How to Clean and Oil Your Sewing Machine

No matter the age of your sewing machine, you can help it work more smoothly and last longer by simply keeping it clean and oiled. Here are some general tips for cleaning and oiling any brand of sewing machine to keep it in good working order.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• very light sewing machine oil
• small cleaning brush
• canned air
• scrap of cotton fabric

1. Unplug your sewing machine.

2. Unthread your sewing machine and remove the bobbin.
   Remove the throat plate. You may need to remove the presser foot and needle to do this, and the throat plate may be held in place with a couple of screws. Every model is different.

3. Use the small cleaning brush that came with your sewing machine, or if it's missing use another similar brush. Brush any fuzz and lint out and away from the machine. Try not to let it fall back into the sewing machine. With the throat plate out you should be able to reach most areas of the machine where lint gets packed. Sometimes if you haven't cleaned this out for a while it gets packed down until it looks like felt. (There is no felt near the working parts of your machine. It's lint build-up. Remove it.)

4. After you have removed all the fuzz you can see, take an aerosol can of air with a tiny tube extender. Insert the tube extender from the some point at the back of the machine and shoot some air so that any fuzz left will blow out towards you. Don't shoot the air into the machine, or you may blow fuzz farther into the machine. Spray in short bursts.

5. Find the oiling diagram in your sewing machine users manual. If you do not have the manual, most older machines require a drop of oil on the hook (the part that moves around the bobbin) perhaps behind the hook, and the needle shaft. One drop of oil is all you need at each point, and then turn the flywheel to move the sewing machine parts and distribute the oil.

6. Many newer sewing machines have sealed electronics, and the only place you need to oil is the hook. Refer to your manual or contact a dealer for specific instructions for electronic models.

7. Replace the needle and presser foot. Replace the bobbin, and thread the machine. Using the scrap of cotton fabric, sew back and forth on the scrap until you are sure there is no excess oil anywhere that could stain a sewing project. Sew on the scrap until all stitches are clean.

8. You should clean and oil your sewing machine after about eight (8) hours of sewing time. If you are sewing with fleece, flannel, or doing machine quilting, you should clean and oil more often since there will be a faster lint build-up.

Tips & Warnings

• Your sewing machine oil should be very clear and light, almost like thick water. Never use 3-in-1 oil, as it is a heavy oil that will clog the fine workings of a sewing machine. Buy a really good quality sewing machine oil from a dealer. A small bottle will last for a very long time.
• Keep your sewing machine unplugged until you have oiled and reassembled it.

Resources

• Cleaning Your Sewing Machine
• After You Oil Your Sewing Machine

[PCharboneau]

on 7/28/2009 Thank you for this article. I wanted to have my machine cleaned professionally, but the business wanted to charge me $200 to do it. That's crazy! I can't wait to try the steps you have given to clean it myself.

[Homebody7]

on 3/11/2009 Thanks for writing this article. I did this and now I feel I can maintain my own sewing machine!