How to Clean your Cricut Mats

Do you need to clean your Cricut mats but worried about damaging the adhesive? We’ve got you covered with these tips and tricks to keep your mats in tip top shape. Caring for your mats and knowing how to clean them is essential to making them last longer. Over time, you will need to replace the mats. But today, this tutorial will show you how you can make the most out of your mats.

Note: the pink fabric mat needs a different way of cleaning due to the type of adhesive on the mat.

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Blue Light Grip, Green Standard Grip and Purple Strong Grip Mats

The information in this tutorial applies to cutting mats used for the Cricut Maker, Joy and Explore Air.

The blue Light Grip mat uses a light tack adhesive for thinner and more delicate materials. When following any cleaning method, always be gentle and very light with your mat to avoid removing the adhesive. With this mat, you need to be especially light handed when cleaning.

The Standard Grip green and Strong Grip purple mats also need to be cleaned gently but you can use a little extra pressure here. First, let’s look at some simple measures you can use before moving on to washing the mats.

Don’t throw the clear cover away - The clear cover can be repositioned over your mat once the cutting is done to protect it from dust, pet hairs and so on. We added a piece of leftover vinyl to mark the clear cover to make it easier to see. Keep this cover aside where it won't get dirty while you are using the mat.

Clean the mat after each cut - This might seem obvious, but using the scraper to gently scrape off bits and pieces after cutting can be overlooked. Sometimes it might appear as if there is no debris left behind. That is, until you have issues when cutting the next project due to the tiniest bump.

The smallest piece of dust, hair or paper can interfere with the cutting process. So, spend a minute just quickly, but gently, using the scraper on your mat after each cut.

Clean the mat with non-alcohol based wipes - Baby wipes or wet wipes that are alcohol-free are great for cleaning up your mat. When doing so, it might feel like the stickiness has been removed. Don’t worry, your mat needs to dry first and it will be sticky again.

Use gentle, circular motions and move from the one side to the other, until the entire mat is clean. Then hang it up or leave it somewhere to dry properly.

It’s not recommended to use harsh chemicals on your mat. Besides possibly irritating your skin and eyes, the chemicals might actually remove the adhesive on your mat! So, what's the next step for cleaning a messy Cricut cutting mat?

Give your Cricut mat a light bath - Yep, it might sound strange but it's time to give your mat a bath. Use some warm water and dishwashing liquid with a plastic hard bristle brush to “bath” your mat. Again, use gentle, circular motions to avoid removing the adhesive.

Rotate your mats - It’s a good idea to rotate your Cricut mats. You can use both ends of the mats to cut and will be able to use up the entire area cutting area.

Love using your Cricut with the Print then Cut feature? We know you’ll love these cute printable stickers. With a nice clean mat, cutting your stickers will be a breeze.

Clean your Pink Cricut Fabric Mat

Cutting fabric for your sewing patterns is that much easier when using your Cricut and the pink fabric mat. However, fabric tends to leave quite a mess sometimes. Now, you can’t clean the mat using the same methods above as this will damage the adhesive. How do you clean your pink fabric mat?

Cricut recommends leaving the mat as is and that the fabric threads won’t interfere with your next cut. But, these types of mats lose their stickiness really quickly and don’t last very long. Here are some ways to make your Cricut Fabric mats last a bit longer.

Don’t touch the mat cut area - Avoid touching the cut area on the mat with your fingers as the oils will transfer to the mat. This can damage and break the adhesive down. Use a brayer to place your fabric on the mat and tweezers to remove the pieces after cutting.

Use flat-edged tweezers - Having a flat-edged pair of tweezers can be very handy when picking up loose threads on your mat. The Rotary blade is used to cut material and will cut right through the threads. Unlike the mats above, where a small bump can cause problems, you don't have this issue when cutting fabric with the pink mat. That means you can leave the threads on the mat.

Fight the fuzz - For material that leaves a lot of fuzz behind, such as felt, you could try placing transfer tape or use adhesive interfacing on the mat. The sticky side will be facing you and hold the material. This is something you may have to experiment with first as it can work for some Cricut users and not others.

If you do use any kind of chemical to wash your mats with, keep in mind that Cricut will void the warranty on your machine. If you are outside the warranty, you can test out different methods and find what works best for you.

We hope this tutorial has provided some insightful information and will help in maintaining your mats for longer.