In this post I’ll show you my favorite hack to clean a Cricut mat used for cutting felt or other fabric without stripping the mat of its stickiness.
Keep reading to learn what it is, as well a couple of other hacks I tried that didn’t work so well, or actually made things worse!
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a referral commission (or “store credit”) if you make a purchase.
Today I have a great tutorial on how to clean your pink Cricut fabric mat (though it will likely work great for other mats as well).
If you’re hesitant about cleaning your mat because you don’t want to mess it up, there’s no need to worry. I’ve tested 2 different cleaning methods and there is definitely a way to clean your fabric mat and NOT mess it up. Keep reading to find out!
So you just got your Cricut Maker and you jumped right into cutting out all types of materials with that pink fabric grip mat. It’s so exciting isn’t it? You just can’t wait to get started making things.
But after just a few cuts, did you notice the mat becoming less and less sticky?
Yeah, unfortunately it happens.
The pink Cricut fabric mat is made to hold fabrics in place while cutting. The adhesive has a stronger grip than the other Cricut mats. The only downside is fabrics leave small fibers and fuzz all over the mat. And it only takes a few times for the mat to become covered.
Fabrics like felt (which is what I use the most to make felt flower crafts) will inevitably leave fuzz all over your fabric mat and leave you wondering what to do next.
Should you toss it and get a new one? Should you try to clean it? But what if you ruin it? What’s the best way to clean your Cricut fabric grip mat?
What is the Best Way to Clean a Cricut Fabric Mat?
I actually didn’t find much information directly from Cricut on how to clean a fabric mat, but I’ve tested a couple of different methods and there is definitely a clear winner.
Keep reading to find out what worked!
Test #1: Remove Cricut Fabric Mat Debris with Strong Grip Transfer Tape
One website I looked at said Cricut doesn’t suggest using any cleaning sprays or soaps, but instead to try using Cricut’s strong grip transfer tape to stick onto the mat and pull up the fibers left from the fabric.
As you can see in the picture, it pretty much did nothing. Hardly anything came off of the mat onto the tape, which was disappointing!
Test #2: Using Cricut Transfer Tape as a Fabric Mat Barrier
I read about another transfer tape hack that looked like a good way to avoid using real cleaner for keeping a Cricut mat clean.
It said to take some Cricut transfer tape and place it sticky side up on top of the mat.
This idea is that the transfer tape sticks to the sticky part of your mat and your fabric sticks to the sticky part of the transfer tape. That way you keep your mat from getting that fuzz all over it. Sound great, right?
But when I tested out this Cricut hack, let’s just say it didn’t go well.
The patterns I use for cutting out flowers have lots of small intricate cuts from lots of petals. The blade cut through the fabric AND the transfer tape.
This left tons of small little pieces of tape stuck all over my mat. I was left scraping and picking off all those little pieces. Not fun.
Therefore, I don’t recommend using this hack if you are cutting out small, detailed patterns. Perhaps it would work better if your patterns are one large piece?
I am just sticking with using my fabric mat as is, and cleaning with the next Totally Awesome method (hint hint…!)
Test #3: Cleaning a Cricut Mat with Awesome Spray
Most of the sites and videos that I watched suggested using a cleaning spray called Totally Awesome. The best part is, it only costs $1 at the Dollar Tree. That IS totally awesome!
So I headed up the street to my neighborhood Dollar Tree and grabbed a bottle. The cashier asked if I had ever tried it before, and I told him “No, I had just read about it online.”
He began raving about what a great cleaner it was and said it’ll take the grease off a driveway.
Well he had me sold, lol. If it could take grease off a driveway, hopefully it could take felt fuzz off a Cricut mat… but would it strip off the grip as well?
I sprayed some cleaner onto the mat and starting rubbing the mat lightly with my fingers. The fuzz and fibers began to come off!
It actually worked great!
Once I had rubbed up all of the fuzz I washed the mat off with some warm water.
After that I used a blow dryer to dry off the mat and that was it. It was super clean and still sticky!
I highly recommend using the Totally Awesome spray to clean your pink Cricut fabric grip mat. It works great and doesn’t strip any of the adhesive off so it is still sticky. This is a great way to be able to reuse your mats for a longer time.
How to Clean a Pink Fabric Grip Mat Using Totally Awesome Spray
Here’s a quick recap of the cleaning steps:
- Wet the pink fabric grip mat by spraying Totally Awesome cleaner all over the mat.
- Lightly rub your fingers over the mat where the fibers are and they will begin to roll up.
- Run warm water over the mat to wash everything off.
- Let your pink fabric grip mat air dry or use a blow dryer to dry the mat faster.
- Voila! That’s it, now you have a perfectly clean and reusable Cricut fabric mat.
Cleaning a Cricut Mat with Baby Wipes
If you can’t find Totally Awesome spray, a good alternative is a baby wipe. I’ve seen pretty similar results using baby wipes.
Getting the Most Out of Your Cricut Fabric Mat
Now, it’s inevitable that your Cricut mats will eventually need to be replaced. But keeping them clean and sticky will help you get as many uses out of them as possible.
It’s definitely worth a little effort to save some money AND help save the Earth by not throwing out as much plastic.
Cricut Fabric Mat Not Sticky?
The Totally Awesome cleaning hack above does a great job of getting rid of most of debris without stripping the stickiness too much.
But after a while of using this cleaning method (or any of the other cleaning methods out there), your pink fabric mat will start to lose some of its grip. Not to worry, there’s also a hack for that!
How Can I Make My Cricut Fabric Mat Sticky Again?
You can actually buy a spray adhesive to replenish some of your mat’s grip!
Just give your mat a quick spray to extend its life.
What’s the Best Spray Adhesive for Cricut Mat?
The best adhesive sprays I’ve found for adding some grip to a Cricut fabric mat are Aleene’s Tacky Spray or Krylon Easy Tack.
Final Thoughts
It’s safe to say that using the Totally Awesome cleaner worked best when it comes to cleaning off those pesky little fibers and fuzz that get stuck all over your mat.
If you don’t have a Dollar Tree near you, try looking online. It is sold on Amazon but, of course it will cost more than it would from Dollar Tree. If you can’t find Totally Awesome, try using a baby wipe.
Whatever method you decide to use to clean your Cricut fabric mat, don’t stress too much about messing it up. The mats will eventually have to be replaced anyway, and a new mat will cost about $10.
But of course, it’s always great to save a little money (and plastic), so go ahead and give these these Cricut fabric mat hacks to extend the life of your mat!
Love these Cricut fabric mat tips? Be sure to share and pin it for later, and check out my other Cricut tips + felt flower projects on Indoorzy as well!
✎ Written By: Stephanie
Stephanie is passionate about creating beautiful easy DIY crafts for the home. On Indoorzy she shares felt craft tutorials and templates to make felt flower decor by hand, or with the help of her Cricut Maker.