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Ok maybe everyone knows this already and I am the last person to find out but.. I went to an SDV event this weekend and a friend of mine (now friend) told me that if you spray SU mist on the cricut mat and then wipe it off it regains its sticky-ness! I was like impossible I go through mats like crazy. We used 1 mat the whole 3 day weekend! And we cut out alot of things it was about 10 girls using it and we were making all sort of things. Any way who knew a $5.00 bottle would save me so much money!!!
Ok I hope I was able to share something great today!
Ok maybe everyone knows this already and I am the last person to find out but.. I went to an SDV event this weekend and a friend of mine (now friend) told me that if you spray SU mist on the cricut mat and then wipe it off it regains its sticky-ness! I was like impossible I go through mats like crazy. We used 1 mat the whole 3 day weekend! And we cut out alot of things it was about 10 girls using it and we were making all sort of things. Any way who knew a $5.00 bottle would save me so much money!!!
Ok I hope I was able to share something great today!
GREAT tip!!!! Did not know this and I also go through the mats like crazy!!! Thank you!!!!!!
:mrgreen: my friend could not get any mats.....so she taped the edges of her mat and ran it through her xyron then she took the tape off the edges (used it like a mask) and her mat was good as new.....important be sure if you are going to use this trick.....make sure your xyron is loaded with repositional. I tried it, it works great......stretch the life of the mat. sm
Just remember that doing any of this will void the warranty on your cricut should anything mess up inside of it. I'd rather spend the $10 on the mats than be out everything I've invested in my bug.
Yesss, please tell us what you used to wipe the cleaner off. My DD has a Cricut and would love to save some $$. Thanks
May God bless, Sandi
Spray it with Stampin Mist (I was VERY generous with my spraying)...let it sit for a few minutes, then take a scraper (I used my Pampered Chef brown one that comes with the stones) and scrape the gunk off.
It is gross to see what comes off the mat! Oh, I did not find a need to put a lot of pressure on the scraper. I think if you really put all your might into it you could scrape the adhesive completely off.
Anyway...rinse with warm water and air dry. It will be like new! (Well, almost!!)
I don't see how just cleaning the mat would void the warranty as was suggested a few posts back??
Here's what I learned to do over a year ago when I first got my Cricut. Use Stampin' Mist and then wipe off with a baby wipe. This will work for a bit and then you just need to go ahead and buy a new mat. Doing this will not void the warranty but using a spray adhesive or Xyron will. I personally just buy new mats now. I like the feel of them.
I would love to be able to just get new mats. I have not been able to find the 12 x 12 mats anywhere. I ordered them from Creative Express and they backordered them. Michael's doesn't have them, Walmart doesn't have them and those are the only places that sell Cricut stuff around here. Is anyone else having a problem finding them? There is an AC Moore about 90 minutes from here. I guess I will call them and see if they have any.
I would love to be able to just get new mats. I have not been able to find the 12 x 12 mats anywhere. I ordered them from Creative Express and they backordered them. Michael's doesn't have them, Walmart doesn't have them and those are the only places that sell Cricut stuff around here. Is anyone else having a problem finding them? There is an AC Moore about 90 minutes from here. I guess I will call them and see if they have any.
www.jkcrafts.com has them, but it doesn't say for sure if they are instock. I don't know if you can wait to order them or if you need them now, but maybe this is an option.
I bought a package of 12X24 at Michaels... I just cut one in half. Now I have 3 12's and a 24. I also trimmed and then taped together 2 6's that I purchased (didn't know they wouldn't work in my expression) That gave me a 4th 12x12.
www.customcrops.com has the 12x12 mats. They also sell 2 Crafters Companion spray adhesive remover/repositionable adhesives to refurbish your mats. They have a video about it although they are on back order until the end of the month.
Ok maybe everyone knows this already and I am the last person to find out but.. I went to an SDV event this weekend and a friend of mine (now friend) told me that if you spray SU mist on the cricut mat and then wipe it off it regains its sticky-ness! I was like impossible I go through mats like crazy. We used 1 mat the whole 3 day weekend! And we cut out alot of things it was about 10 girls using it and we were making all sort of things. Any way who knew a $5.00 bottle would save me so much money!!!
Ok I hope I was able to share something great today!
You can save the $5.00! The adhesive used on the mat is water resistant, all you need to do is to gently rub the sheet with your finger tips while holding it under cool running water. Then place the mat, adhesive side up, on a flat surface to dry. Clean as often as needed, and when the adhesive is no longer sticky, refresh it with a light spray of a repositional adhesive (Scotch, Sulky KK2000, etc.). Allow the adhesive to dry (it'll be tacky) after application, and you're good to go.
I simply rinse my cricut mat with a bit of dish detergent, warm water and rub with my finger to loosen the paper bits and dust and "stuff". When it loses its sticky I get a wide 2 way ZIG glue pen and run that all over. Let it set up to the the tacky stage and its good as new. Maybe a little better. I am able to do this maybe 2-3 times before it is too gunky to work anymore. I also had two 24 in mats I never used so I cut one of them in half for two new mats. I do not have any SU cleaner. I wonder if any cleaner would work?
Cool. Thanks for the tips. My mat is getting a little rusty and I haven't been able to purchase a new one, NO ONE has them in town. So I'm waiting to try anything to get it resticky until I have a new mat to work with. Thanks again for the tips.
You can save the $5.00! The adhesive used on the mat is water resistant, all you need to do is to gently rub the sheet with your finger tips while holding it under cool running water. Then place the mat, adhesive side up, on a flat surface to dry. Clean as often as needed, and when the adhesive is no longer sticky, refresh it with a light spray of a repositional adhesive (Scotch, Sulky KK2000, etc.). Allow the adhesive to dry (it'll be tacky) after application, and you're good to go.
I have an old empty SU stamp mist bottle that I put about a tablespoon of soap in and filled it with water that I keep for my Cricut mats. An old cloth diaper/burp rag or flour sack towel (I get them at the farm supply store for $1 each) works for me to wipe it off with after I spritz it with the cleaner.
Slightly off topic, but still concerning the Cricut mats - When using a brand new mat for the first time, it seems no matter how carefully I pull of the plastic cover, a bunch of the sticky stuff from the mat comes off with the cover. One new mat lost about half its stickiness to the protective cover, and I couldn't even use it. So aggravating! Does anyone else ever have that problem? Anyone know of a way to avoid that from happening?
I just bought a pack of 12x12 mats at WalMart last week. Maybe if they're out of them or don't sell the 12x12 and you ask them about it, they will start carrying them.
I would love to be able to just get new mats. I have not been able to find the 12 x 12 mats anywhere. I ordered them from Creative Express and they backordered them. Michael's doesn't have them, Walmart doesn't have them and those are the only places that sell Cricut stuff around here. Is anyone else having a problem finding them? There is an AC Moore about 90 minutes from here. I guess I will call them and see if they have any.
have you tried cricut.com or hsn.com(home shopping network runs deals) or I bought some 12X12 on ebay. good luck
I would love to be able to just get new mats. I have not been able to find the 12 x 12 mats anywhere. I ordered them from Creative Express and they backordered them. Michael's doesn't have them, Walmart doesn't have them and those are the only places that sell Cricut stuff around here. Is anyone else having a problem finding them? There is an AC Moore about 90 minutes from here. I guess I will call them and see if they have any.
Google '12x2 cricut mats' and a number of vendors will come up...hopefully one will be near you. If not, there are several online vendors.
Slightly off topic, but still concerning the Cricut mats - When using a brand new mat for the first time, it seems no matter how carefully I pull of the plastic cover, a bunch of the sticky stuff from the mat comes off with the cover. One new mat lost about half its stickiness to the protective cover, and I couldn't even use it. So aggravating! Does anyone else ever have that problem? Anyone know of a way to avoid that from happening?
You may be placing the plastic protection sheet on backwards. The first thing I do when I take my new mats out is put my initals on the plastic, that way when i peel it off I know which side to put back down.
Last edited by gsxrrrbabe; 07-20-2011 at 05:38 PM..
Reason: forgot to put post i was replying to
gsxrrrbabe.....I can't say I've ever had the problem you talk about. I could offer one suggestion.....burnish the protective cover before you remove it.
Also, the protective cover will only stick to on one side when you replace it over the sticky mat. The other side will be static and not stick.
I wash my mats, scrap off any glue, and then use zig glue or the slice glue will work as well. Make sure you keep in the square cutting area so that the glue won't get on the rollers of your cricut...really easy with both of these glues!!! I haven't bought a mat in a LONG while now!!!!
Slightly off topic as well. Cricut CANNOT void a warranty for using a third party product. They say they can but under the Magnuson-Moss Act, it wouldn't hold up. Not that anyone is going to court over stickying their mats
I've been cleaning my mats with water for a long long time. I haven't bought a new mat in over a year and I use them a lot. Another tip to try when your mat loses its stickyness, tape your paper down to the mat using painters tape. Holds the paper in place and can help out in a pinch. A roll of painters tape is now in my scraproom.
Not too long ago i was able to find a pack of mats for $5 at Target. Apparently they were paring down the scrapbook section and all the cricut stuff was on clearance.
I use Goo gone to get rid of all the yucky stuff then wash thoroughly with soap and water then tape off the edges and use Aleene's tack it over and over. It is VERY sticky though so I've watched some youtube videos where they water it down. I just stick the mat to my clothes to get some of the sticky off. Haven't purchased a mat in two years.
I have used a nylon scratcher and Dawn liquid dish soap to wash more for forever. After it's dry, I tape off the edges and spray it with Quilt Basting spray available from WalMart for about $5-6 for a huge can which I have yet to run dry. Why give Provocraft anymore of my hard earned money when it is so simple to re-stick a mat?
OMG Cleaning Your Cricut Mat!!!
New mats...
