What do you use to remove Versafine ink from stamps?
 

I love Versafine Onyx Black but have some heavily stained stamps. What do you use to remove the stains from red rubber?

I clean my stamps after each use......red rubber and photopolymer. Just water on the later, but the red rubber I usually wipe with a baby wipe and then use my Stampin' Mist on a Stampin' Scrub.

For really stubborn ink stains, I have used my Staz-On ink cleaner solution, let it sit for 2-3 minutes and use my scrubber pad. Sometimes it can take several attempts.

I was using a baby wipe followed by a swipe with a microfiber cloth (Zwipes), but read about Simple Green on an old-but-resurrected thread, so now I'm using that on EVERYTHING - it's pretty amazing...

I use Hero Arts (aka Stewart, which you can buy refills for) and a microfiber cloth (Zwipes). That’s it, one step.

The cloths will stain but the ink never rubs off on anything - even seconds after using it. They can be tossed in the washing machine. I like the stained ink - modern art.
Here’s a link for the Zwipes. I ordered larger Zwipes for something else and they weren’t thick or very nice. I’ve used them for years - even before I saw Jennifer McGuire uses them for stamp cleaning :shock: and they’re still like new.
Amazon.com: Zwipes Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (24-Pack) - 924: Automotive

I don’t use Simple Green though it’s good, because of the smell. Not my jam though we use it to clean our kayaks and it bugs me then too.

Beth

Yes, the Simple Green does have a distinct odor, but it doesn't bother me enough to not use it. On the thread I was reading they mentioned a lemon-scented version, but I didn't have the patience to track it down - just grabbed the bottle off the shelf at Walmart (automotive section) and kept moving...

I should have said that’s not a put-down of Simple Green, and know it’s a great product. It’s just my personal nose factor. Lemon would be the same. I just happen not to like some of the smells in cleaning products - or hair products. (Why do I want my hair to smell like salad dressing or grapefruit?) My husband says I have a super sensitive nose, and I think his sense of smell is dulled and mine is normal. ;)

I usually have a tub near my table that I collect up dirty stamps in. Then I wash them, when there are a bunch. For regular dye, pigment, chalk, etc. inks, I rinse with water and scrub with a rag, if the ink is hard to get off. Sometimes, I’ll fill the bathroom sink with water and stamps and a squirt of hand soap, and scrub away with my rag, an old washcloth. Archival ink usually scrubs off well with hot water, and very well with stayzon cleaner.
However, stamps do stain. It’s normal. Stained stamps can be clean, without discoloring other inks. That’s the goal of washing them. It’s ok if your stamps look like they’ve been used.

Someone gave me a bunch of old stamps years ago, that were WELL LOVED! I used Simple Green & they looked like NEW! Simple Green is my choice too!


And bjeans, I know what you mean about cosmetics & cleaners! LOL I bought a can of hair spray & it smells like Grape Kool-Aid! Kind of clashes with my perfume! There are some smells I REALLY CAN'T TAKE! I can smell things that others can't! Once, I could smell a gas leak in our apartment & the manager came in & niffed... He couldn't smell it. (He was a drinker) But, a few weeks later, they were working on that gas line!

I use Sta-Zon cleaner for Versamark and pigment inks. Water won't do the trick! And I use microfiber cloths that I found at Harbor Freight, of all places! 4 cloths for under $3 when they are on special. Work great! I bought a bag for two of my stamping friends. I probably won't need more than the 4 for many years. Can't beat the bargain!

So we could not into business together. Sniffers Detective Agency. :shock:

Do you dilute the Simple Green or use it full strength?

Yes, you do dilute it & it goes A LONG WAY!!!

2 1/2 c. Distilled Water & add 1 1/4 c. Simple Green for a nice size batch.

I have an old OJ Container I mix mine in & store it in.
I pour some into a smaller Spray Bottle for use. I used Micro Fiber Clothes too with this! ;)<3

The is the very reason I bought my micro cloths in black!

I add a few drops of glycerin to this recipe to condition the stamps

Actually, did you know that Simple Green IS a rubber conditioner??? I believe it was made for cleaning & conditioning tires! ;)<3

I'm a free-pour kinda gal so I just pour Simple Green into my 2-oz spray bottle (I'm using one that used to contain lens cleaner for DH's glasses) until it's between a quarter and a third full, then fill it the rest of the way with distilled water. I don't want to store a larger container of the "mix", so I just make it this way as needed.

Cleaning Stamps with Simple Green
 

Do you have to use distilled water? Would tap water work as well?

I believe the bottle says to use "Distilled" water. Maybe the chemicals of tap water don't play nice with the Simple Green, or don't help the Simple Green work as well? I do think the bottle says to use "Distilled Water" though. I always keep some for other things as well.... My iron even says to use 1/2 Distilled & 1/2 Tap Water. Go figure....

I have been using Simple Green for years (10+ at least) and have always used plain ol tap water with no problem. They are is in great shape considering how old some of them are. Yes, it conditions rubber, that is why you find it in the automotive department of stores like Walmart.

FYI: I have cleaned my stamps with lots of different things over the years and I always rinse my stamps with water no matter what cleaner I use before drying and putting them away.

Distilled water is preferred if you will be storing it, as impurities in tap water can make it more likely that you will end up having algae or other "ickiness", but if you'll be using it up in a relatively short period of time tap water should be fine.

I don't think it's a chemical thing, but an "algae prevention" one for the Simple Green. For the iron, if you have tap water with a lot of minerals in it there can be issues with oxidation and you end up having that white crusty stuff building up in the vents and ending up on whatever you're ironing. For both, it's a matter of "erring on the side of caution"...

Good to know! For so long (45 years) we had well water, so I had to use distilled water in my steam iron, as it was just too hard. It was so cold and delicious, though, so I really miss it now.