I got so involved in reading this thread, I almost forgot why I came here. Long ago I read a tip about cleaning the hoops. If your hoops are dirty, say from spray adhesive, use baby wipes to clean them. I had some residue on the bed of my machine from cellophane tape. I didn't want to get out the GooGone, that would need cleaning off, too. Then I remembered baby wipes. The ones I had were pretty dry so I sprayed them with a little water and they cleaned the machine in seconds.