Cards By Regina: Re-Sticking Your Cutting Mat (Silhouette, Cricut)

Hi everybody! About a month and a half ago I bought a Cameo Silhouette machine. I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet but what I have spent, I love it! A problem that I started having, a little too early in my opinion, is that the mat wasn't sticky anymore. My paper started moving around as it was going through the machine. Not good! A friend of mine pointed out a website called Craftaholics Anonymous, http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/.

The list below is on her site and I just wanted to share it with you. Hopefully one of these tips will help me and if you have questions about how to clean your mat or try to make it sticky again, it will help you as well.

How to Clean a Cutting Mat

“I use nail polish remover on my Silhouette mats and it works great….” -Ryann S.
“To re sticky I wash it with warm soapy water and let it air dry.” -Stefanie D.
“I used baby wipes to clean them let them dry and they are sticky again….give it a try u will like it, I haven’t bought a mat in awhile” -Reba M.
“Take a wet wipe and clean the mat…it lasts for a few more uses!” -Angie O.
“I don’t know if this was said but my mom said to try to clean off the matt with Goof Off ” -Felisha H.
“A lint roller helps maintain the stickiness for longer too.” -Jody K.
“I tried the baby wipe thing. PLEASE test it on a small portion first before you ruin your entire mat. My mat is no longer sticky in the area I used the wipe on.” -Melissa L.
“I went to a convention and this is what the cricut guy told me. Soak in dawn soap(I did it for 24 hrs). Then use a scraper and scrape off the stuff left on the mat and dry Then take reposition tape runner all over mat. Wait 10 mins. Then start using. Hope this helps” -Sharon P.
“Get a baby wipe and rub it…. You to have to push while rubbing and then let it dry. Make sure there is not bleach in the wipes.” -Jill H.
“I have had to re sticky my mat many time, I use DE- Solv-it to clean the old sticky” -Dania F.

How to Re-Stick a Cutting Mat
”Spray adhesive works to prolong the matts life.” -Lynn W.
“I have personally heard that elmers repositionable glue sticks for poster board work great and are the easiest!” -Nicole A.
“Krylon’s Easy-Tack Repositionable Adhesive” -Judi S.
“Spray adhesive will work on old ones in a pinch” -Jodi M.
“Definitely spray adhesive! Works great for fabric cutting too.” -Karen C.
” I use quilt basting spray on my mat, it works very well” -Donna R.
“I tried spray adhesive, but it didn’t work.” -Melanie H.
“I use the large Zig two-way glue all over the surface and let it dry completely…works like a charm!” -Amie K.
“Crafters companion stick and spray….. But don’t spray the mat as this can end up getting the adhesive on the machines rollers, spray directly to the back of what you are going to cut ie paper, card , material etc x” -Kerry G.
” I use the zig glue stick to get another layer of stickiness on my mats. ” -Vickie O.
“Custom crops as these two great spray on products – one you spray on and then scrape off the old glue. Then there is a new adhesive you spray on.” -Annette E.
“Check out a glue called Best Glue Ever and it works awesome for cricut mats.. you put it on with an old credit card and let it dry and it is tackier than even new mats come.. I stick it to my hand a couple times so it’s not so super sticky =] I haven’t bought a new mat in over a year.” -Tarynne W.
“I did the search a while back and found that you paint them with a dilluted mixture of aileens tacky glue and water. Worked wonders!” -Nancy W.
“Tape off the edges as you don’t want adhesive to gunk up your wheels. Then spray with quilters basting spray from Walmart. You never need buy another mat again. ” -Suzy B.
“Sulky makes a temporary spray adhesive called KK2000 that might work. It does build up on plastic surfaces, but can be cleaned off with rubbing alcohol.” -Marilyn S.