Mat Maintenance

self-healing mat soaking in a tub of tepid water
A couple of months ago, I did something crazy and gave my self-healing mat a soaking bath. Why?  I read this article and did some research online. None of my research revealed that the mats were ruined this method, so I gave it a try. (Note: self-healing mats come in all sizes and are used for many different crafts, not just quilting)

It was recommended that the mat be flat, but my large mat did not fit in the tub, so I was cautious to keep both edges in the water and carefully removed the mat from the tepid water after about fifteen minutes.

Once out of the tub, I gave the mat a good scrub with Murphy's Oil soap, as explained in the following response that I found on the OLFA site.

source
click image to enlarge
using a nail brush to give the mat a good cleaning
with Murphy's Oil soap
My mat is now clean and a bit brighter. Is it like new? Of course not, but I didn't expect that. My mat does seem to have fewer sections that have deep grooves.

Other maintenance is recommended for the mats:

source


Will I soak my mats again? Yes, probably a couple of times a year just for preventative maintenance, especially since I live in a dry climate.

What maintenance do you do on your self-healing mats?

Comments

  1. I've seen this soaking method online but was always afraid to try it. Wonder if it would work on a mat that is warped.

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  2. Isn't it great that we can access information like this so easily? I'm glad it seemed to help the condition of your mat.

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  3. I feel like my mother has too many of those. ha!

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  4. I had to look up what that kind of mat was!!!! See you still teach me~

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  5. I hadn't heard that method before. So you think it healed some of your bigger cuts? This weekend we went to a quilt store and I saw a mat smoother - it felt like a rough stone but a website said it was made of a polymer. It was for smoothing off burrs and fibers that get embedded in the cuts.

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  6. Oh thank you for this Nancy!! I would of never thought... I will give mine a good bath before it is used in our new home:)

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  7. Jim got me a very large cutting mat and the instructions to clean it with a good soak. Thanks for this post, I just hope mine will fit in our tub.

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  8. So far I haven't done any maintenance on my mat, but now may have to do so. We don't have a tub, though, just a shower. I suppose I could put something over the drain and use the shower floor as a kind of "tub". Glad you posted this.

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