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I use SU's cleaner and Ultra Clean the most. I do tend to use wipes now and then, but try and make sure that at some point I use a regular cleaner on them just in case the wipes may dry them out.
Location: Stevenson WA, on the mighty Columbia River.
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I use SU! Stampin' Mist on my SU! scrubber, then mist it with water to moisten the pad if it seems too dry. I clean my scrubber pads under the faucet, adding detergent and a dish scrubber if it is really inked up.
I am looking forward to trying the cleaning recipes I've seen on here.
Kate
I use the SU cleaner and my pad. Love that pad. Use this for all water based ink. Pigment inks go directly to the sink and I use soft soap and a soft fingernail brush. Been doing this since I began stamping probably13 years ago. My stamps still look like new. Stazon always cleaned with Stazon cleaner. :o)
I was told early on in my stamping (waaay back when) that baby wipes would eventually damage rubber stamps so I stopped using them. Don't know if it's true for certain or not, but once I got a scrubber I found I liked using it much more anyway.
If the baby wipes contain lanolin, you don't want to use them with your rubber stamps, since lanolin will break down rubber.
__________________ Alice
[COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]>^..^
I use my copycat version of SU cleaner for dye inks - 2 Cups distilled water
2 T Rose Water (purchased at health store)it's a natural astringent
1 T Baby wash (I used a generic brand)
and I water it down 4:1 after I make it. I started watering down when I was an SU demo years ago and a director upline told me to at convention. Still works fine, just not the suds.
When using pigment I use a diluted version of Simple Green, about 20:1
I contacted Simple green to see what was safe for vulcanized rubber.
I have no problems with what I use, I don't mind stained stamps either.
Location: Virginia, where we have the beach and mountains all in one state!!
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I use spray mist and the scrub pad for the most part. Very convenient for me. There are times when my stamps need just good old warm water and very small amount of soap. The only time do not use the spray mist and scrubber is when I use pigment ink, for that I hand was the stamps.
I use SU! Stampin' Mist on my SU! scrubber, then mist it with water to moisten the pad if it seems too dry. I clean my scrubber pads under the faucet, adding detergent and a dish scrubber if it is really inked up.
I am looking forward to trying the cleaning recipes I've seen on here.
Kate
I also use the stampin mist and then REFRESH with water. This can sometimes make it really sudsy on your stamp but is a great way to extend the life of my stampin mist.
With dye and hybrid inks, I use full-strength Stampin' Mist with the scrubber. For pigment ink, I blot on a damp paper towel to remove most of the left over ink and then clean with SM and the scrubber.
I've been stamping for well over 10 years and have always used a plastic pencil box with 2 painting pads inside. I wet them both and then spray one of them with the homemade SU type of cleaner. It's very gentle and still gets into all the noocks and cranies of my stamps. When thye get really gross, I just soak the pads overnight in bleach water and then rinse well. I've only replaced the pads twice!
whoa..great ideas here ..I am wondering about the homemade cleaner some of U R using ..what kind of baby wash do U use.. is it something like body wash????
Location: Stevenson WA, on the mighty Columbia River.
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Originally Posted by stampin(mypassion)
whoa..great ideas here ..I am wondering about the homemade cleaner some of U R using ..what kind of baby wash do U use.. is it something like body wash????
Think Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash, or any of the other brands out there.
I use Stampin Up! cleaner full strength on my scrubber pad. I use the Stayz On cleaner when I use Stayz On ink. If my stamps are really inky, I wipe them off first on a baby wipe. That helps keep my scrubber pad clean. I wash it regularly as well.
I use the Stampin' Up cleaner with my Stampin' Up scrubber for regular dye based inks. I use Ultra clean and a paint pad scrubber for using with Ultra Clean for Stazon and other kinds of inks. The paint pad scrubber is nice to clean off bg stamps and wheels too. I can lay the stamp rubber side up, and just take the paint pad and scrub over the top of it. It works better than trying to rub the stamp on the scrubber for me.
I clean both my scrubbers after every big stamping job, or after a couple of smaller ones. I just wash them in the sink with warm water and dish soap. They dry in no time if I set them on the table under the ceiling fan.
I tried using the Simple Green/water solution, but I just can't stand the smell of Simple Green.
I don't use the Ultra Clean on my SU scrubber because of the oiliness. That's why I keep them separate.
I use a spray mist called Jazzy Stamp Cleaner and my Stamp N Scrub pad. I got the mist from a LSS that is now out of business though so I don't know what I will use when it is gone.
[QUOTE=Jami;11167507]I use my SU scrubber and on the wet side I spray Ultra Clean on one half and SU Mist (full strength) on the other half. For black or other dark inks I scrub on the Ultra Clean part first and then the SU Mist part (followed of course by the dry side), because although I love the way Ultra Clean works I hate the oily feel it leaves. For lighter inks I just rub over the SU Mist part.
QUOTE]
This is exactly what I do! UC upper left, SU mist lower left, and then the right is dry.
The UC is strong enough for any type of ink or any duration left unwashed, so I'm covered!
__________________ My Avatar = Me at Providence Regionals, pointing at my swap on the display board, submitted at Convention 2006!
Hello! I have a master's degree in museum studies as well as on in library studies, so I try to be pretty careful about what I use in order to prolong the life of my treasured STUFF. That's not to say that others don't care about their stuff, but I know that a lot of things get passed along as "gospel truth" and they aren't always correct nor appropriate!
Anyway--I do NOT have a degree in chemistry, nor have I done much in the object conservation area. However, based on what info I've picked up in the field, this is what I do:
For my dye ink, such as SU! Classic ink, I wet a washcloth (squeeze out the excess water) and put it on a plastic lid (I use the Sterilite-type storage ones from Target), so the moisture stays contained. The terry cloth nap helps get into the grooves as I rub. Since dye ink is waterbased, it comes off easily. I also use this for my wheels. It's absolutely free--I'm sure you have old washcloths sitting around and probably some old plastic containers. It's also very "green."
For pigment ink, such as Craft ink, I use Stampin' Mist (I am a SU! demo) and my Stampin' Scrub.
I use Staz-On cleaner for Staz-On. I have never tried Ultra Clean--my LSS doesn't carry it. Many people rave about it, though. I just don't know much about it.
I would NOT recommend baby wipes. Though most are no longer made with alcohol, which is very drying, they do have chemicals that can leave a residue on the stamps. Why spend the money?
I also wouldn't recommend diluting Stampin' Mist, but I'm a purist! I can completely understand the concerns about its fragrance.
In a pinch, I have used just water under the tap for Craft ink (meaning: I don't know WHERE I've put my Stampin' Mist!), and the old toothbrush method is a good idea (I did tap water, then rubbed on the dry side of my Stampin' Scrub).
Each day I use a new washcloth--just need to clean those when I do laundry. I clean my Scrub once a day if I've used it a lot, or every few times if I haven't. I wash mine with shampoo or gel soap in the sink--both sides of the scrub--press it hard against a dry towel, then it dries overnight. I know some people wash them in their dishwasher--that can (and should be!) high heat, so I haven't wanted to try that.
Maybe you experts can help me out. I had this brand new clear stamp and used Color Box Chalk Ink the first time I stamped with it... but after stamping, the ink wouldn't leave the stamp. I tried stamp cleaner, Stazon Cleaner, soap.... but the stain seemed permanent. Any tips?
Clear stamps stain - I have several differnt brands and so far, all of them have become stained. You can try Ultra Clear as it's terriffic but it still may not remove all the ink. The stain doesn't hurt the stamp. In fact, I have a set of Papertrey stamps with tiny words that were hard to see so I inked them all with black stazon and let it dry. Now I can see the words and I don't stress about if the stamps are stained.
It seems everyone uses some type of cleaner or scrub.
I use baby wipes as soon as I'm done stamping. They have not ruined a stamp yet.
As far as when I use StazOn, I use alcohol pads. The ones like the ones you get at the doctor's office. Well they sell those in boxes at Sams club and such and they don't hold a lot of alcohol so they also don't damage my stamps. In fact I have found that these clean all the StazOn ink off better than any commercial product I've noticed with no problems. You simply open the pack and scrub the StazOn off and make sure they are completely dry by wiping them with a paper towel or old rag. They still look new and not all white or black from the leftover StazOn ink.
I know a lot of people are going to argue that this will damage the stamps but I believe it would take a lot of alcohol to damage the stamps and if you're only using them occassionally then there should be no problem. The same for baby wipes which people seem to be so worried about. IMO
__________________ Those who fail to plan... Plan to fail.
Those who refuse to work for themselves will always work for others.
Clear stamps stain - I have several differnt brands and so far, all of them have become stained. You can try Ultra Clear as it's terriffic but it still may not remove all the ink. The stain doesn't hurt the stamp. In fact, I have a set of Papertrey stamps with tiny words that were hard to see so I inked them all with black stazon and let it dry. Now I can see the words and I don't stress about if the stamps are stained.
I have been using clear stamps for three years now and not many of them has a stain. I believe this is due to the fact that I use baby wipes immediately after I use my stamps. I quick wipe off is key. When you put off cleaning the dye has a chance to dry. So the best you can do is stamp then clean.
__________________ Those who fail to plan... Plan to fail.
Those who refuse to work for themselves will always work for others.
I use alcohol-free baby wipes. I'm also careful of the brand. Some of the soft expensive brands leave fuzzies on my stamps. The cheap ones seem to work best. ;) I put my tub of wipes on one side of the scrub pad and lay the current wipe on the other side of the scrub pad.... no wet mess to clean off the table.
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It seems everyone uses some type of cleaner or scrub.
I use baby wipes as soon as I'm done stamping. They have not ruined a stamp yet.
As far as when I use StazOn, I use alcohol pads. The ones like the ones you get at the doctor's office. Well they sell those in boxes at Sams club and such and they don't hold a lot of alcohol so they also don't damage my stamps. In fact I have found that these clean all the StazOn ink off better than any commercial product I've noticed with no problems. You simply open the pack and scrub the StazOn off and make sure they are completely dry by wiping them with a paper towel or old rag. They still look new and not all white or black from the leftover StazOn ink.
I know a lot of people are going to argue that this will damage the stamps but I believe it would take a lot of alcohol to damage the stamps and if you're only using them occassionally then there should be no problem. The same for baby wipes which people seem to be so worried about. IMO
You won't get an argument from me because I see way too many people storing their stamps on open shelves and I know from experience how much damage is done to the rubber as I live in sunny California with little humidity. So if alcohol wipes work for you, bravo for finding a new tip.
On occassion, I've cleaned my rubber stamps with odorless mineral spirits when I needed to remove some sticky goo and have not seen any issues. I don't wouldn't consider this for clear stamps but it sure removes all the old ink.
Another agreement on the cheap baby wipes. I thought I have a nice treat and bought a better brand and they were fuzzy wuzzy. Now, I'm back to the dollar store brand with no issues. But I am trying to go green and have less waste so I thinking of go with towels. I buy the cheap white hand towels at CostCo instead of pretty hand towels for everyday use. When they start to wear out I use them for cleaning. They will work great, thanks for the tip.
Big thanks to everyone who posted! Someone recently returned some stamps they had borrowed, and the condition they were in was less than good. I tried using my stampin' mist, which I am a big fan of, to no avail. Thanks to the postings, I used my stazon, and have successfully gotten most of the stains off. (YAY!)
I must be a horrible abuser! I use liquid dish soap and a toothbrush, then rinse. I've been stamping for over 15 years and haven't noticed any degradation with my stamps. Many that I have considered buying from my SU demonstrator are stained, not clear and hard. Go figure!
I always use water first- if that cleans the stamp then I'm done without using any chemicals. For spray I use the CTMH brand. I also have the Stazon cleaner when all else fails. And, if all else fails including Stazon, I have a stained stamp- oh, well. Stained stamps work just as well so it's really no big deal.
My clear stamps are mostly stained- which is fine because I can see the images better. I actually like the idea I read here of purposely staining the small ones and the word/sentiment stamps to make them easier to decipher- thanks for the tip!
I use a water-based stamp cleaner by Inkssentials that smell like bubblegum. Works great! and I use it with a scrubber pad. For my harder inks, I use a homemade version with glycerin, sterile water and dish soap.
Location: Stevenson WA, on the mighty Columbia River.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jnsyr
Hello! I have a master's degree in museum studies as well as on in library studies, so I try to be pretty careful about what I use in order to prolong the life of my treasured STUFF. That's not to say that others don't care about their stuff, but I know that a lot of things get passed along as "gospel truth" and they aren't always correct nor appropriate!
I have several cleaners. Usually I use SU stampin mist, full strength. If I stamp with stazon then I use stazon cleaner. If neither of those work I will resort to Ultra Clean. My DH thinks I'm crazy with all the stamp stuff I have, to even have 3 kinds of cleaner.
What I use
