One of the most asked questions about a Cricut is “How do I make my mat sticky again?” Depending what you use your mat for it can lose its stick very quickly.
There are many ways to do this and we all have our own way but if your new to the world of cricut here are a few ideas to help you out:-
Baby Wipes
These are great if your mat is not too dirty. You simply wipe the mat over with your wet wipe and let it dry. Its as simple as that!
Hot Soapy Water
Quite simply wash your mat in hot soap water and hang it out to dry.
Now if your mat is very dirty and has absolutely no stick at all we need to use a bit more of a drastic measure.
Used a lot by the Cricut and Crafty Community is Goo Gone. This will complete remove the top surface of your mat. The instructions are simple.
- Spray a small amount onto your mat
- Spread it around your mat with a scraper
- Let the Goo Gone sit on your matt for 20-30 minutes to allow it to work its magic!
- After 20-30 minutes scrap all the residue off your mat
- Let the mat dry completely
Now your mat is clean but no longer sticky so we now have to make it sticky again!
I prefer to use the The Zig Glue Pen as you have total control over it. You can use spray adhesive but you have to mask off your mat and do it in a well ventilated area. With the Zig Pen this does not have to be done.
Applying it is quite simple:-
- Apply the glue to the inside of the mat. This will be the grided area. If any gets onto the outside on the mat it can be easily be wiped off WARNING If any glue gets on the edge of the mat it can stick to your rollers so be very careful on this stage
- Allow your glue to turn clear which usually takes 20-30 minutes.
- If you feel your mat is too sticky you can use an old t shirt and just dab it all over the mat to take a little of the stickiness off
TIP:DO NOT PUT THE CLEAR FILM BACK ON YOUR MAT FOR A FEW HOURS OTHERWISE IT MIGHT GET COMPLETELY STUCK!
So there we have it, you can now save yourself from having to buy new mats and spend your money on more vinyl!