How to Clean a Fabric Cutting Mat

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If you quilt or sew clothes, your fabric cutting mat is probably one of your most used tools. I don’t know about you, but personally, it’s also one of my most overlooked tools. I’m diligent about cleaning my sewing machines and iron and changing my rotary cutter blades. But the cutting mat doesn’t get nearly as much love!

So today, I’m showing you a few ways to keep your fabric cutting mat in ship shape so it lasts as long as possible and even gives you better cuts next time you use it.

Self-healing cutting mats are made from material that separates slightly when you cut on it and then contracts after the blade passes through. The surface leaves no visible line after you cut, which is why these mats are called “self-healing.”

But just because they have self-healing properties, it doesn’t mean they’re magic. You still need to care for your mat to keep it in good condition. Cleaning your mat, storing it properly, and using the correct tools will all help extend its life.

Why You Should Clean Your Cutting Mat

Cutting mats collect a lot of fabric lint and fuzz in the grooves when you cut. The fibers get trapped in the areas where you cut because the material closes up around them as it “heals” itself. While this is just your mat doing its thing, you actually want to clean off the fuzz so the mat can heal itself properly. When there’s too much fuzz in the grooves, they can’t close.

Your mat will probably also collect dirt that you don’t even see, so it’s good to clean it regularly for that reason alone. When I wash my mat, I’m always surprised how dirty my cleaning tools get!

Methods for Cleaning Your Cutting Mat

You can use a variety of things to clean your cutting mat, but some work better than others. Here are a few things I’ve tried:

Erasers

Many people will tell you to scrub an eraser over the cutting mat. The friction and stickiness of the eraser helps remove the lint. I have tried this method, but it’s not my favorite because it creates a fair amount of eraser dust that you have to clean up. Not only that, it also leaves a slight residue on my mat. This could depend on what kind of eraser you’re using and the kind of mat you have. For me, it’s not ideal but you can try it.

Masking Tape

Using tape is somewhat effective for getting lint out of your cutting mat. You can try pressing it to the mat and peeling the tape off to see how much fabric will come out of the grooves. In my case, this isn’t enough though. To make making tape effective, you have to press and rub it onto the mat using a little elbow grease. You really need the friction and pressure to get stubborn fuzz out of the mat.

Soap & Water

Some people also like to clean their mat by soaking it in water with a little mild soap. This is really more for deep cleaning than for getting fuzz off the mat, although some fuzz will inevitably come off as well. My problem with this method is that it really only works for smallish mats. If you have a 36″ cutting mat, it won’t even fit in a bath tub.

For large mats, you can spot clean with a damp cloth soaked in warm (not hot!) water with a little bit of mild soap. I wipe down my mat with a damp cloth after using other methods to get the fuzz off. To make it more effective, use a lint-free cloth (not a fuzzy fabric or paper towel), or else you’ll create more mess.

Silicone Mat Scrubbing Tools

Now onto my favorite method for cleaning a cutting mat! I recently discovered this silicone mat scrubbing pad when shopping on a quilt supply website. I’d never heard of these before, but decided to give it a try.

To use these, you just rub the silicone pad over the surface of the mat and it creates friction that removes the fuzz. The fuzz will ball up on your mat or collect in the grooves of the pad. Just brush off the lint and keep going until you’ve removed all the fuzz from your mat.

I like these because they can be washed and reused over and over again. They’re also faster than using masking tape. I got the best results when using the silicone mat scrubbing pad to remove the majority of the fuzz, then using masking tape to scrub out the stubborn bits that were left behind.

Where to Buy These

When I received my mat scrubber in the mail, I realized it was actually a tool designed for cleaning makeup brushes. You can buy these from quilt suppliers like I did, or you can get the exact same thing on Amazon for way less. Usually, I prefer to support a quilt supplier, but it’s a pretty big cost difference, so I just wanted to share what I learned.

With that being said, The Gypsy Quilter brand does have a silicone mat scrubber that’s designed specifically for cleaning cutting mats. Unlike the generic makeup brush pads, these have a little pocket that makes the tool easier to hold and use. The ridges are also a little deeper, which can help with cleaning. You can sometimes find this brand in stock with quilt supply companies, but they’re also available on Amazon or from a couple of sellers on Etsy.

How to Care for Your Cutting Mat

Cleaning your mat will make it last a lot longer, but so will storing and caring for it properly. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when using your mat:

• Always store it so it lays flat and doesn’t bend or roll when not in use.
• Don’t keep a mat in direct sunlight or in hot places like by a heat vent or in your car in the summer.
• Never iron on your mat unless it’s a Cut ‘N Press mat, which is designed to withstand high temperatures.
• Don’t roll the mat up when traveling with it. It’s better to get a smaller mat just for traveling so you don’t have to roll it.
• Always use the mat on a hard, flat surface when cutting. I made the mistake of cutting with my mat on rug when working on the floor, but the softer surface meant I put more pressure on my mat and actually cut through it.
• Change your rotary blades regularly so they’re always sharp. Dull blades tend to create deeper lines that prevent your cutting mat from healing itself. Dull blades also embed more lint into the cracks.
• Avoid cutting in the same lines over and over again. This will create deeper grooves that don’t close up.

Storing a cutting mat can be a bit of a challenge because you have to keep it flat. This can be especially difficult if you have a giant 36″ cutting mat. It’s tempting to stand cutting mats upright on their end, but this can lead to warping if the mat isn’t completely flat. Here are a few ways to get around that:

• Store the mat under the bed if you can.
• If your mat has a hole at the end, use it to hang the mat. The largest sizes usually don’t have these because the mat is too large to hang from a single hole.
• Use a clamp-style clothes hanger to hang your cutting mat in the closet if it doesn’t have holes. Try to find a heavy-duty one with clamps that are rubber-lined. Heavy mats will slip right out of a felt-covered clamp hanger.
• Make a storage “pocket” by taping large pieces of stiff cardboard together to create a folder. Then slide the cutting mat inside and store it standing up. The cardboard will keep the mat from warping and you can tuck it out of the way standing upright.

I hope these tips work for you! Feel free to share what you do to keep your cutting mat clean in the comments. Happy sewing!