How to Clean the Sewing Machine? An Easy Cleaning Guide
You will benefit from treating your machine with care and learning how to properly clean a sewing machine.
- Unplug Your Machine
- Read Your Manual
- Check Positions for Cleaning
- Brush Lint from the Machine
- Oiling
- Clean the Exterior
- Testing
If you want to prolong the life of your machine, regular maintenance is essential. In between professional maintenance, sewing machines should be regularly cleaned and oiled (only if your machine needs it). Fortunately, cleaning your sewing machine only requires a short amount of time, and you can easily fit it into your sewing schedule.
I’ll outline how to clean your sewing machine in detail in this post, along with some advice to help you take good care of your machine.
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How to Clean the Sewing Machine?
Before you start to learn how to clean a sewing machine, it is important that you do 4 things:
When it is still plugged in, avoid touching anything electrical. Bring your sewing machine to a well-lit area so you can see what you are doing since you won’t have the sewing machine lamp to help you. Don’t let the urge to plug it back in to use the machine lamp tempt you!
Keep your machine oiled and clean so it’s ready for any task by reading the instruction manual that came with it. Try to find a sewing machine manual online if you can’t find yours, or ask a manufacturer or dealer where the machine’s oiling and cleaning points are located and how frequently you should do so.
The primary areas that require cleaning can be found in your manual. To access the area under the bobbin case, you typically need to remove the needle plate and bobbin. The sewing machine’s instruction manual ought to make note of this.
You must brush out all of the lint that has accumulated after you have examined the positions.
This could be quite a bit in the area where the bobbin is held on the machine’s bottom. To learn how to take off the bobbin cover and access the inside, consult your manual. To remove lint and stray threads, keep a small brush and a pair of tweezers close at hand. To achieve the best results, use a stiff brush.
Check your manual twice before spraying oil everywhere because many modern machines don’t require it. Read More: Where to Oil Your Sewing Machine?
Buy the recommended oil for your sewing machine at all times. This is significant because each brand of machine has a specific oil that works best with its particular components. Try not to substitute any oil you find in your garage. The harm to your machine is not worthwhile. Usually clear and extremely fine, sewing machine oil.
To remove any remaining oil that might ruin or dirty your fabric, clean off any extra oil and test the machine on a scrap of fabric.
Now that the inside has been cleaned, it’s time to focus on the exterior. The majority of machines are made of hard plastic and can be cleaned with a soft cloth. Be extremely cautious when avoiding any mechanics and points where moisture can enter if your cloth is damp.
Reconnect your sewing machine once it has been thoroughly cleaned, then take a test stitch. If you used any oil during the cleaning process, this is especially crucial. When you first sew, you might notice that a few extra pieces of lint emerge. You should have evenly spaced stitches with perfectly balanced tension. Read More: How to Adjust the Sewing Machine Tension Easily?
How Do I Clean the Outside of a Sewing Machine?
The exterior of the sewing machine is frequently overlooked as we only concentrate on cleaning the interior. If you keep your sewing machine out in the open, dust and lint will gather and need to be cleaned off. Any cloth will do; I prefer microfiber for cleaning my machine. To help collect all the dust and lint, wipe the machine from top to bottom.
Avoid using any cleaning products on your machine because the harsh chemicals may harm the plastic and metal. Use dish soap and a damp cloth to clean up stains if you need to. Before cleaning your machine, don’t forget to unplug it. Also, take care to only clean the machine’s exterior with a damp cloth, keeping it away from any of the machine’s internal workings.
How Often Should You Clean Your Sewing Machine?
In general, how frequently you use your sewing machine will determine how often you clean it. If you sew frequently, you should clean your sewing machine once a week. Once a month is a good time frame for machine cleaning if you sew on the weekends.
If you frequently overlook cleaning your machine, you might want to keep your lint brush close by and establish a routine of quickly clearing the lint each time you change your bobbin.
Your sewing machine doesn’t need to be cleaned in a specific way in order to function at its best, but there are some guidelines you can follow. To keep your machine maintained and extend its life, try to establish some sort of cleaning schedule.
Machine Maintenance Tips
Here are some tips to help you maintain your sewing machine:
Needles
I try to remember to change the needle every time I clean out my machine (after 2-3 bobbins), so I recommend doing so frequently. If your machine is skipping stitches, breaking threads, etc, this is the first thing to do to troubleshoot. Learn How to Repair a Singer Sewing Machine.
Thread Tips
In order to regulate the thread’s amount of pressure and feed it evenly through the machine, many modern machines have tension disks that run through the machine. Because these disks are so delicate, it’s crucial to avoid pulling your thread through the machine backward.
Cut the thread close to the spool when you need to change it, and then pull it through the machine so that it exits in the same direction as all stitching. That will safeguard the tension disks. Read More: How to Thread a Sewing Machine in Simple Steps?
Thread Storage
I am aware of how lovely thread spools appear on those ornamental stands. We are also aware of how filthy a sewing room can become. Additionally, if you run that dusty thread through your machine, you’ll fill the inside of your machine with more dirt and dust, which is especially bad for delicate tension disks.
Conclusion: a Clean Sewing Machine
Include machine cleaning and lubrication in your personal maintenance schedule. Your machine will run smoothly and efficiently when it is well-oiled, and you will enjoy working together. It will last longer if you clean it more frequently! You can now confidently clean your sewing machine thanks to this tutorial.
Do you require a new project now that your machine has been cleaned? See my tutorial on sewing a zipper.
FAQs
What Can I Use to Clean Sewing Machine?
Use a nylon brush to collect all the dust and get in between all the nooks and crannies. (Avoid using compressed canned air to blast inside your machine as this will only push debris deeper.) Take out your bobbin case and give it a thorough cleaning if you have one. Don’t forget to enter and pass through the spaces between the feed dogs.
Is WD-40 Good for Sewing Machines?
When it comes to cleaning and oiling your sewing machine, a single product is capable of doing all the work – WD-40 Multi-Use Product True to its name, the product assists you in cleaning and lubricating various sewing machine components to ensure the device operates smoothly and effectively.
