It's hard to understand the cleaning intervals for sewing machines. How often do I have to clean it, where do I clean and how often should I do it? This post is meant to point you in the right direction when it comes to cleaning your sewing machine.
How often you have to clean your sewing machine actually depends. What sewing machine you are using, are you sewing or quilting and what type of fabric are you using? If you are experiencing issues, like broken needles, skipped stitches, or other operational issues, there is a big chance that you should clean your sewing machine more often. But you should clean your sewing machine around every 10th operating hour.
Below you can see a list recommended for your sewing machine.
We cover these sections in this article:
How to clean your sewing machine
You should always remove any bits of leftover fabrics before you pack your sewing machine away after sewing. Regularly wipe your sewing machine with a dry or damp cloth. I recommend a dry microfibre cloth so you dont short-circuit the sewing machine. Always turn your sewing machine off while cleaning and never use canned air as it will in most cases blow dust into the machine. Always read the manual to your sewing machine before you start cleaning it. A cleaning process that is highly recommended is cleaning the bobbin house. You can read how to do it here.
Cleaning intervals
We have asked all major sewing machine manufacturers about how often they recommend that we clean their sewing machines. Keep in mind that these numbers aren't fixed, but we hope that these numbers at least can give you a clue on how often you should clean your sewing machine.
Sewing Machine manufacturer | Operating hours: |
Singer | 16 |
Janome | 16 |
Brother | 20 |
Husqvarna | 14 |
Baby Lock | 12 |
Bernina | 15 |
Pfaff | 15 |
Keep in mind that these intervals are for computerized sewing machines from 2012. if you have an older and/or mechanical sewing machine you should find the interval in your manual.
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Why you should clean and maintain your sewing machine.
When sewing, fabric residue or even big pieces of fabric finds their way into the sewing machine. eventually, the sewing machine can be so clogged up that it's unusable. thankfully, registered cases of fires or other severe consequences caused by poor sewing machine maintenance are low. But it can cause your sewing machine to malfunction and stop working. Another reason for doing a good job with cleaning your sewing machine is that fabric dust can enter the grease that has been applied by the manufacturer or the technician during the last service. So a less maintained sewing machine can require more service than a well-maintained sewing machine!
Problems that can occur with infrequent cleaning
If you are experiencing these issues you should clean your sewing machine more often.
Skipped stitches
Broken needles
Problem with thread tension
Hot and/or congested sewing machine
These problems can all occur for other reasons as well. But if these problems disappear after cleaning the machine it can be a good indicator that you should clean your sewing machine more often.
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How often should you service your sewing machine?
According to the sewing machine manufacturers, you should get your sewing machine serviced at least once a year. Some even recommend you do this more often.
The procedure can be done by any service center approved by the manufacturer. a service usually consists of giving your sewing machine the latest firmware update and greasing the sewing machine.
Why do I have to get my sewing machine serviced?
You should always follow the guidelines given by the manufacturer. In many cases, it's crucial to your warranty. It's also important for the health and lifetime of your sewing machine to get it serviced as recommended.
Can I service the sewing machine myself?
You can service the sewing machine yourself. However, it might breach the warranty. the amount of grease and where you put it is important to your sewing machine's health. Doing the service yourself is not recommended as you might end up doing more harm than good.
These are recommended steps in maintaining and cleaning your sewing machine. Even tho there is no exact number on this, we hope that you can use this guide as a reference point to establish your cleaning intervals. Its always recommended reading about the recommended maintenance steps for your specific sewing machine. You usually find these steps at the beginning or the end of the manual.
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