What Cleaning Method Should I Use?
If you have stamps, and use those stamps, you need to clean them! There are a lot of methods and products available to clean your stamps, so it can be confusing to understand what is actually best for the health of your stamp sets.
I will provide some insight on different ways to clean your stamps, using Stampin’ Up! products and home-made diy products. And, I will discuss the one thing 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 5 1/2 x 7″ scrub mats) and the newer version (upgraded in size to mats of 7″ square). Both still clean my stamps well!
The mats are securely attached to a hard, black plastic case that closes when not in use. 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 Stamp Cleaner on the wash pad as needed to keep it damp. I never need a lot of the cleaner, it goes a very long way (refills are available as needed). The plush fiber scrub pads do a great job of quickly cleaning and drying my stamps.
The Pros
I love the slim folding profile 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 smell of the cleaner; the description reads “lightly scented” and it reminds me of baby lotion.
The Cons
You do need the specialty cleaner (another product 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. So, when it is time 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.
Simply Shammy
This reusable mat makes stamp cleaning effortless. When it arrives, it is a perfect pale purple, looking for water to moisten it. Like any shammy, if it dries out, just wet it back down before use.
This shammy is 5 x 7″, durable and thick (about 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, just water. It will not leave a lint residue behind. I like to pick the Simply Shammy up as needed to bend and fold it around the stamp I am cleaning, but it is so lush that it works well flat too. The storage case fits inside my cardmaking kit, so if I go, it goes too.
The Cons
After use, this purple shammy is not pretty. The ink will stain it. A lot. This does not affect the shammy’s cleaning use and will not transfer ink. And there is a fine line between dry and moist. If it is kept continuously too wet, it smells like gym socks in a bad way (only if you smell it close up, not from across the room). If it dries out completely, it requires a soaking water bath to recover pliability.
Stazon Cleaner
If you have ever used Stazon Ink, you know that cleaning it 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 head underneath the bottle’s twist open cap. When I use this liquid cleaner, I just invert the bottle and rub the cleaning head over my dirty stamp. The specialty stamp cleaner dissolves the Stazon Ink pretty quickly, like magic.
The Pros
Stazon Cleaner is the only 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 like that the cleaner and the scrubber are contained in easy to use unit. I also have gotten a lot of mileage from one small bottle.
The Cons
The Stazon Cleaner is not refillable, so when you run out, you need a complete new unit. When used with cling stamps, you need to immediately rinse the stamp with water to protect the adhesive on the label. It is not recommended to use with photopolymer stamps, as it may damage them.
Stamp Cleaning Pad
Don’t blink or you will miss it! This newly offered product rolled out with the annual catalog in 2019, and is retiring in May of 2020. It is a small case style stamp cleaner, 2 1/2 x 4″ in size, pre-filled with a cleaning solution.
This stamp cleaner removes classic water based ink and craft ink from rubber 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 appreciate that a separate refill is available. The most exciting thing with this cleaner is its use for tackling photopolymer stamps. I ran the following experiment:
The Cons
The 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 label. Sadly, this cleaner is retiring before it got off the ground, therefore, many will miss out on it!
Home-Made Shammy Cleaner
Most crafters know that home-made is best! This stamp 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 one summer. My attendees received a piece of shammy, 6 1/2 x 8″ in size and decorated their own storage cases. This shammy folds nicely into the Standard Stamp Case, as the Simply Shammy above does. I included a handy cleaning chart as well.
The Pros
The best thing about this shammy stamp cleaner is the limited expense involved. In fact, if you already have a shammy for other household uses, you just need a piece of it for your stamps. It uses water for cleaning. It wets down quickly for re-use. You 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 grade quality. It really depends on what you prefer in your craft area. This shammy does dry out pretty quickly, even in the plastic stamp case. The ink stains are permanent as well (though this does not affect use). After using the Simply Shammy (purple), this one is thin in comparison.
Baby Wipes: NOT For Stamp Cleaning
Yes but…they are so convenient. Everyone uses them. Why do you have them in your craft room, Julie, if you say “do not use them on your stamps”?
Been there, done that! For a very long time, I used baby wipes to clean my stamps. Even after I lovingly adopted other stamp cleaners, this was my easy go-to instant stamp cleaner. Until…
The fuzzies started to attack my ink pads! Baby wipes leave lint all over your stamps when they are rubbed and scrubbed. The lint is hard to see, until you use your stamps repeatedly in ink and the fuzzies wind up there.
It soon becomes a fuzzy frenzy. Fuzz on stamps, fuzz on ink pads, then onto other stamps, horrible stamped images that contain fuzz. The fuzzing must stop!
My solution: take a strip (or more as needed) of masking or painters tape and de-fuzz your ink pads. Yes, you will pick up some ink, but more importantly, you will pick up the fuzz.
Next, stop using baby wipes for your stamp cleaning purposes. I realize this may be a hard good-bye, but your ink pads will appreciate your efforts. Think of the money you will save when you don’t need to buy more one-time-use baby wipes…you can buy more stamps or paper instead!
And those baby 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 so many options when it comes to stamp cleaning. The important thing, of course, is to clean your stamps. They are a great investment, take good care of them!
If you want to 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 have any great stamp cleaning tips, be sure to share them in the comments. We all need good, clean advice from time to time!