How to Clean a Cricut Mat and Make it Stick Again

While crafting, a Cricut mat is a handy tool that helps keep materials in place as it goes through a cutting machine. So it is no surprise that a Cricut mat starts to lose its stickiness and wear out with repeated use.

However, in most cases, you can fix your mat’s loss of stickiness with a little DIY cleaning. With proper cleaning and maintenance, your mat can have a long lifespan, and you won’t have to worry about getting a new one for a long time.

This article discusses how to clean your Cricut mats with simple DIY tips and tricks.

What to Use to Clean Cricut Mat

Before you begin to clean your Cricut mat, an important question to ask is, “what can I use to clean a Cricut mat?”.

Here are a few items you need to clean a Cricut mat. These materials are cheap and readily available, and you probably have them at home. 

Please, note that you might not need all the items on this list. The items you need depend on the cleaning method you use. 

• Plastic Cricut scraper tool
• Alcohol-free and bleach-free baby wipes
• Dish soap
• Lint roller
• Dish brush
• LA’s Awesome cleaning spray

How to Clean a Cricut Cutting Mat (Light)

Cricut cutting mats are sticky, but they don’t remain sticky forever. Typically, a Cricut mat lasts for about 50 uses before they start to wear out. However, with the right Cricut cutting mat cleaning tips, you can make your mat last longer. 

That said, there are various ways you can clean a Cricut mat. Depending on your tools, you can clean a Cricut mat using different methods. 

Here are the methods you can use to clean a Cricut mat with light debris: 

Use a Scraper Tool 

This method is especially useful when dealing with large debris. If you don’t have a plastic Cricut scraper tool, old plastic cards are fine alternatives. To use the scraper tool, you just have to pass the tool over the Cricut mat’s surface to scrape out any debris that’s on it. 

Use a Sticky Lint Roller 

A great way to clean a Cricut mat is by running a sticky lint roller over its surface. The lint roller picks up leftovers from the cutting process, be it pieces of paper, silver, or glitter that might have stuck on the mat. Plus, this method is also safe on pink Cricut fabric mats! 

Use Baby Wipes

This method is pretty convenient since most homes have baby wipes. However, before you use baby wipes, you would want to ensure there are no pieces of paper on the mat. Hence, you will have to use either a sticky lint roller or a plastic scraper to remove paper-related debris. 

Here is how to clean a Cricut mat with baby wipes without causing any damage to the mat’s adhesive. 

Step 1: Make circular motions on the mat’s surface with alcohol-free and bleach-free baby wipes. 

Step 2: Be gentle with the pressure you apply and be careful not to rub the adhesive off

Step 3: Leave the mat out to air dry. 

Note: Don’t dry your Circut mat with heat as it can damage it. Also, using a towel to dry your mat might lead you back to a messy mat with all the loose wool it will leave behind.

How to Clean a Cricut Cutting Mat (Heavy Duty)

Perhaps the mild cleaning methods above didn’t yield much; you can opt for a little more rigorous options like using soap and water: 

Clean Your Cricut Mat With Dish Soap

You can free your Cricut cutting mat from debris and dirt by washing it with soft dish soap and running it through lukewarm water. Here is how to clean a Cricut mat with dish soap: 

Step 1: Use the plastic scraper tool or a plastic card to remove the debris on the Cricut mat. 

Step 2: Put the mat on a flat surface that water can’t pass through, like a plastic table or your kitchen counter. 

Step 3: Scrub the mat’s surface gently using a dish brush or a microfiber cloth in a circular motion. 

Note: After using a microfiber cloth to clean your mat, it can get really dirty. Check out how to clean your microfiber cloth here. 

Step 4: Put the mat in lukewarm water after you wash it. 

Step 5: Leave it out to dry. Ensure it is completely dry before you use it. 

Washing a Cricut mat can make other platforms a bit messy and untidy. On that note, you can check how to clean your sink and how to clean your marble table when they get dirty. 

Suppose the mat is messy and hasn’t been washed after several cuts; you can opt for another cleaning option. The well-known go-to option is LA’s Totally Awesome spray. This spray is common in several shops and can be bought online. 

How to Clean a Cricut Mat Using LA’s Totally Awesome Spray 

This method has two sides to it. While some claim it is a good way to tackle greasy and very dirty mats; others say it hampers the mat’s stickiness. Therefore, it may not be the best way to clean a Cricut mat. So, it is critical that you are careful with this method and only use it when other cleaning methods aren’t working. 

Here is how to clean your Cricut mat using LA’s Totally Awesome Spray:

• Spray the cleaning spray on the mat’s surface 

• Allow the spray to sit on the mat for 5-10 minutes.

• After you let the mat soak in the spray, use a Scraper across the mat’s surface with little pressure

• Rinse the mat with lukewarm water and put it out to dry

How Often Should You Clean a Cricut Mat 

Apart from knowing how to clean, another thing to note is how often you clean the Cricut mat. How often you clean your Cricut mat depends on your usage frequency and material cut. Someone who uses their Cricut daily will need to clean it more than another person who uses it once a week. That aside, you can clean a Cricut mat after 2 to 4 cuts depending on the material you cut, as materials that create more debris will require more cleaning than material that doesn’t. 

A rule of thumb would be to clean your Cricut cutting mat the instant you notice your materials don’t stick on it well any longer. 

How to Keep Cricut Mats Clean

Keeping your Cricut mat clean helps you enjoy your mat for longer. Here are the common and simplest ways you can do that: 

• Clean the Cricut mat regularly– Go through all the different cleaning methods above, and find out which is most appropriate for your mat.

• Always cover your mat with the plastic protector sheet– Cricut mats often come with a plastic protective sheet. Cover your mat using the sheet between projects to ensure it stays clean. And if the sheet gets dirty, use a baby wipe to clean it.

• Use materials that correspond with the mat– For instance, use light grip mats for delicate papers, strong grip mats for heavier materials, and fabric grip mats for fabric.

How to Clean a Pink Cricut Fabric Mat

All the methods discussed above are used to clean the blue Light Grip mat, the green Standard Grip mat, and the purple Strong Grip mat, but not the pink Fabric Grip mats. 

Unlike the other types of mats, the pink FabricGrip mat has a delicate adhesive. Hence, you mustn’t scrap it. Instead, to clean the pink Fabricgrip mat, you can opt for tweezers to remove large pieces of debris or try these other methods.  

Note that you don’t want to use the awesome spray or all the other damaging sprays to clean a Fabric Grip mat. 

How to Make Your Cricut Mat Sticky Again

Most times, cleaning your Cricut mat is enough to make it sticky. However, mats do get worn out, and cleaning no longer does the trick. When this happens, you can try resticking it. 

Note: You should know that resticking your Cricut mat cancels the Cricut machine warranty since adding too much adhesive to the mat puts the machine at risk. Hence, you must take the next steps carefully. 

If resticking your mat appears to be way more stressful than necessary, you can consider getting a new mat instead. You can find several inexpensive ones. 

Here are the quick DIY steps you can take to restick your Cricut mat: 

1. Clean the Cricut Mat– Use a scraper tool and baby wipes. 
2. Tap the edges– Use masking tape to cover the outer borders—where the machine rollers touch the mat.)
3. Spray the Adhesive– Sticking the instructions outlined on the adhesive can, spray the adhesive onto the mat. 
4. Leave the adhesive to dry– After spraying, leave the adhesive on the mat for 10 to 15 minutes to dry. 

Final Thoughts 

A Cricut mat is a valuable tool for a person that crafts. Hence, it must be kept in the best condition to ensure a great working space. For that to happen, your Cricut mat has to be clean and well-maintained.

This article aptly answers the “I don’t know how to clean my Cricut mat” conundrum. Using this article as a guide, you can revive your mat’s stickiness and work on it like it’s brand new.