Cricut mats play a vital role in craft making; they keep materials in place with the help of their adhesive area. These mats get dirty and gradually lose their stickiness with regular and repetitive use. In such situations, most people toss the old, worn-out mat and purchase a new one. However, there is a cheaper alternative; you can clean the Cricut cutting mat and make them sticky again. Continue reading this blog to know how to make Cricut Mat sticky again.
Types of Cricut Mats
First, you must check which mat is compatible with your Cricut machine. Then only you can move on to the cleaning process. In the market, there are four different types of Cricut cutting mats: Fabric Grip Mat (Pink), Light Grip Mat (Blue), Standard Grip Machine Mat (Green), and Strong Grip Machine Mat (Purple). The adhesive nature and gripping strength of the mats vary a lot. For consumer ease, these mats come color-coded. Let’s take a closer look at these mats.
Fabric Grip Mat (Pink)
The mat is compatible with Explore and Maker models, but no pink mat is available for Cricut Joy. The mat comes in two sizes, 12’’x12″ (30.4 cm x30.4cm) and 12’’x24″ (30.4 cm x 60.9 cm). As the name suggests, the fabric grip mat is designed to work with different fabric types. It has a slightly adhesive surface to hold different types of fabrics. The mat is dense and strong enough to withstand the cutting force of the machine.
Light Grip Mat (Blue)
For the Cricut Explore and Maker models, the blue mat comes in 12’’x12″ (30.4 cm x 30.4 cm) and 12’’x24″ (30.4 cm x 60.9 cm). The Cricut Joy mat comes in 4.5’’x12″ (11.4 cm x 30.4 cm). The mat is designed to hold lightweight materials such as paper, light card stock, vellum, and more.
Standard Grip Mat (Green)
The green mat comes in 12’’x12″ (30.4 cm x 30.4 cm) and 12’’x24″ (30.4 cm x 60.9 cm) sizes for the Cricut Explore and Maker models. As for Cricut Joy, the mat comes in 4.5’’x6.5″ (11.4 cm 16.5 cm) and 4.5’’x12″ (11.4 cm x 30.4 cm). The green cutting mat is the most widely used; it’s a go-to cutting mat for many crafters. The mat works with patterned paper, cardstock, embossed cardstock, infusible ink sheets, iron-on vinyl, and permanent and removable vinyl.
Strong Grip Mat (Purple)
The purple mat is available in 12’’x12″ (30.4 cm x 30.4 cm) and 12’’x24″ (30.4 cm 60.9 cm) for the Cricut Explore and Maker models. There is no pink mat available for Cricut Joy. The purple mat has a very strong adhesive surface. It works great with heavy-weight materials such as cardboard, chipboard, glitter card stock, leather, suede, and stiff fabric.
How to Clean Cricut Mats With Easy Tricks?
Now that you have a basic idea about the types of Cricut mats, the next question is, “What items do I need to clean a Cricut mat?’. To make things easier, we have listed a few items to clean a Cricut mat. These items include a Sticky lint roller, scrapper tool, alcohol and bleach-free baby wipes, dish soap, dish brush, and LA’s Awesome cleaning spray.
Once you have arranged all these items, you must choose the appropriate cleaning method according to the specific mat. Three methods to clean the Cricut mat are light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty. You must start with the gentlest method and then go to the down of the list.
Method 1: Light-Duty Method
Start by removing the large pieces of debris or leftover material from the mat with the Scrapper tool and lint roller. You can also use the edge of an old credit card to remove any debris from the blue and green mats. In the case of purple mats, use tweezers to remove larger particles, as the purple mats tend to collect more debris.
On the other hand, the pink mat has a special adhesive, so use a lint roller or tweezers to remove the leftover fabric. Then use the baby wipes to gently clean the Cricut mat’s surface. Wipe the mat in a circular motion. You can use two or three wipes if the mat is too dirty. Once you are done wiping it, let the mat dry.
Method 2: Medium-Duty Method
If the method mentioned above doesn’t work, wash the Cricut Mat with dish soap and warm water. To clean the mat, use a mild dish soap that does not contain oils, lotion, or harsh chemicals. After removing the debris and residual material, you can move on to the next step. On a flat waterproof surface, lay the mat down and scrub the mat’s surface with the detergent and warm water in a circular motion using a soft dish brush or a clean dishcloth. While cleaning, be cautious not to damage the adhesive surface.
Method 3: Heavy-Duty Method
We don’t recommend using the method as it can damage the adhesive surface of the mat. If the abovementioned methods fail, you should use this method as a last resort. Spray the mat with Awesome Spray and allow it to soak for 5-10 minutes. Then use a scrapper to gently scrape debris off the green, blue, or purple mat. Then rinse the mat with warm water and let it dry.
How to Create Stickiness in Cricut Mats Again?
You can pat your back if you’ve made it this far. Usually, cleaning the mat does the trick, but if it is too worn off, you must make it stick again. Now you must wonder, ‘How to make Cricut mat sticky again?’. We have a solution for that also; the process is very simple; all you need to do is add another layer of adhesive to glue. You can use Zig 2-Way Glue Pen or Spray n Bond Basting Adhesive to make the Cricut mat sticky again.
Tape off the edges of the mat before applying the adhesive. Then use blue painter’s or masking tape to protect the outer border. Zig 2-Way Glue Pen comes in pen form, so it’s easy to apply. To apply it, use a broad, even stroke across the mat and let it dry for 20 to 30 minutes.
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