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Hey everyone, I know this has been posted before and I searched the forum for info but was getting overloaded :shock: . I have the SU stamp cleaner pad thingy and just ran out of the SU solution.
Question 1. Isn't there a formula for making your own solution? I just order over $100 from my demo, but didn't add this to my order, and I'm really trying to hold off on ordering anymore till Jan so I can get SAB.
Question 2. I'm not so sure I like cleaning my stamps this way. They seem to discolor. I've just changed the cleaning pads on my SU stamp cleaner pad thingy so I'm hoping that solves it. But I've been using the winter trees from Lovely as a Tree with versamark a lot lately and this stamp seems to have a lot of gunck on it even after vigerously running it across my stamp cleaner pad thingy. Thinking I should take a soft bristle tooth brush to it.
I have found that sometimes things do get kinda gunky--especially when using versamark. I sometimes use a baby wipe to clean really well in nooks and crannies. Make sure it is alcohol free. You could use a toothbrush to get in there too if you need to. I know there is a solution for stampin mist on here, but I don't know it.
I copied this off this site some time ago here is the recipe and I have used it. Works well.
Andrea
Stamp cleaner recipe
This is the recipe someone gave me:
Use an empty hair spray bottle.
3 T. body spray (Bath & Body Works - something that smells nice)
Fill the rest with room temp water
Add 5-6 drops of dish soap
Shake gently.
They seem to discolor. I've just changed the cleaning pads on my SU stamp cleaner pad thingy so I'm hoping that solves it
How do you mean discolor? do you mean that it picks up previous colors from the pad? You can take the pads out and rinse them under warm water... you don't need to replace the pads unless the bristles are worn down...
After looking at the ingredients on these "body sprays" that everyone recommended a few months back, I would discourage people from adding that to their mix. These sprays, unless specifically stated, contain alcohol. Very bad for stamps.
As for baby wipes they need to be both alcohol and lanolin free in order to not hurt your stamps. Plain water and some dish soap is better for your stamps than a baby wipe.
One thing you can definitely do is run your pad through the dishwasher to remove the versamark gunk build up. I love my stampin scrub, but you have to clean it frequently and it's not the best with versamark. When using versamark I usually use a hot washclothe with a little dish soap. Seems to work the best.
Thanks everyone!!! I knew you'd be a help. I'm going to take a soft tooth brush to my stamps tonight to de-versa mark them.
And I'm going to run my stampin scrub (much better name that stamp cleaner thingy) through the dishwasher. I was running it under the sink faucet, but there still was much residue after the exhaustive work out I've given it lately and my stamps were getting this slight grey/blacking hue to them.
Yeah, the bristles on the stampin scrub are fine, I just couldn't seem to remove all the ink from it and it was staining my stamps, so I thought I just needed to order the replacement pads. Well, they won't go to waste.
Well, having two sets is good. You can use one until it needs to be cleaned, rinse it and while it's drying use the other set. May have to order some pads myself to do this with.
Angela,
I would use the extra pads you ordered with the versamark pad and all the craft type of ink pads and use your original ones with the classic ink pads (or visa versa). I have a spare pad and do this with my ink pads. The versamark and craft pads are so much harder to clean out of the stampin scrub and keeping them separate helps me always have at least one scrub that is in good shape for use most of the time! I also have lots of trouble getting the versamark off of my stamps, even more than the craft pads. Try stamping off as much as possible before you clean the stamps, too as that helps (excuse me if you already do this, I just learned this pretty recently!) Good luck, I am curious to know other tricks with cleaning the stamps myself!
Great ideas!!! I will do this. I'm going have one for my classic pads, and one for versa mark/craft pad (although I only have 2 craft pads). And I haven't tried stamping off before cleaning, but duuuuh makes total sense-great tip!
Thanks
I love all the tips, if you do something different, I'm sure we'd love to hear it!
What I've done that seems to work quite well is the following:
In a 3-quart jug add the follwing:
4-5 Tbl of Basic H (a super-concentrated household cleaner from Shaklee)
~1 tsp of lavendar essential oil (maybe less - mostly for fragrance)
fill with water
I've been using this with all of my inks (including Versa Mark and pigment inks) for about a month now and it works really well getting everything off.
After being frustrated with cleaning the VersaMark with my stampin' scrub, I tried Staz-On cleaner. It works wonders at getting the VersaMark off the stamp and getting rid of the sticky feel. HTH
When I ran out of the cleaner that I had bought at a hobby store, I refilled the spray bottle with water, and a few drops of dish soap. I just shake before spraying on cleaner pad. Works fine for me!
Just wanted to say that I second the StazOn cleaner! THat stuff is the BEST! It cleans VersaMark and also black SU ink off of your stamps. I always use the StazOn cleaner and then follow up with my Stampin' Mist and pad.
How to clean stamps
