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Here's a heads up for all of you who use baby wipes to clean your stamps. A friend of mine was taking a class and the instructor told her not to use baby wipes to clean her stamps any more because the emolients in the wipes will eventually leave a film on your ink pads. I have always heard that it was ok to use them and have, but if this could possibly be right, I don't want to take a chance on ruining my pads.
I used to use baby wipes, too, and then I discovered SU's stampin mist and scrub pad...you will never use baby wipes again! (Geez, I sound like a commercial!) Not sure about residue from the wipes, but the mist & scrub are so much more convenient and quick!
my sister is a stampin up demonstrator, and told me the wipes are bad for stamps too. Something about the alchohol. So I guess I will have to resort to the stampin scrub mist too. My sister uses it and I love it when she comes over so I can use hers!!!!
I've been stamping for 15 years and the only bad thing I've heard about using baby wipes is the alcohol...it makes the rubber deteriorate. But, I buy the ones without alcohol...with aloe. Though most of the time I use my stampin' scrub and stampin' mist (since I was given them as a gift). But, when traveling..I still use the baby wipes. Haven't had a problem with either the stamp pads or the rubber. Anyone out there that's a chemist that could clarify all this would help!!
I used to use baby wipes, too, and then I discovered SU's stampin mist and scrub pad...you will never use baby wipes again! (Geez, I sound like a commercial!) Not sure about residue from the wipes, but the mist & scrub are so much more convenient and quick!
This was me except I finally broke down and purchased the SU! pad and mist after becoming a demonstrator. What was I thinking before? Not only is it more convenient, but less messy as well. And, the mist goes a long way, at least it does for me anyway. One of the best buys yet!
most baby wipes today don't contain alcohol. it's just as bad for a baby's bum as it is for your stamps. i use baby wipes as a first clean of my stamps after i have used pigment ink on my stamps or to wipe off the stazon cleaner. don't want to get that goopy stuff on stampin scrub. after the worst is off i follow up with stamp cleaner on my stampin scrub.
I can't say enough good things about SU's stampin mist and scrub pad!! If you don't have them, do yourself a favor and invest in them - they are worth every penny!
Before I had mine, I used a brand of cleaner that I found at Michael's. A friend of mine kept telling me I should try the SU products. When I finally did, I think my mouth was hanging open because I was so surprised at how quickly the stamps were cleaned!
Bite the bullet and get them - - you'll be glad you did. In a hurry or traveling? Spray onto a paper towel, napkin, etc., and clean your stamps that way.
I even got a second stamp and scrub, so when I'm "in the stampin' zone" and have to quit to get some sleep, I can wash one and if it's not dry in the a.m., use the other!!!
I had also heard only that the alcohol was bad, but as you've mentioned, most have no alcohol.
I wonder if anyone has done a scientific study of cost effectiveness, buying the stampin' scrub and mist versus keeping buying wipes.
Yeah right. LOL
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
I also have a second set of mist and scrub pad in case the other is wet!!
Nothing else cleans as well that I've found! Stampers at I class I attended at a local stamp store were using antibiotic (Purell type) gel and wiping the stamps with a TOWEL! What a pain, mess and hard way to clean the stamps. Funny thing is, the instructor was a SU demo. What was she thinking???
I normally use my Stampin' Mist however, I will sometimes us baby wipes if I have a large group of women here scrapping or stamping. I've used wipes for 12 years now and none of my old pads are yucky or ruined. Maybe they used a certain type of wipe that had something in it.
I've never seen baby wipes with alcohol in them and I would never use them on my baby's bum if there was alcohol on them. I'm with one of the earlier people. Craft pads can VERY QUICKLY gum up a stampin scrub and then you are just smearing the mess around and caking it deeper into the grooves in the rubber. I use baby wipes quite often and they have done no damage to my stamps. I've been stamping for a long time (over 10 years).
I have had no ill effect from using baby wipes for close on 10 years. AFter I have wiped my stamp I always dry it anyway. I do use Staz on cleaner sometimes or other cleaner if I have it handy, but with a little one on tow most of the time I always have wipes that are handier LOL
Caz
Ahh, the demo in the shop didn't demo the Scrub because SU! doesn't allow it. If a demo teaches a class in a competitive retail location, she can't use any SU! product. If she teaches a class in a non competitive retail place or not a retail place, like a school, church, comm. ctr., then she may use SU! supplies if the host place allows it.
I believe it is because of their desire to remain an at-home company, and not be in the stores.
I wanted to mention that I simply use a damp old washcloth (a really cheap thin one) to wipe messier inks off first, before using it on the scrub. I keep it in a small plastic dish. If you are using some of the metallic inks, that are really thick and gooey, yeah, you can make a real mess. That's when the second scrub really comes in handy.
Also having that damp rag nearby - I find myself more often wiping my fingers off on it, and I'm ruining a LOT less cards with fingerprints!!!
:lol: :oops:
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
It is not so much the alcohol in the wipes that is the problem but the oils that they use. I have been stamping for 15 years and some of my very old stamps actually started to separate from the block. Oil and rubber don't mix--- think of rubber gloves and lotion. (I make that comparison because I am a dental hygienist,too) It makes them porous and then ultimately they will leak. With the stamps the oils make the stamp get gummy and separate from the wood block or adhesive.
I know a demo that still uses babywipes and actually recommeded it to her customers to save money :? . I used the wipes for a short time and finally got the scrub, which is soooo much better to have. I agree that the wipes sometimes would leave residue on my stamps, especially the wheels. I think the stampin' scrub is a good investment. I have had people say something about wipes having alcohol, but I have yet to see any wipes with alcohol in them. Also now I just rinse my wheels with water, solved that one problem, thanks to my friend. I say everyone needs a stampin' scrub
I think that as long as one uses a cleaner and a scrub pad after taking off most of the ink with wipes, the stamps will stay in good condition... IMO...
__________________ Anna.
"Fearless is not the absence of fear. Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you." (Taylor Swift)
I agree that the stampin scrub is a must have..but for the mist I use my mist bottle a couple drops of baby wash shake it up and I am good to go, I do not see any film or damage on any of my stamps
I too use the baby wipes to first clean off all the gunk and then I mist the stamps and use the stamp scrubber. (Am I a 'Monica from Friends' or what?!) But the wipes take off so much of the ink that my scrubber isn't getting gunked up. Now that I know about the oil/rubber condition stampkat (<~BTW,love the name!) brought up, how do you clean your stamp scrub? Do you put it in the dishwasher? I've seen those scrubs actually flattened and black from all the use and I can't see my stamps getting clean when my scrubber becomes like that.
I have a stampin scrub, but I refuse to use it! I hate it! Every time I wipe a stamp on it, it gets full of the little black hairs and then my image doesn't stamp right. I got sick of wiping off the hairs everytime I had to use it and gave it away.
I also use baby wipes (have been for years) with no alcohol and love them. I just put a couple in the lid of the wipes container and stamp off when I'm finished.
I too have a stampin scrub and don't use it. I found the ink from the first stamp would stay on the scrub and then get picked up by the next stamp! Maybe I'm not using it right, I don't know. But I got tired of not having my stamps the right color after I used the stampin scrub. And, yes, I was using one side, dampened with the mist, and the other side to dry. I was still picking up color on my "cleaned" stamp. Does anyone else have this problem? I just use an old terry washcloth. I can throw it in the washing machine when it gets too yucky. Seems to work for me.
Don't forget, ladies, that the pads in the Stampin' Scrub need cleaned regularly, too. I mentioned on another thread that I have 2 Stampin' Scrubs and 4 or 5 sets of refills. That way I can just grab a clean one if one gets dirty. I also clean my pads with a little dish soap and a tooth brush or nail brush and water. Those of you who are having problems with fibers that come out might try scrubbing them with a brush first. That's what I do, and I've never had a problem.
__________________
Patra
So very blessed and so very thankful.
God is good.
I always used wipes, too, since I had a baby in the house, I was buying them anyway!! But I would get frustrated about the fibers on the wipes sticking to my stamp, then showing up on the image when I stamped...that's when I switched to the stampin' scrub. (I think we should all be getting some kickback from Stampin' Up! here!) :lol:
YUCK - I've never had fibers come off from either of my cleaning pads - could this be a defect? That would drive me nuts!
To clean my pads, I just hose them down at the kitchen sink and literally blast them with warm water from the sprayer hose. You can see the colors run out of the pad as it rinses them away. And I've never needed any soap.
If you are doing a lot of stamping and it seems like your stamps aren't getting clean and maybe even picking up other colors, rinse out your pad - it's reached it's limit.
When I'm using metallic or craft, I use one specific corner to clean those so they don't gunk up the entire pad.
Don't forget to move around on the pad to use the entire surface.
I wonder if anyone has done a scientific study of cost effectiveness, buying the stampin' scrub and mist versus keeping buying wipes.
I don't know about cost-effectiveness, but I think it's definitely more environmentally friendly to use a reusable product like the spray mist/scrub pad combo than to keep throwing things away. And where exactly is "away," anyway? It all has to be stored *somewhere*!
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
I've always used the stampin scrub pad and the mist. I first spray one side of my scrub with water then about a half dozen sprays of mist - makes the mist last a lot longer and the stamps get cleaned just fine. I clean off my stamp on the wet side (rub it around) then set it on the dry side (or rub them dry if I'm going to use it again right then).
I also take out the "wet" scrub pad and clean it when I'm through every time. I'm usually rinsing out sponges (I "edge" almost every card! LOL!) so rinsing out the scrub pad is no big deal. I just run it under warm water in the sink and brush my hand around on it to get out the ink. I've used a squirt of hand soap if I think it is extra inky from a long session. Then I leave it propped in the other side of the sink to dry overnight.
Since I wet my pad first with water, it doesn't matter if it is still a little damp. If I've been doing a lot of stamping or using craft or metallic pads and my scrub is getting to inky, I'll rinse it out and pat it dry with a paper towel, then a few more spritzes with the mist and I'm off and stamping some more. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my scrub pad - wouldn't be without it!
happy stampin'
__________________ Dana You can never have too many stamping toys.
The way I look at it -
I have waaaaaay too much money invested in my stamps to take a chance with the cleaner. SU manufactures the stamps and if Stampin' Mist is what they developed to clean their rubber properly AND CONDITION IT, as it says on the label, that's what I am going to use!!!!
I do think that using something first to get off the goopy-ier (is that a word???) inks is a great idea!!! My scrub pads do get messy, especially with a number of people using them!!
JMHO,
Amie
__________________ Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened!! Mary Engelbreit
Let the battle of baby wipes vs. stampin scrub ensue!
I am a died-in-the-wool baby wipes advocate -- I have been using them for at least 7 years and I have seen absolutely NO deteriation of my stamps or rubber or wood. (Like others have mentioned, I never use wipes with alcohol and I also avoid any that sound like they have emollients or other added goodies in them. Chubs is my all time favorite brand, but I haven't been able to find it for a while.) If you have noticed the wipes lifting the rubber off your wood block you must be squeezing the juice from the wipes around the edges and onto the surface of the wood - there is absolutely no need to do this-- a quick wipe on the surface of the rubber does the job!
I decided to pull out my rarely used stampin scrub the other day when I was doing a bunch of cards with big background stamps. I figured the scrub would clean them more efficiently than the wipes. After stamping and scrubbing I went to put the stamps away and noticed a fair amount of dye ink left in the nooks and crannies of the image on the stamp. How odd, because I REALLY did a thorough scrub on the pad.....I whipped out a baby wipe and was able to get rid of the gunk left by the pad.
I have found the pad and mist is handy when using small stamps and a lot of them at one time, but it really is not a good tool for larger detailed stamps and it definitely is not the thing for cleaning metallic pigment ink.
My conclusion is this: just as there is no ONE adhesive that works for everthing with cardmaking, so there is not one cleaner that works for cleaning every stamp project. Take off the blinders and use what works!
Maybe you demos could convince SU to make the stampin mist in a baby wipe style container with pre-wetted wipes, and then we wouldn't have this wipe vs scrub battle every other month!
If you need a spray, one tiny drop of Ivory liquid mixed with water in your spray bottle works even better than the SU mist. I am suspicious that the person telling you baby wipes are harmful is trying to sell you the spray cleaner. I have been stamping and teaching for just under 10 years. Literally dozens of people use my stamps and baby wipes in classes. I have never had a single problem before. Some brands of wipes will leave fibers however. I have found the cheaper the better where wipes are concerned. I don't think you can even find a wipe with alcohol. Additionally Aloe is very good for your stamps. It keeps them from drying out. I had a stamp ruined by sun exposure and I left it sit in a dish of baby oil for a few days and it came back to life. I go through mountains of baby wipes and again no problem whatsoever. Also my demo says to mix SU spray with water. About 20% spray and the rest water and you cannot tell a difference in cleaning power. Another demo says to spray the SU spray on the scrubber to start with and for the rest of the stamping session to keep misting it with water and you will use much less of that very expensive cleaner!!
Don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet but if you wash the scrubber pads in the dishwasher it will it take off all those little black fibers-you can also take a soft bristled brush and wash your scrubber in the sink under running water to get them off too. hth
Don't forget, ladies, that the pads in the Stampin' Scrub need cleaned regularly, too. I mentioned on another thread that I have 2 Stampin' Scrubs and 4 or 5 sets of refills. That way I can just grab a clean one if one gets dirty. I also clean my pads with a little dish soap and a tooth brush or nail brush and water. Those of you who are having problems with fibers that come out might try scrubbing them with a brush first. That's what I do, and I've never had a problem.
I did the same thing no more problems with fibers :lol: :lol:
I can't believe this thread wasn't started sooner! I used baby wipes, too and after seeing the SU! product, I bought a cheap version from Michaels... and I like it. Problem is that there is only one side to the cheap version and the scrubber is white, not black... so I may end up with the SU! version anyway.
BTW, I pulled out a non-SU! stamp I hadn't used in a while that had probably been cleaned with baby wipes and it looked FUNKY. It stamped okay, but something was definately happening to the rubber - so I am not sure that the rubber issue is resolved!
__________________ Liz "There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'." ~ Dave Barry
Location: the space that's in between insane and insecure
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Maybe you demos could convince SU to make the stampin mist in a baby wipe style container with pre-wetted wipes, and then we wouldn't have this wipe vs scrub battle every other month!
What a great idea!! That would solve the dilemma now, wouldn't it? (well, no, probably not, but I try to be optimistic!)
I love my Stampin Scrub. I do use baby wipes for pigment or craft inks and if I see my stamps are kind of "icky" I'll use the baby wipe to get in all the little crevices and give it a good cleaning. And then I will rub it over the scrub.
If I had to pick one, I'd go with the scrub & mist over the baby wipes. You can just keep cleaning the scrub - it is truly worth every penny.
Don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet but if you wash the scrubber pads in the dishwasher it will it take off all those little black fibers-you can also take a soft bristled brush and wash your scrubber in the sink under running water to get them off too. hth
Just don't leave it in there for the heat drying cycle, unless you're looking to warp it! :shock:
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
Ok...this has yet to be mentioned, but don't you ever get spots on your paper form the Stampin' Scrub? When I'm doing a lot of stampin' and start scrubbin', I find that specks fly from my scrub onto surrounding paper.
Lately I've been cleaning my stamps with a baby wipe and then scrubbing them on the Scrub to dry them. This seems to be the lesser of all evils. If something doesn't come clean, I bring it to the sink and use my Dawn Power Dish Brush. It works like a charm.
When I use the stamp and scrub I get ink on the wood blocks of my stamps, how often and how are you ladies cleaning yours?
I run mine in the sink under water until I don't see any more ink coming off.
So - I usually stick with the baby wipes....sometimes baby wipes then stamp and scrub.
__________________ Kyloe
The lesson from Charlie Brown: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Biggest reason is, I tend to be klutzy and so if I worried about this, I'd make myself crazy.
Another driving force for me is Efficiency, or, Laziness!
I know you can coat your wood with various substances to keep it clean if you want to. A lot of people do that. If you want them to stay clean, you might want to look into that. I don't bother. One more step to do before I can use the stamp? I don't think so! LOL. Not to mention, klutziness again, one more thing to mess up.
I think a colorful wood block indicates a well-loved stamp.
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
don't you ever get spots on your paper form the Stampin' Scrub? When I'm doing a lot of stampin' and start scrubbin', I find that specks fly from my scrub onto surrounding paper.
Have you tried using a twisting motion, rather than a back and forth motion, when cleaning your stamps? That might help the splattering problem. Also, could your pad be too wet?
I used the vacuum to get all of those extra fibers off before I used my scrub the first time.
Before I clean a stamp off on the scrub I stamp off as much of the ink as I can onto a scrap piece of paper. I have found that this helps to keep the scrub from getting really dirty. I was having trouble with the stamps picking up color from the scrub, but since I have started doing this it doesn't happen as quickly.
HTH
Amy
baby wipes
