Judy Gail

How do you maintain your cutting mat and how often do you do it? I seem to wear out a mat fairly often.

Judy

amma

Change blades often, pressing hard with a duller blade will wear them out more quickly :D:D:D

quilttiludrop

This was discussed recently (about rotary blades). They can be wiped down with microfiber cloths or nylon kitchen scrubbers.

I need to learn to practice not pressing so hard with the rotary cutter myself!

sewmuchmore

Ditto, I to need to practice not to pressing hard also.

Mariposa

I also give mine a "bath" every so often. Helps to keep it from drying out. I put warm water in the tub, and let it soak a bit. Pat it dry, lay it out on towels to let it finish drying flat. Works for me! :)

debp33

Uhm, I never knew I should be taking care of my mat.

I learn something new every day here!

quiltsRfun

Would it be a problem if your bathtub doesn't have a flat bottom or if the mat won't fit without curling? I'd like to try this but don't want to make things worse instead of better.

no1jan

I had also read that you can soak the mat in the tub, however this is only for Olfa mats. Even on their website they recommend soaking them once a month as they love water. But beware, not all manufacturers recommend this.

I have a Fiskars mat and I called them to see if they recommend the same thing. They told me "NO!"

So please check with the manufacturer of your mat before soaking it.

I also heard that the scrunchies work great, but haven't tried it.

0tis

I need to do this - I get some deep gouges in my mat.

0tis

I need to do this - I get some deep gouges in my mat.