How To Clean Stamps With Dried Ink

What Cleaning Method Should I Use?

If you lot have stamps, and use those stamps, you need to clean them! There are a lot of methods and products available to clean your stamps, then it tin be confusing to understand what is really best for the health of your stamp sets.

I volition provide some insight on different means to make clean your stamps, using Stampin' Up! products and dwelling house-made diy products. And, I will discuss the one matter you are probably using now, but should not be, and why.

Stampin' Scrub

The Stampin' Scrub (item #126200) has been around for a long time. So long, in fact, that I have the original version (with two five 1/2 x 7″ scrub mats) and the newer version (upgraded in size to mats of seven″ square). Both all the same clean my stamps well!

The mats are securely fastened to a hard, blackness plastic case that closes when not in employ. There is a raindrop symbol on one side corner (for washing) and a sunshine symbol in the other (for drying).

To use this, I simply spray the Stampin' Mist Postage stamp Cleaner on the wash pad every bit needed to keep it clammy. I never need a lot of the cleaner, information technology goes a very long way (refills are available as needed). The costly fiber scrub pads exercise a groovy chore of quickly cleaning and drying my stamps.

The Pros

I dear the slim folding contour for storage. It works efficiently, getting my stamps clean with a scrubbing motion. After cleaning and drying on the opposite mat, I can put my stamps away immediately. I also love the olfactory property of the cleaner; the description reads "lightly scented" and information technology reminds me of babe lotion.

The Cons

You practise need the specialty cleaner (some other production to buy, even though it is lovely and used minimally). And the current version of the Stampin' Scrub does not have removable pads for cleaning. And so, when it is fourth dimension to clean the cleaning pad, the whole unit needs to be run under water and rubbed until the ink is gone. Then, the unit needs to be propped open (tent style) to dry.

Merely Shammy

This reusable mat makes stamp cleaning effortless. When it arrives, it is a perfect stake purple, looking for h2o to moisten information technology. Like whatsoever shammy, if information technology dries out, just wet it back down before utilize.

This shammy is 5 x 7″, durable and thick (near a quarter inch). It will fit very nicely into a Standard Stamp Case (dvd style) for storage.

The Pros

It easily cleans my stamps with no chemicals, merely water. It will non leave a lint residue behind. I similar to pick the Simply Shammy upward every bit needed to curve and fold it around the stamp I am cleaning, but it is so lush that it works well flat too. The storage case fits within my cardmaking kit, so if I become, it goes as well.

The Cons

After apply, this purple shammy is non pretty. The ink volition stain it. A lot. This does not impact the shammy'south cleaning employ and will not transfer ink. And there is a fine line betwixt dry and moist. If it is kept continuously also moisture, it smells like gym socks in a bad way (only if you scent it close up, not from across the room). If it dries out completely, it requires a soaking water bathroom to recover pliability.

Stazon Cleaner

If you lot have ever used Stazon Ink, you lot know that cleaning information technology off your stamps is a challenge. The ink really stays on! That is why there is a specialty cleaner for this kind of ink.

The Stazon Cleaner has a soft scrub caput underneath the bottle's twist open up cap. When I utilize this liquid cleaner, I just capsize the bottle and rub the cleaning caput over my dirty stamp. The specialty stamp cleaner dissolves the Stazon Ink pretty quickly, like magic.

The Pros

Stazon Cleaner is the just postage stamp cleaner that is tough enough to remove Stazon Ink stains from stamps. It is also a stamp conditioner, as it is oily in nature. I similar that the cleaner and the scrubber are contained in easy to apply unit of measurement. I also have gotten a lot of mileage from ane small bottle.

The Cons

The Stazon Cleaner is not refillable, so when y'all run out, y'all need a consummate new unit. When used with cling stamps, you demand to immediately rinse the postage stamp with h2o to protect the adhesive on the label. It is non recommended to utilise with photopolymer stamps, as it may damage them.

Stamp Cleaning Pad

Don't glimmer or you will miss it! This newly offered product rolled out with the annual catalog in 2022, and is retiring in May of 2022. Information technology is a small case style stamp cleaner, ii 1/ii 10 4″ in size, pre-filled with a cleaning solution.

This postage stamp cleaner removes classic water based ink and craft ink from prophylactic and photopolymer stamps. A refill of the cleaning solution is also available until the end of this month.

The Pros

I like the small, enclosed stature of this stamp cleaning pad, and that it comes with cleaner installed. I also capeesh that a dissever refill is available. The most exciting thing with this cleaner is its use for tackling photopolymer stamps. I ran the following experiment:

First time use of a photopolymer stamp, inked twice in Lovely Lipstick Ink, then cleaned with the Stampin' Scrub and Stampin' Mist Cleaner. The stamp is lightly stained later on the initial cleaning procedure.

Here is the aforementioned photopolymer stamp after rubbing information technology on the Stamp Cleaning Pad. The staining is almost completely gone! This type of cleaning is very effective with immediate use. I tried to use an older red-stained stamp, and found that some of the stains came out, but not completely every bit indicated here.

The Cons

The Postage stamp Cleaning Pad looks dingy and dirty with use, as mine was once ivory in (pristine) color. It is recommended to rinse cling stamps with water immediately after cleaning, for the security of the adhesive characterization. Sadly, this cleaner is retiring earlier it got off the ground, therefore, many will miss out on it!

Dwelling-Made Shammy Cleaner

Most crafters know that home-made is all-time! This postage cleaner falls in that category. I created this crafty tool using a piece of regular car-washing style shammy material.

In fact, the whole kit and kaboodle was part of a stamp event I held ane summertime. My attendees received a piece of shammy, 6 ane/2 x 8″ in size and decorated their ain storage cases. This shammy folds nicely into the Standard Stamp Case, as the Simply Shammy above does. I included a handy cleaning chart besides.

Designer Serial Paper seven x 10 1/2″ fits nicely in the sleeve of the postage case. Decorate to your hearts content! And change styles as your mood changes. Don't take a DVD style stamp case? Think outside the box and into a spare container…butter, coolwhip, lunchmeat, jelly or pickle jar. They tin all exist busy with paper and ribbon also.

The Pros

The best matter virtually this shammy stamp cleaner is the limited expense involved. In fact, if you already have a shammy for other household uses, yous just demand a slice of it for your stamps. It uses water for cleaning. It wets down quickly for re-utilize. Yous can pick it up and scrub the nooks and crannies of your stamps. And no annoying lint left behind.

The Cons

Sometimes home-made is a little fourth course quality. Information technology actually depends on what y'all prefer in your craft area. This shammy does dry out pretty quickly, fifty-fifty in the plastic stamp case. The ink stains are permanent as well (though this does not affect utilize). After using the Only Shammy (regal), this one is sparse in comparison.

Baby Wipes: Non For Stamp Cleaning

Yep simply…they are so convenient. Everyone uses them. Why do you have them in your arts and crafts room, Julie, if you say "do not use them on your stamps"?

Been there, washed that! For a very long time, I used babe wipes to clean my stamps. Even afterward I lovingly adopted other stamp cleaners, this was my easy become-to instant stamp cleaner. Until…

The fuzzies started to attack my ink pads! Infant wipes exit lint all over your stamps when they are rubbed and scrubbed. The lint is hard to see, until yous use your stamps repeatedly in ink and the fuzzies current of air up at that place.

Information technology shortly becomes a fuzzy frenzy. Fuzz on stamps, fuzz on ink pads, then onto other stamps, horrible stamped images that incorporate fuzz. The fuzzing must finish!

My solution: take a strip (or more every bit needed) of masking or painters record and de-fuzz your ink pads. Yeah, you will pick up some ink, simply more than importantly, you will pick up the fuzz.

Next, stop using baby wipes for your stamp cleaning purposes. I realize this may be a hard expert-adieu, but your ink pads will appreciate your efforts. Think of the money yous volition relieve when you lot don't need to purchase more one-time-apply baby wipes…y'all tin can buy more stamps or paper instead!

And those infant wipes in my craft room…are best used on my inky fingers. Maybe even the corner of the clear block that picked up extra ink from the ink pad. But that is it.

Stamp Cleaning Options

There are and then many options when information technology comes to postage cleaning. The important thing, of course, is to make clean your stamps. They are a cracking investment, have good care of them!

If you desire to bank check out the cleaning solutions that Stampin' Up! has to offer, visit my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net, at your convenience. And if you take any great stamp cleaning tips, be sure to share them in the comments. We all need good, clean advice from time to fourth dimension!

Source: https://themainestamper.com/how-to-clean-your-stamps/

Posted by: hallmorbigh.blogspot.com

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