Maintaining Your Sewing Machine

Learning how to clean a sewing machine is an important part of sewing, as it allows you to maintain your machine and keep it running smoothly for years to come. Ashley Hough breaks down how and where you should be cleaning your machine on a regular basis and what tools to use when cleaning.

How to Clean a Sewing Machine

Tools

Ashley begins by talking about some of the different tools that can be used when cleaning a sewing machine. She begins by showing the small brushes that usually come with a sewing machine when you buy it, but then also shows a larger, similar tool that can be purchased separately. Another “tool” to use when doing sewing machine cleaning is a simple piece of folded fabric.

Focus Areas

Once she goes over the tools needed to keep your machine running smoothly, Ashley shows the parts of the machine that should be cleaned. She then shows one of the areas to clean on a sewing machine, which is the area that the thread passes through with each stitch—the tension disks. She explains that lint and dust can build up in this area as easily as it can in others, and that it is a good idea to use a folded piece of cotton fabric to floss out the tension disk area.

Ashley shows a few other places on the outside of your machine that you should be cleaning, then moves on to show how to clean the bobbin case and bobbin area of the machine. Of all places on your sewing machine to clean on a regular basis, this is one of the most overlooked areas—however, it is an area that can gather the most lint.

Learning how to clean your sewing machine and other maintenance tips will help keep your machine running smoothly and all of your projects and stitches coming out perfect.