Cleaning the cutting mat

[IndelibleImpressions]

I was wondering if anyone had a good way to get all of the little bits off of the cutting mat - I have used the spatula but there are some teeny bits that are clinging on for dear life. I've also got some lint or little hairs on there (where did they come from??) that I can't seem to get off. I have used an adhesive spray a few times so I can get my paper to stay in place, but there is now some build-up that I would like to remove. Any ideas? I don't want to have to buy a new mat every couple of months, but I am not sure what the "shelf life" is for these things (I'm still pretty new at this).

Thanks.

[gj1]

You can use baby wipes to get some off and still leave sticky. You can soak the whole thing in hot dish soap water and then scrub with a scrubbie and resticky in many different ways...which have been mentioned a bunch on the forum, so if you do search for restick mats...there will be lots come up.

[Zara]

Hi, I'm cleaning my cutting mat in the bathroom in my... how is it called, the big one, where you can spend wonderfull time in wonderfull warm water... ?? Well you sure know what I mean. I scrubb it very hard and strong with such a little nailscrub and dishcleaner (is it the right word?) After this I take a spray it's called ReMount from 3M. Hope you know this and can buy it in your country. It's not very low price but it's real good. After this my mat is clean and sticky like the first day.

[TheresaTT]

i cleaned mine today. used a pinterest cleaning find - 1/2 vinegar-1/2 dawn dish detergent. anyway, sprayed on and let sit for a few min. then scraped off with scraper. Let dry, put AIG brand 2-way glue on it and now letting that dry. Have never done this but have read about it so wanted to try. The glue comes in a tube with wide tip. Will let you know what i find out.

[lindamac]

Try using a lint roller. Works quite well and leaves the mat quite sticky.

[bookworm]

Are you just talking about cleaning the mat or refurbishing it? I don't seem to have much luck just cleaning it, so I usually end up refurbishing it. There are some videos on how to do it. Its rather simple and takes less than five minutes.

I lay my Cricut mat on a sheet of newspaper, then use painters tape to cover the outer edges. I spray the mat with Goof-Off (or Goo-Gone) and then scrape the mat with a used up/empty gift card. Then I spray it (preferably outdoors) with Krylon Easy Tack Repositionable Adhesive. Take off the painters tape, give it a couple hours to dry and I am good to go. I've also tried the Slice Repositionable Adhesive, and although it dries in only a minute, it doesn't seem to work as well for me.

[Jax]

As stated above You Tube has many videos in regards to this subject:

Using Zig glue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfyoJfTR2DQ


Using Stick and Spray:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmw1JrItxFU


Using 3M Spray Mount:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1SqbDlXwc

Review of Krylon vs Crafters Companion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFxe0DIL4cQ

[mommyshome]

I scrub my mats all the time. I put them on the kitchen counter and scrub with dishsoap and my scratchy sponge, it's a scotch brite or something like that. Then I let them dry completely before reusing. To get the build up off from applying more adhesive, I use goo gone and scrape and scrub and that usually takes several times to get it bare to redo it. I've also read that you can use those plastic cutting board mats as Cricut mats, although I've never tried it. Hope you get your mat up and running again.

[Kelleysbiz]

so here is my experience with goof off! What a nightmare! It ended up taking off EVERYTHING! All Im left with is a piece of clear plastic. What happened that it didnt turn out like the person aboves mat when she did hers I have no clue but wont be doing that again!

[DogCarbon]

KelleysBiz... not sure what you read above, but I just re-read it all, and they've used the GoofOff or GooGone to strip off the adheasive before re-stickying the mat.

Now that you have a clean piece of plastic, feel free to re-sticky it by whatever method you wish.

I personally use the Xryon Repositionable refill cartridges, while others use a spray glue, and others use a re-sticky glue mixture at 50/50, and others use a zig glue. Please feel free to use the video above or seach on this site by using the seach feature (above on the top right corner) to do some more research on each of these methods to find what may work best for you.