Originally Posted by quilterfly
Some of you have said you use cooking oil or baby oil to clean your needle while you're sewing. I'm curious to know if you've ever had a problem with the oil spotting the fabric. I've considered using this type of oil but haven't done so for fear of ruining the fabric.
I don't think I would use oil. On the other hand alcohol (rubbing kind) was great when I had to remove gummy adhesive from my machine and needle. If that didn't work use sewing machine oil, but you will have to remove excess and stitch on some throwaway fabric until the traces are gone. You can also make the needle push through fabric smoother if you remove it from machine, clean with alcohol, and then run it through your hair for 2 or 3 strokes, works like magic. For heavy duty cleaning use the emery type pincushion that cleans regular sewing needles.:-D