on the mat as this may cause damage to the blades underneath.
Dry your mat with a clean towel
- Wipe the entire surface of the mat with a damp cloth and then wipe it dry with a clean towel or rag. This will remove any loose ink from the mat.
- Use warm soapy water to clean off the adhesive backing from your machine’s rollers and calibrations. You may find that some of this adhesive remains on your machine after cleaning, but it will not affect performance if it does not get into the rollers.
- Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to a cotton swab or soft brush and wipe down all areas of your machine where there are nozzles, calibrations or other metal parts (including inside the cutting head). This will remove any remaining adhesive residue from those areas as well as any stray rubber bits that can sometimes get stuck in these areas during use (such as when removing paper jams).
The manufacturer recommends using a lint roller
The Circuit Maker is a great tool for making custom projects at home. The machine comes with a mat that’s used to cut vinyl and fabric. In order to keep the mat in good condition, it needs regular cleaning.
The manufacturer recommends using a lint roller to clean your mat. This will remove any loose pieces of material that may have collected during use, including vinyl, paper and other materials that come in contact with your mat during cutting.
If you don’t have a lint roller handy, you can use any non-abrasive cleaning cloth or towel. Avoid using sponges because they can leave behind residue on the surface of the mat and cause imprinting on your project when you start cutting again.
Benefits to clean your circuit mat
Cuts down on wastage, if you use a circuit mat for cutting, then there is no need for wastage because everything will be cut out from the same sheet of paper or material. This way, there will be no wastage at all and that means, less money spent on buying new materials every time you want to cut something out with your machine, whether it be scrapbooking or embroidery etc. Easier to use, if you use an ordinary piece of paper or any other material for cutting out things like flowers, animals etc.
Clean regularly with a vacuum cleaner
Circuit mats are great for protecting the floor and making it easy to clean up any messes. The downside is that they can get dirty easily, especially if you have pets.It can be cleaned regularly with a vacuum cleaner, or cleaned entirely with mild soap, water, and a cloth. Here’s how to do both:
Vacuuming circuit mats
To clean your mat with a vacuum cleaner, follow these steps:
- Unplug the power cord from its outlet and move the mat away from all electrical outlets. Then unplug all your other cables from the other outlets by pulling them straight out of their sockets.
- Use an upholstery attachment to vacuum the mat’s surface. You may need to use an extension cord if you don’t have one on hand.
- After vacuuming the surface, use your vacuum’s crevice tool to clean all the nooks and crannies in your circuit mat.
Conclusion
Cleaning your circuit mat is important to keep it in good condition.As you can see, this is a great option for those of us who already own a circuit. It is a way to clean the mat without the use of chemicals. As I know this will not be enough for some crafters out there, there are other DIY options such as soap and water or even rubbing alcohol.